What FREE Things Are You Enjoying During The Pandemic?

[Anonymous]

Lol, it has been a CHALLENGE for me to AVOID extreme BOREDOM with so many FREE events being put on HOLD.

• What about and your loved ones?
• What FREE stuff are you finding to do while you WAIT out the pandemic?

[Anonymous]

Me, ZERO except for my volunteer work at the homeless shelter I stayed in my OLD age July 2017 to August 2018. I wanted to GIVE BACK once I RETIRED last year JULY (2020).

Lol, had tried working in the kitchen which I could do 7 days a week. I lasted a whole month 🤣😂 Way too many YOUNG folks walking around it WITHOUT masks and felt a need to be up close and personal (to heck with MY 6 feet). I got DRAINED AND ANGRY and called it quits.

Then one day I had stopped by their CLINIC after my 1st MODERNA vaccine on February 10th to see my Doggie Friend ATHENA. While I was sitting in their WAITING ROOM loving on Athena who thank goodness let me/lol, I noticed the 2 planters beside me were DEAD!!! Hmmmm, I wondered if they would let me take them home for a FUNERAL/lol, then replace with a SELF-WATERING planter that would last for 2 WEEKS. Yes!!! They were so GRATEFUL 🙂 So now I visit the clinic every OTHER Monday with 2 REPLACEMENT planters and take the 2 that were there home to soak really well and so on.

I also get FILLED UP with Doggie Luv 🤗

Her mom is the Manager of their on-site clinic and knew I have NO one that CARES here in Virginia. She  ALWAYS made time for me the 13 months I stayed at the shelter while I SAVED for my 2006 Hyundai Elantra after getting a job at Carilion Hospital. Up till then I was working part-time at Habitat for Humanity through the GOODWILL SCSEP program.

A FREE job-training program for ages 55+. Once I got my NEW job, I could move into the CUTE Studio Apartment I am in now. This AUGUST will be 3 years 🙂 This area's city bus schedule is a joke and NO trains. The car allowed me to work 7 days a week until 11pm. Buses stopped at 7pm and ZERO on SUNDAYS. These 2 planters get dropped off NEXT week Monday (26th). Cannot wait to see Athena and her mom. My VIRGINIA family 🤗🤗

This is Athena 🤗

Now your turn to share with us 🙂

[DeahWA · Accepted solution]

Great question @Anonymous . 

For years I have been involved in various online forums. Many contacts from those gravitated over the years to Facebook and for a while I was offering asynchronous classes via Facebook. Not doing that anymore, but still have contact with 100s of people there. So during isolation, it's been a blessing to be able to chat and joke with internet friends just like usual.

I've taken several writing workshops online and via Zoom, and have done a couple of the Writers' Digest prompt challenges where a host provides a word each day for a month and participates write a poem or flash fiction on that prompt. Those are fun, great discipline and mental / creative exercise,  and totally free.

I've sought out old classmates I grew up with since kindergarten and worked on developing renewed friendships. 

I've tried to sort through closets and drawers and take stuff to Goodwill-like charities.  Now thinking about doing the same with old paper files like tax returns and old receipts that are no longer needed or can be digitized.

And I started an iPhone photography course, which got me out of the house and walking for a while, but I didn't keep that up.  Need to get back to that!

My daughter has been training a service dog during this past year, mostly from free videos on YouTube. She got him as a 2 month old, I think, so he's still a pup. Her biggest challenge is keeping strangers from wanting to play with him when they are out at a store, even when he's wearing his service dog in training vest. Big no-no. That's forcing her to learn more assertive skills for herself too.

[Anonymous]

Wow @DeahWA you have been busy!!!! Thank you SO MUCH for stopping by to join our discussion 🙂 🙂