Years ago, after the boys moved out, we made the decision to downsize to a lovely apartment.  We gave away and threw away things we had held onto for years.  No more lawnmower or snow shovel as someone else would take care of that for us.  After all, we just needed a nice space to sleep, work and occasionally cook and eat.  We’re never home anyway so why invest in a space where we would have to spend an inordinate amount of time.  And for years, this place has served its purpose well.

For the last week, except for three days at school, I have spent all my time at home within seven rooms.  There are two more rooms, but my son lives in them, so they don’t count.  I really have no desire to live in them.  So, my time, usually spent at breakneck speed and  sometimes double booking myself has come to a virtual halt and the experiences I write about while out and about have stopped.  No more students, no more colleagues, no more travel adventures – which means my writing is going to change completely.  Can I make what I write about interesting when I am not writing about what I’ve done for nearly three decades?

Just like everything else in our lives right now, things have been turned upside down.  This is a situation where you either flee, adapt or perish.  While I might want to flee, I can’t, and I have no desire to perish, so I find myself working to adapt, and part of that adaptation involves what I can write about while closed up within seven rooms.  After all, now I have all kinds of time, but can I experience life fully while being trapped in such a small space with the same people for a long period of time.

So far, I’m doing pretty well.  I’ve been running like crazy for years, always wishing I had time to do this, that and the other.  This week I’ve worked on our office space, baked brownies and cookies and eaten at home for almost every meal.  I’ve taken naps when I’ve been tired, begun the “springification” of the apartment, started reading a book and have begun work on doing a podcast and plan to send my book transcript to an editor.  I’m still working three jobs, but I can set priorities as to when things can and need to be finished.  Totally freeing and so much less stressful.  For an introvert who loves to live in her head, this has been heaven on earth.

Eventually I’m sure this will get old, although if I can do the occasional retail therapy and have it delivered, I can make it work for awhile.  Do I miss the students?  Sometimes, but I’m in the process of a transition anyway and had been preparing myself for it as I tend to separate myself emotionally when necessary.  It’s a safety mechanism for me. This just happened faster than I thought.  But I love the opportunity I have to think, to breathe and to rest, and if this is the by-product of staying inside to keep ourselves and everyone else safe, I’m all for it.  I know that God is in control, no matter what happens, so while it’s a scary situation, I’m not really afraid.  So I’m going to do my best to embrace this new existence, be observant, and see what happens with the writing.  All within seven rooms.