{"id":1574,"date":"2020-08-24T21:07:50","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T02:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/wordpress\/autisticme\/?p=1574"},"modified":"2023-11-26T16:28:24","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T22:28:24","slug":"podcast-episode-037-pondering-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/2020\/08\/24\/podcast-episode-037-pondering-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast Episode 037 &#8211; Pondering the Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Podcast Episode 0037; Season 04, Episode 01; August 25, 2020<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Everyone is exhausted. The COVID-19 pandemic safety measures are the new normal. We&#8217;re in a routine, and it isn&#8217;t much fun. Every day is another day at home. Each day resembles the last day, the last week, the last month. It&#8217;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&#8217;s exhausting.<\/p>\n\n<!-- iframe plugin v.6.0 wordpress.org\/plugins\/iframe\/ -->\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/15742040\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/backward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/336699\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" 0=\"allowfullscreen\" 1=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" 2=\"mozallowfullscreen\" 3=\"oallowfullscreen\" 4=\"msallowfullscreen\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n<h3>Pondering the Pandemic<\/h3>\n<p>Welcome to <em><strong>The Autistic Me Podcast<\/strong><\/em>. I am Christopher Scott\u00a0Wyatt, speaking as The Autistic Me.<\/p>\n<p>Here we are in the middle of the novel coronavirus,\u00a0COVID-19, pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe this isn&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t we all have more time for hobbies and creative endeavors?<\/p>\n<p>No. It feels like I have less free time, and I&#8217;m sure many parents agree.<\/p>\n<p>Our two daughters last attended school on campus before spring break. <strong>They&#8217;ve been home since March 13.<\/strong> I love them, but they require supervision to complete their schoolwork. We continued with schooling over the summer, too.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>I wish I had more time. I keep wanting to record podcasts and update the blogs I manage.<\/p>\n<p>At least I am finally launching season 4 of The Autistic Me Podcast.<\/p>\n<p>It seems like a good time to ponder the pandemic and reflect on the last five months.<\/p>\n<p>What has or hasn&#8217;t changed in the lives of my family and myself?<\/p>\n<p>Medical care has certainly changed during the pandemic. Preventative care and elective procedures have been delayed indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p>We have delayed semi-annual dental appointments, eye exams, and physicals. We&#8217;ve converted the girls&#8217; medical appointments to telemedicine visits.<\/p>\n<p>The Autistic Me Podcast was put on hold after Christmas, while I dealt with some medical issues. I assumed I&#8217;d be back to normal within a few weeks.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The pandemic has meant no follow-up appointment and certainly no elective surgery.<\/p>\n<p>My other medical matter was also going to be an outpatient surgery. That was cancelled.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>It turns out, the pandemic has been good for my health.<\/p>\n<p>My weight has held steady, near the 175 pounds my doctors suggest. I exercise daily, riding an exercise bike in &#8220;hill climb&#8221; 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>My heart rhythm, my blood pressure, everything is better than it was shortly after moving to Texas a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>We dropped the gym membership, but I am exercising more.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;re getting healthier than before the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>The doctor asked me about our diet.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>What has changed, is that so far I haven&#8217;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&#8217;s also no nearby frozen yogurt self-serve or two beloved ice cream walk-ups.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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 &#8220;keto&#8221; versions of some items.<\/p>\n<p>Our shopping habits changed slightly, but so little that we barely notice.<\/p>\n<p>To limit trips, we shop primarily at Costco. I want to praise Costco for making every effort possible to protect employees and customers. It&#8217;s not fun wearing masks and following gapped aisle markers, but everyone does what&#8217;s necessary.<\/p>\n<p>I purchased a small chest freezer for the garage, allowing us to store chicken, turkey, fish, and some beef. We don&#8217;t eat a lot of beef; most dinners are chicken or fish.<\/p>\n<p>Every two weeks, I head out for four gallons of milk, eggs, cheese, and produce. I buy whatever is in season.<\/p>\n<p>When there isn&#8217;t something we can buy at Costco, we use the curbside pick-up at the local grocery store or Walmart. The Walgreen&#8217;s pharmacy has a drive-up window. Costco is the only store I need to enter on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<p>The pandemic saves us money, it seems.<\/p>\n<p>A tank of gas lasts months, now. Costco is six miles away.<\/p>\n<p>The girls don&#8217;t need new clothes every two months. They can wear shorts and t-shirts day after day. There&#8217;s no need for fancy shoes, backpacks, or anything else they might need for school.<\/p>\n<p>We don&#8217;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&#8217;re focused on buying what&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m teaching online, so I don&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>Campus was an hour drive each way last year. Now, I walk down the hallway and sit at my desk.<\/p>\n<p>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 \u2014 and $35 buys a massive amount of produce.<\/p>\n<p>My wife and I don&#8217;t mind most of these changes. Many of the changes we&#8217;ve made during the pandemic will last well beyond COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>There are things we miss.<\/p>\n<p>The girls weren&#8217;t able to visit the grandparents in California. We weren&#8217;t able to visit the Gulf of Mexico to see the beaches. We didn&#8217;t get to visit a theme part or zoo this summer. We didn&#8217;t get to take our monthly weekend adventures, and the girls do miss those.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, though, life is okay. It&#8217;s actually relaxing.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>We are homeschooling now, something the pandemic required. Homeschooling might continue after the pandemic, too. We&#8217;re not struggling to schedule medical appointments around school hours. We&#8217;re not trying to attend one event after another at school. We&#8217;re able to focus on what the girls need to learn.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re not experiencing &#8220;cabin fever&#8221; after five months. We&#8217;re not wondering what to do with our free time because there isn&#8217;t much free time.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m sorry this has hurt so many businesses. I do empathize with the economic suffering of others. But, I don&#8217;t imagine we&#8217;ll be rushing to get out and about in a year or two.<\/p>\n<p>The Autistic Me is quite comfortable at home with my family and our large collection of books.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for listening to <em><strong>The Autistic Me Podcast<\/strong><\/em>. I am Christopher Scott Wyatt.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/\">https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autisticme\/\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autisticme\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/autisticme\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/autisticme<\/a><\/li>\n<li>YouTube: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/CSWyatt\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/CSWyatt<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/autisticme.libsyn.com\/\">https:\/\/autisticme.libsyn.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Podcast Episode 0037; Season 04, Episode 01; August 25, 2020 Everyone is exhausted. The COVID-19 pandemic safety measures are the new normal. We&#8217;re in a routine, and it isn&#8217;t much fun. Every day is another day at home. Each day resembles the last day, the last week, the last month.&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/2020\/08\/24\/podcast-episode-037-pondering-the-pandemic\/\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Podcast Episode 037 &#8211; Pondering the Pandemic<\/span> <i class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":11,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5,7,10,11],"tags":[108,183,185,207,337,353,699,769,776],"class_list":["post-1574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-employment","category-health","category-podcast","category-relationships","tag-bookstores","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-diabetes","tag-healthcare","tag-homeschooling","tag-teaching","tag-wfh","tag-work-at-home","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/12\/Podcast-HD-1920x1080-comp-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfivLC-po","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1574"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3603,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574\/revisions\/3603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/autisticme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}