Last updated on November 26, 2023
Podcast Episode 0037; Season 04, Episode 01; August 25, 2020
Everyone is exhausted. The COVID-19 pandemic safety measures are the new normal. We’re in a routine, and it isn’t much fun. Every day is another day at home. Each day resembles the last day, the last week, the last month. It’s not that I mind being at home, but my wife and I both valued quiet time alone. When she was at Girl Scouts with the girls, I had a break. When I took them the YMCA, she had a break. We are never alone, now, and that’s exhausting.
Pondering the Pandemic
Welcome to The Autistic Me Podcast. I am Christopher Scott Wyatt, speaking as The Autistic Me.
Here we are in the middle of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic.
Or maybe this isn’t the middle. There might be another full year ahead. I expect a long fall and winter, at least. It would be wonderful to be wrong.
While one of the memes I saw on Facebook suggested millions of people would be recording podcasts and YouTube videos, the reality of sheltering in place was quite different. I have not noticed more episodes of favorite podcasts, nor have I discovered many new podcasts.
Don’t we all have more time for hobbies and creative endeavors?
No. It feels like I have less free time, and I’m sure many parents agree.
Our two daughters last attended school on campus before spring break. They’ve been home since March 13. I love them, but they require supervision to complete their schoolwork. We continued with schooling over the summer, too.
My wife works from home, so managing our girls is primarily my responsibility. Since we cannot go anywhere or do anything outside the house, I have done my best to keep them occupied so Mommy can work.
By the time the girls are in bed, I only have time to prepare materials for the university courses I teach. I taught through May and resumed teaching in mid-August. Right now, I barely manage to stay slightly ahead of my students.
I wish I had more time. I keep wanting to record podcasts and update the blogs I manage.
At least I am finally launching season 4 of The Autistic Me Podcast.
It seems like a good time to ponder the pandemic and reflect on the last five months.
What has or hasn’t changed in the lives of my family and myself?
Medical care has certainly changed during the pandemic. Preventative care and elective procedures have been delayed indefinitely.
We have delayed semi-annual dental appointments, eye exams, and physicals. We’ve converted the girls’ medical appointments to telemedicine visits.
The Autistic Me Podcast was put on hold after Christmas, while I dealt with some medical issues. I assumed I’d be back to normal within a few weeks.
Before Christmas, I tore the MCL of my left knee. The medial collateral ligament is on the inside of the knee and it limits outward movements.
The doctor told me to wait a few months before deciding if I needed to schedule a follow-up exam. If the pain persisted, I might need minor surgery. Nine months since I injured the knee at the gym and it still hurts a lot.
The pandemic has meant no follow-up appointment and certainly no elective surgery.
My other medical matter was also going to be an outpatient surgery. That was cancelled.
I was supposed to have a follow-up appointment with our family doctor in April to monitor my diabetes, blood pressure, and heart rhythm. Concerned, I finally scheduled a telemedicine appointment in early August. The doctor suggested updated lab work.
Going into the clinic was surreal. Nobody was in the waiting rooms. Only one receptionist sat behind a Plexiglas barrier. There was a bin of pens for completing forms and another bin for pens that had been touched. All clinic employees wore masks and face shields.
It turns out, the pandemic has been good for my health.
My weight has held steady, near the 175 pounds my doctors suggest. I exercise daily, riding an exercise bike in “hill climb” for 30 minutes twice daily. I also manage to walk 10,000 steps dealing with our daughters. The doctors care more about my body mass index than lowering my weight.
My A1C has fallen steadily from above 7 to 6.7, which is still high but certainly progress for a diet-controlled diabetic. Even my fasting glucose readings have fallen by 20 points over the year, stabilizing just above 130 milligrams per deciliter. Apparently, diet and exercise are working.
My heart rhythm, my blood pressure, everything is better than it was shortly after moving to Texas a year ago.
We dropped the gym membership, but I am exercising more.
Each day, I lead the girls through gym class, alternating between yoga for balance and weights for strength. While they stretch, I ride the exercise bike. Together, we’re getting healthier than before the pandemic.
The doctor asked me about our diet.
We have always eaten at home more than most families we know. Honestly, it was too difficult to take the girls anywhere until they were a bit older. Anyone with little children can appreciate the challenge of restaurants. The youngest, like me, has sensory processing issues. Restaurants can be too much input for her to handle.
