1- COVID19 Stay At Home

I confess that I probably would have been one of those people who "pooh-poohed" social distancing and was in denial had I not been working in the office at Ohio National. I started Feb 24 and within my first 2 weeks noticed the leadership being proactive about COVID19, allowing people the option to work from home (WFH) and putting hand soap dispensers near frequently-touched surfaces like the elevator buttons. We were all asked to ensure our ability to WFH and let our bosses know we were ready. But I still went into the office because it was close to home and I liked the social aspect of getting to know all my new colleagues F2F.

Noticed our Governor, Mike DeWine, and his chief health officer Dr. Amy Action giving daily briefings on TV at 2p, so was ready for ONFS to order us to WFH and for the Ohio primary election on St. Patrick's Day 3/17 to be postponed. Someone told me to check the Johns Hopkins web site daily for COVID19 info. It's starting to sink in what a catastrophe is coming and how "social distancing" cannot stop it but can definitely lessen the number of people who will die from the virus.

But selfishly, I continued to "go out" for dinner at a friend's house when the Fish Fry we'd planned to attend got cancelled. And to bowling league with my team, 8 Balls and 2 Babes, which I knew was down a member on Fri Mar 13. That was the last social event I now expect to attend until July! And I'm now sorry and embarrassed I went to work and bowling this week, because I was in NYC just a few weeks ago and could be a carrier. Remember Mack Wilberg instructing us never to touch our faces once on the risers in Carnegie Hall and realizing then how often I do that: a hard habit to break.

On Mon Mar 16, we were told we must WFH. Knowing how lonely and isolated I feel when WFH, I remembered using Zoom for video conferences while I worked for Quandary Consulting and looked to see if I could set up a personal "free" account. Sure enough, I could; hallelujah! Set up weekly Tues night calls for the golf group, Thurs night calls for Book Babes, and Sun night calls for the family.  Started using FaceTime more when calling people. It's amazing how much it helps to see the faces of those I care about on a regular basis! Thank you, Zoom and Apple (for FaceTime).