Has Coronavirus caused you to rethink anything?

Has this virus (and the possibility that it could happen again) caused you to rethink any life plans, current situations, or societal remedies? Has is just reconfirmed your prior assumptions?

For me, I reconfirmed this as my preferred living situation:

MC2 5678F589 wrote

I don't need much. Ideally, I'd want to live somewhere where I can skin or MTB right out my back door, with loops of varying distance and complexity, depending how I feel. I want to live in a house with a front porch that I can sit on in the evening and watch people walk into town, and I want to be a quick 10 minute bike ride from a legitimate grocery store. Surprisingly, that combination is hard to come by.

I'm not in a terrible place right now (road bike rides out my front door, 6 minute drive to mountain biking, 15-30 minutes to better mountain biking), but if this shit happened during the prime of ski season, I'd want to be close to some ski zones.

I have found that there are some things that, with more free time, I thought I'd do more of (home improvements, gardening), but actually hate doing. And some new things that I'm hoping to keep up with (playing banjo, learning Italian on Duolingo).

I'm happy that I bought a bunch of different bikes to ride (I'm using them all!), but I have a new set of skis and bindings that are still in the packaging (I wanted to use them this year, but I guess I shoulda saved the money and bought stocks when they dipped).

As for society, this reconfirmed my thinking that we should have universal healthcare, a universal basic income, and a competent leader in charge.

I'm doing Okay. Still working and getting paid. Even if I wasn't I would be okay for a few months.  But I'm really surprised by how many people, who make decent money, don't have an emergency fund and live week to week. I think a lot of those people will start budgeting a little better and maybe think a little more about what they really need when it comes to spending money. Like do they really need that $60,000 pickup/Suburban/gas guzzler or would the $30,000 fuel efficient model work for me just as well? Do they really need that 5,000 sq. ft. house when they only use 1000 sq.ft 99% of the time?

trackbiker wrote

I'm doing Okay. Still working and getting paid. Even if I wasn't I would be okay for a few months.  But I'm really surprised by how many people, who make decent money, don't have an emergency fund and live week to week. I think a lot of those people will start budgeting a little better and maybe think a little more about what they really need when it comes to spending money. Like do they really need that $60,000 pickup/Suburban/gas guzzler or would the $30,000 fuel efficient model work for me just as well? Do they really need that 5,000 sq. ft. house when they only use 1000 sq.ft 99% of the time?

Because I'm a personal trainer and gyms are shut down, I'm not working.  I'm self employed so I don't think I can collect unemployment.  My spouse is in a COVID-19 high risk group, so it's not prudent for me take a job in an Amazon warehouse or a grocery store.  I broke down and applied for social security.

We have lived within our means to this point.

Insofar as rethinking.  There are some life changes ahead that must be delayed till this plays out.  But I'm gonna move forward, because I have a limited amount of time left on this earth.

Good post.  Yes, my wife and I plan to keep a 3 months supply of basic goods on hand.  Rice, beans, etc. plus essential personal hygiene products (TP, soap, disinfectant, etc.).  Save as much as possible and keep a good portion of it in "hard" assets like cash, gold, etc.  I've come to realize that you really don't need much to live on if you are not indebted to someone else.  This government imposed slowdown has made us appreciate the simple things in life.

On the other hand, I'm saddened to see so many grown men (and women) "cower in the corner" - used to be a time where men stepped up and faced the challenge at hand.

My plan and assumptions haven't changed, at this time.

Want to work for 3.5 more years, sell this house and move to the So Adk to build a house or maybe rent in the upper Hudson Valley, Warrensburg, Queensbury or Glens Falls.  

Right now I WISH I lived up on our land up there. I could keep myself entertained and exercised no problem on our property, without ever needed to go off it. MTB, trail work, and up until recently nordic skiing.  Feeling it acutely now as all our parks closed so we are walking on the street.

But that's not realistic. I really I need to keep working, until my daughter enters college. So that's a wish more than a true rethink. Come to think of it, that wish hasn't changed either.