At most, we would eat out once a week. There were only three restaurants we visited regularly back in Pennsylvania, and two of those featured salad bars.
What has changed, is that so far I haven’t found the number or quality of bakeries in Texas that surrounded us in Pennsylvania. Not donut shops, either. Real, serious, bakeries with pastries, cakes, and cookies for sale. There’s also no nearby frozen yogurt self-serve or two beloved ice cream walk-ups.
If we want something for dessert, we bake a low-carb treat. My wife has also discovered low-carb ice-cream and frozen yogurt recipes.
Without the pandemic, I know I would have explored the area more and located bakeries, ice-cream parlors, and yogurt shops. Staying close to home, we have a donut shop and a bakery that does offer “keto” versions of some items.
Our shopping habits changed slightly, but so little that we barely notice.
To limit trips, we shop primarily at Costco. I want to praise Costco for making every effort possible to protect employees and customers. It’s not fun wearing masks and following gapped aisle markers, but everyone does what’s necessary.
I purchased a small chest freezer for the garage, allowing us to store chicken, turkey, fish, and some beef. We don’t eat a lot of beef; most dinners are chicken or fish.
Every two weeks, I head out for four gallons of milk, eggs, cheese, and produce. I buy whatever is in season.
When there isn’t something we can buy at Costco, we use the curbside pick-up at the local grocery store or Walmart. The Walgreen’s pharmacy has a drive-up window. Costco is the only store I need to enter on a regular basis.
The pandemic saves us money, it seems.
A tank of gas lasts months, now. Costco is six miles away.
The girls don’t need new clothes every two months. They can wear shorts and t-shirts day after day. There’s no need for fancy shoes, backpacks, or anything else they might need for school.
We don’t have the temptation of browsing the local bookstores, which always meant buying a few books. We are still buying books for ourselves and the girls, but we’re focused on buying what’s needed for homeschooling. I have plenty of books to read, as it is. Hundreds of books I intended to read or reread before the pandemic.
I’m teaching online, so I don’t need to dress up each day, drive to campus, and eat in the cafeteria. I cannot recall the last time I needed to wear a tie. The online dress code has been relaxed to polo shirts or a button-up shirt for faculty.
Campus was an hour drive each way last year. Now, I walk down the hallway and sit at my desk.
I miss the salad bar of the cafeteria and chatting with students, but even a salad bar was $7 each day. I can buy a lot of salad makings for $7 — and $35 buys a massive amount of produce.
My wife and I don’t mind most of these changes. Many of the changes we’ve made during the pandemic will last well beyond COVID-19.
There are things we miss.
The girls weren’t able to visit the grandparents in California. We weren’t able to visit the Gulf of Mexico to see the beaches. We didn’t get to visit a theme part or zoo this summer. We didn’t get to take our monthly weekend adventures, and the girls do miss those.
The girls miss having recess outside with friends at school. Without the YMCA, Girl Scouts, or team sports, the girls only have each other as companions.
Overall, though, life is okay. It’s actually relaxing.
My wife is content staying at home. She seldom looked forward to outings or trips, unless we were going somewhere quiet with wildlife to watch.
We are homeschooling now, something the pandemic required. Homeschooling might continue after the pandemic, too. We’re not struggling to schedule medical appointments around school hours. We’re not trying to attend one event after another at school. We’re able to focus on what the girls need to learn.
We’re not experiencing “cabin fever” after five months. We’re not wondering what to do with our free time because there isn’t much free time.
The pandemic has taught me that I would like to continue teaching online or working remotely, homeschooling our daughters, and limiting errands to the essentials.
I’m sorry this has hurt so many businesses. I do empathize with the economic suffering of others. But, I don’t imagine we’ll be rushing to get out and about in a year or two.
The Autistic Me is quite comfortable at home with my family and our large collection of books.
Thank you for listening to The Autistic Me Podcast. I am Christopher Scott Wyatt.
Remember that we are on Facebook. My wife and I monitor The Autistic Me on Facebook, @AutisticMe on Twitter, and, of course, we have The Autistic Me blog, which is easy to find using Google or Bing.
- Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
- Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/