Today’s Daily Stoic writing prompt: What if I saw opportunities instead of obligation?

“Life as something you get to do, rather than have to do,” is the way the meditation today puts it.

I’m lucky. There are very few things in my life where there is an obligation that didn’t come out of an opportunity. Jobs in my hobbies? I took those as opportunities to serve and give back, and I went into them with eyes open as to what the duties entailed.

But this does apply to current situations. Yes, I have to wear a mask, avoid gathering with friends, and get vaccinated. But I get to know I’ve done my part to keep others safe and to keep the virus from spreading, and I am lucky enough to get to find ways of redistributing the time I would have spent on more social activities into other social activities I can do safely, or to creative projects I wouldn’t have contemplated, into better appreciating nature, or learning new things.

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Speaking of learning new things, two more modules of Indigenous Canada under my belt. One pair of pants done, although I had to redo the side closure twice because the instructions were a little confusing, I’ve also made a good start on the jacket; once I’m done with this post I’ll be going upstairs to press some seams; I’ll make a push to finish it tomorrow.

I also got a longer walk in today than expected. The temperatures were ideal, and the blister I gave myself yesterday was tamed with a large bandaid, so I did the thing.

SCA court tonight was rather short. I can tell everyone’s really eager to do these things live now, as attendance was down. There were originally a bunch of activities planned for virtual Trillium War but they were cancelled, I suspect due to lagging enthusiasm. People are now trying to at least get out and do the kinds of activities they can right now. Apparently we’re the last jurisdiction in North America to not yet have indoor dining of any kind; and Waterloo Region is the last in any kind of Phase 1 status. We were just over 200 cases today, and Waterloo Region is remining stubbornly around 45 cases (while much larger cities such as Toronto are in the 20s and 30s. Vaccine distribution is still going on all cylinders, with the under 18 crowd becoming eligible for second doses on Monday. We’ve technically already surpassed all of the conditions for Phase 3, but the province is still being cautious and saying it will be a full 21 days.

I’m now six days away from what should be peak immunity. I feel a little like I did this time last year–I would like to start visiting some friends, but am not quite sure how one goes about that. A few of them are a little behind us on the vax front, although technically we could be doing outdoor gatherings now. But part of me wants to keep hiding because I’ve been doing that for so long that it’s become second nature. We could also be planning for a small holiday again, but I’m a little too gunshy. I don’t want the rug pulled out from under me. At least there’s mini golf.

Tomorrow: Finish the jacket, RPGs, and pushing to finish Indigenous Canada (although I suspect that might take until Monday.