My morning is off to a slow start. I did not finish work until well after midnight last night, which led to the rare occasion that I was still sound asleep when the sunlight began to peek into my bedroom window. I just now caught up on email, and my coffee is still in the process of brewing. The only thing that I have done so far is prepare a pot of braised ribs and vegetables for lunch today. The start of this day is in stark contrast to a normal morning when I have already finished a work deliverable or two by 8:30 AM. I doubt that my coworkers are missing their morning phone calls from me.
The rest of the household is making me look productive. Brainy Bird and Little Chirp are both still asleep. Potatoe just finished his breakfast, and he is curled up underneath my desk. Trooper is napping in his favorite basket. Storme must be in our back neighbor’s yard. I draw this conclusion based on the fact that there is a big fluffy cat wondering around our front yard. Storme would have shown him out by now if he were there. Pumpkine is napping in the bottom of the hammock as usual.
Fox Business News is going through the impact that the pandemic, virus shutdown and riots have had on retail stocks. Some retail stocks have improved, Costco being an example, while others are on a downward spiral. The newscasters are debating whether people will ever eat free food samples from Costco again. I am careful, and I certainly will; the male announcer is in complete agreement with me. The female newscaster seemed to think that was insane.
I am not overly interest on the broadcast about retail stocks. I do not own a single retail stock. Thursday feels like a consistent downward day in the markets, and I think that it has a great deal to do with the unemployment reporting, which comes out each Thursday. The struggle is real across America. The reopening across the US does appear to be working. We have not had any more major virus outbreaks, but many are still out of work, and many small business have gone under.
In Texas we are entering into Phase 3 of the reopening, and this will soon bring most businesses to 75% capacity. I was thinking this morning when I was grinding my own coffee, that the impact for some businesses may be permanent. It is Thursday. Prior to the pandemic, I would have eaten breakfast out at least three times if not more. I would have eaten lunch and dinner out a few times as well. Instead, I have not left the house since Sunday. Moreover, I do not feel a need to go any where. I am extremely productive working from home. I save a ton of time not having to get ready and drive to work. I am also saving a significant amount of money, but this means that small businesses are losing money.
I do look forward to Fridays, when I make plans with my boys or my friends. Little Chirp has asked for Sizzle and Brew this weekend. If today goes smoothly, I am going to take most of the day off Friday. We will start the weekend early with Sizzle and Brew. This definitely gives me incentive to get everything done today, so Little Chirp and I can enjoy tomorrow.
It is the simple things in life.