Except through the people I know who are affected.
I’m talking about Corona-chan and all the mess that has gone along with it – wearing masks, social distancing, quarantine, etc.
I realized talking with my wife tonight that she, along with most “normal” people, have strong emotions regularly as a result of this pandemic – anxiety, dread, general worry, even anger.
I have none of those feelings whatsoever. I’m not worried. I’m not panicked. I feel absolutely know anxiety about getting the virus, nor what would happen to me if I did get the virus.
Part of this is that I bothered to prepare ahead of time. I didn’t have to rush Costco for toilet paper. I didn’t have to dash to get my “1 per customer” loaf of bread. I didn’t have to create makeshift masks because we had stocked up months ago.
I also take basic precautions when I’m out. No biggie.
The truth is, my life is definitely harder than it was before the virus hit, but not because the virus affects me, or has altered much about my life at all. I’m still home all day with the kids like before, I’m still working every day as a writer just like before, and I’m still reading and playing the same games as before.
What has made it harder is that it has affected everyone else. My wife is worried. She has to work from home, which is not fun or productive for her line of work (she’s a speech-language pathologist), so of course that affects me. My kids can’t play with the other kids like normal. That makes it harder to handle them and keep them healthy and happy. My mother is isolated hours away from us, and we haven’t seen my wife’s parents in weeks.
All of my worry, oddly, is in the same place it has always been – I’m I getting enough done? Am I making meaningful progress towards my goals and can I complete my projects.
I still have these feelings even though I have a great handle on my creative process, from the micro (writing words, like these) to the macro (publishing books) to the meta (organizing multiple books, etc). I always have the feeling that I could be working harder. In a way, that is good, as it keeps me always evaluating and revising my process.
It makes me impatient, though. You have to trust the process!
You can get my latest book on developing your own creative process right now on Kindle and in paperback: