Walking the Neighborhood in the Time of COVID-19

The author on his new daily walks.

By Daniel A. Olivas

I hope this blog post finds you and your family well. We know that these are frightening times, and as our contact with the outside world shrinks so that we may "flatten the curve" of COVID-19's inevitable spread, it's important to check in with folks.

We have been told that even as we stay at home, we should try to maintain (or improve) our mental and physical health. In the days before this plague, we did that by going out to the gym, restaurants, sporting events, museums, bookstores, plays, concerts, classes, malls, and (yes) our workplaces. But these options are, for the most part, gone.

I am teleworking as my very large state office of attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, managers, and technology professionals have gone virtual to maintain the work of the people. I "meet" with my management team via BlueJeans so that I can see their wonderful faces as we work to fulfill the needs or our section members. And in my "other" life as an author, I use the evening hours and weekends to write, edit, and think about what  themes and issues I might want to explore through essays, fiction, poetry, and plays.

I have started to take walks in our new neighborhood (we moved a few months ago), and I find this time alone with my thoughts has been beneficial for both my physical health and my creativity. I also enjoy noticing my surroundings that otherwise seem quite ordinary, but now are imbued with something special...something vibrant and life-affirming. 

So, for this blog post, I simply want to share a few of the sights from my neighborhood. Here they are: simple, beautiful, and very much alive.