Due to the amount of non locals in our area now I now lock my house, take the keys out of my truck, and all my toys.

All our trails are loaded with people. Trailheads have numerous Subaru Outbacks and most with Ithaca is Gorges stickers on them.

My county is currently getting a D for social distancing which is up from a F.

I’m actually really enjoying the crowdless streets, the absence of air traffic and the feel of a slower paced world. I’m enjoying the reports of much less pollution and clean air in places like LA or China.

I’m still working but not with core members, we sent them all home so it’s just us crew leads going out into the field. It’s been an incredibly enjoyable two weeks really.

So it doesn’t have me rethinking my life but it does have me reevaluating American values and consumption. It seems like our world would be a much better place if we could figure out a way to take it down a notch and slow down our consumerism.

This^^^ also love not hearing the planes flying constantly. I’m also enjoying this slow down, more time for outdoor activities. I am also working but it much more relaxed. I do wish for simpler times without the consumption filling our landfills and not our lives. This stay at home/ social distancing is a piece of cake for me as I kind of always lived this way. I just prefer to stay at home and play around the house.  

The only thing crimping my style (beyond lack of revenue to pay the staff) is the fact that they closed down our trail network here. We are walking on the road, even though there are few cars, it's not nearly as enjoyable and seems more dangerous.

My wife and I have been low key planning our downsize/move out of the neighborhood for a while, although it will be 2 years from now at the earliest.

But this situation has really reinforced why we live exactly where we do right now. We have a kid who should be at school living back home with us, so the extra space is nice and the house is full. I can walk downtown or into a largely abandoned college campus in a matter of minutes. I can turn the other way and disappear into woods and floodplain fields, also in a matter of minutes. We are in a uber pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, so we can wave and say hi to friends and neighbors and strangers from a safe distance. Chit chat over the split rail fence. And we are a 2 minute drive from grocery store and big box shopping, can be at a variety of trailhead parking in 5-20 minutes, half an hour from a short, reliable, mid range difficulty whitewater run with a walkable shuttle. And there are several breweries with to go options close by.  I’ve finally taught the kids how to play euchre and they seem to enjoy it. We have done some Texas Hold’em too. And some family Mario-Kart has really shown me that my brain has become to sclerotic for video games.

The situation highlights a few things for me. One is, as others have noted, keeping the overhead low, keeping monthly bills to a minimum if you can. And the tying of health care to employment is being exposed for the ridiculous set up it was in the first place.

I am actually thinking about next year's ski season, and will I have to wear a mask up on the lift and then take it off on the way down.

Lots of other changes, too. This was the first Easter since my mom died, and my son graduated, and now coronavirus.  All traditions have blown up. So, we started a new one. Maybe it's better that way.

Other than working from home, doing online yoga at home, and figuring that social distancing will be a part of my life forever, no *ahem* major changes.  I try to live an uncomplicated life, because it's easier for me, and I am lazy. As long as I can ride my pony, ski, run, and do yoga, life is good.

I do miss talking with actual humans, though. I have extra time for more yoga, which is nice, but most of my job involves talking with students and helping them navigate the system at Cornell. I miss that.

WP

PS. Camp, not all Ithacans are obnoxious. Only those that annoy me. ;)

wonderpony wrote

I am actually thinking about next year's ski season, and will I have to wear a mask up on the lift and then take it off on the way down.

Lots of other changes, too. This was the first Easter since my mom died, and my son graduated, and now coronavirus.  All traditions have blown up. So, we started a new one. Maybe it's better that way.

Other than working from home, doing online yoga at home, and figuring that social distancing will be a part of my life forever, no *ahem* major changes.  I try to live an uncomplicated life, because it's easier for me, and I am lazy. As long as I can ride my pony, ski, run, and do yoga, life is good.

I do miss talking with actual humans, though. I have extra time for more yoga, which is nice, but most of my job involves talking with students and helping them navigate the system at Cornell. I miss that.

WP

PS. Camp, not all Ithacans are obnoxious. Only those that annoy me. ;)

my kid graduated from Cornell 3 yrs ago..I miss going up there..