Well, like a lot of people, I’m stuck at home for the time being, practicing “social distancing” due to the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19. As it probably has for most everyone, the rapidity with which my life has changed has come as a shock, and I’m still adjusting. So far, those around me are healthy and getting used to the new normal. But I won’t deny that it sucks, and it’s probably going to take a while to get better. For myself, much of what I do–writing, composing, maintaining this blog–is already “work from home,” so I’m used to setting my own hours and doing personal projects on my own. But I don’t think I had realized how much the other things I do that get me out of the house–teaching lessons, directing my church’s choir, and running errands with my kids–gave structure to the hours at home, keeping it from seeming like one unending day off.

With live music venues closing down, freelancing has dried up for me. Movie theaters are closed (although the drive-in is still open). I’m fortunate that I still have church activities to participate in, as we have shifted to livestreaming services on Sundays, but it’s just me singing the hymns with my wife, the pianist, as the choir has been instructed to stay home. I can also teach lessons (for now), but most of the students who are continuing are switching to distance learning via Skype or Facetime, so that too has changed. Oh, and did I mention that schools in Kansas have closed until at least the end of the school year? Hello, homeschooling!

The amount of connectivity and the ability to stay in contact via social media is a great blessing, of course, even if it comes with the double-sided urge to simply keep refreshing Facebook and Twitter to glean the latest scraps of news or conversation. I had actually cut my Facebook use way back at the beginning of the year, but I’m glad I didn’t delete it completely, since it’s become so critical for livestreaming and staying in touch.

Like many, I have been trying to put the extra hours at home to good use. The rhetoric around self-isolation has been interesting to see, at least among the creative class: at first there were reminders along the lines that Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine from the plague; then there were acknowledgements that, hey, you don’t have to put that much pressure on yourself, and if binge-watching Netflix is what you need for self-care, then don’t feel guilty about it. For my own part, I don’t think I’m watching any more TV or movies than I was before. I’ve found it necessary to have some kind of schedule, however loose, and things to keep me active, including firing up the old Wii to acquaint myself with the fitness programs I never bothered to try before. I agree that there’s no need to pressure yourself to achieve something great, but I think it’s important to engage the mind and body so you don’t just melt into the couch. You might not end up with a masterpiece, but it’s the process, not the end product, that’s important right now. (And if you just need a little encouragement to start something you’ve been wanting to try, here it is: Go for it! What have you got to lose?)

So I have dedicated some time to things I’ve put off, including putting together a Shop page for this blog to replace my too-static homepage for Prime Material Press, the publishing outfit I started to market some of my ragtime piano pieces years back. I still have inventory of printed copies of those pieces, but I’m also planning to use the Shop page to make pdfs of some unpublished pieces available. I hope to update the Shop frequently, but for now it at least contains samples and ordering instructions. I have also included a link to Paraclete Press, which published my choral anthem “We Are Summoned” in January (you can order directly from them or through your local music retailer); hopefully choirs will soon be able to meet in person again to rehearse and perform it!

As for the immediate future, I have some plans in mind for future posts on Medleyana. As I promised at the beginning of the year, I had hoped to post more this year; February was a bit fallow, but hey! It’s not too late! Look for upcoming installments of Fates Worse Than Death and capsule reviews of movies and books in the coming weeks.

Before I go: drop a line in the comments and say hi! Are you in self-isolation? If not in the U.S., how are things in your country?What are conditions like? How are you dealing with social distancing if you are practicing it? Thanks for reading, and stay well!