that little voice

One thing this alone time (called social isolation) has forced and/or enabled me to do is write and learn how to maneuver my way around Zoom.

I was not forward thinking enough to invest in Zoom 10 months ago which means I have not benefitted from increasing my net worth due to the millions of people who are using that internet platform during this COVID-19 rampage.

Alas, I never invested in Dell or Apple or Microsoft either. It is obvious my monetary gain instincts were stunted and left me clueless about how I might benefit from financial futures.

I would say I took after my paternal side of the family. My Dad had no sense of money, except how to spend it. Saving or investing were not in his gene pool. My Mother, however, had a natural instinct for how to make money and how to make it grow. That difference in the way each handled finances created more than a little tension in the household. However, they navigated that rocky road long enough to get their three daughters educated, one through medical school, and two with undergraduate degrees.

What they both contributed to each of us was a work ethic that enabled us to avoid living under bridges or in homeless shelters.

I remember when my younger sister married fresh out of college and her husband, a new graduate of law school but not licensed, left heading to California both seeking summer employment before returning for his law exams. My Dad urged them to ‘write when you get a job’. The family wondered why we didn’t hear from them for weeks and weeks. Apparently, they had trouble securing jobs immediately, and they took Dad’s words to heart.

Zoom has been an unforeseen benefit during these lockdown times. As I mentioned, I have the time to indulge in writing and have been participating in workshops via Zoom. The great advantage to this is that I’ve been interacting and learning from people all over the U.S. and Mexico without having to travel. And that is a huge plus.

I would have enjoyed visiting new spots, but Zoom has saved me money that I can spend ordering meals delivered while sitting alone in my house.

That is not to say I haven’t eaten during a Zoom meeting, allowing a number of strangers watch me gobble down my takeout delights. That’s how I learned to shut off my video during a meeting and mute myself, all at the insistence of the other attendees. Chopping and chewing can be unsightly for some folks.

Yes, there are the ‘good and bad’ with all things, but overall I have to admit we all have started new habits, learned new ways of doing things, and met new people.

Not bad for a pandemic.