7 Unexpected Blessings from “Sheltering in Place”

by

How are you doing with “Sheltering in Place”?  It’s day 48 for our family. Believe or not, I am starting to like it. We have developed a mentality to be thankful for what we have and a routine that maximizes our social distancing and cleanliness

  • We still go out but not everyday – My kids have been unusually happy just to hang at home; My husband do most of the grocery shopping and I look forward to my run outside by the water as well as our weekly farmer’s market on Saturaday. Once in awhile, we bring our kids out to play soccer or frisbee at the park.
  • We don’t bring outside clothes indoors – We put everything we wear outside on our balcony includes dipping our shoe soles in bleach water. We clean everything we bring back from shopping with either bleach or food wash and put it all in our own containers
  • We meet all family and friends virtually or outside at a distance – We contemplated visiting our neighbors whose routines are even more stringent than ours. They politely refused, which is very understandable. We also decided for now, visiting others who have less stringent routines is just not worth the risk.

While I still worry about the threat of coronavirus and absolute chaos created by our own government leaders, I know the best I can do in Nov is to make sure everyone we know votes and for now just live a simple and content day to day life. I practice gratefulness everyday both in my mind as well as when I speak to my family and friends. I discovered 7 unexpected blessings from “sheltering in place” ...  read more

A Little Humor – Here are My Top 5

by

It’s time for some humor to help us get through the week. I was laughing so hard at some of these. Hope they can also bring out a belly laugh or two for you. Here are my top 5.

What surprises you most about this…

A little morbid humor …

Looking cool…

Trump …

Words…

  • Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come out with a drinking problem.
  • I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.
  • I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.
  • PSA: every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.
  • Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.
  • I don’t think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks we’d go from Standard Time to the Twilight Zone.
  • This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog….. we laughed a lot.
  • Quarantine Day 5: Went to this restaurant called THE KITCHEN. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in business.
  • My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.
  • I’m so excited — it’s time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?
  • I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I’m getting tired of Los Livingroom.
  • Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.
  • Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said “I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year”…. I’m offended!

Remember, we will get through this and come out stronger. Stay safe and stay home everyone.

Your Comments: Do you have any to share? What’s your favorite? I look forward to your comments ...  read more

How to Communicate Concisely

by

As more of us work from home in this new crazy reality, knowing how to communicate concisely is more important than ever. We have all been on call thinking to ourselves – when is this person going to get to the point? A professional that cannot engage or get to the point will easily lose their audience. Being able to communicate concisely is a fundamental skill that is critical to master for all professionals.  ...  read more

5 Tips – How to Manage a Remote Team During Covid 19

by

It’s day 24 of our “self quarantine.” Thankfully, I still get to work full time, as do my team. I am writing to share 5 tips on how to manage a remote team during our new covid 19 reality. Prior to this, only 2 out of 10 of my team members were remote. While the sudden change has been jarring, we have learned to adapt, stay connected, support each others and still make progress. Hope these tips can help you continue to be a great manager during this difficult time.  ...  read more

A New Reality Created by the Threat of Coronavirus – 7 Tips on How to Cope

by

Another week has gone by in this new reality – First the Bay Area and then the entire state of California is told to “Shelter in Place.” I breathe a small sign of relief – finally we are deciding to act before the numbers get bad. While there is no cure for this novel (aka new) Coronavirus, we can now perhaps buy enough time  ...  read more

Coronavirus Situation – A Positive Perspective – 5 Reasons to be Grateful

by

I really wanted to write about something else this week – anything but the coronavirus. But alas, I cannot escape how this pandemic is fundamentally changing all of our lives and rapidly. This is one “lemon” many of us didn’t foresee, even after the Wuhan situation in China in late January. We all thought we were far away enough to be safe. We all have heard the saying “when life give you lemons, make lemonade.” Can we this time? I am going to try with this post.  ...  read more

Going on Maternity-Leave – How to Build My Work Reputation

by

Just because you are going on maternity leave, doesn’t mean you are okay to be forgotten related to your accomplishments for the year. It is still important for you to remind others what you have done prior to leaving. It is also possible for you to do this even when the important project you are leading won’t be finished yet. But how do you do it tactfully? ...  read more