For three weeks we have been sheltering in place, only going out for necessities, some of which for me have included plants from the Flower Center and hair color from the drug store.

Rest assured, I socially distanced and wore a mask. Sorry to all those I purposely avoided.

I also used hand sanitizer when I got back in the car, washed with soap and water at home and on some trips even wore latex-free gloves.

Maybe it seems I catted around unnecessarily, but during those outings, I also bought groceries and picked up medicine for my mom.

So considering my usual routine, which includes multiple trips to Hobby Lobby and T.J.Maxx during the week, I have pretty much been at home.

I have yet to even work from our new office space on Washington Street.

The junk, I mean important papers, that were in my former desk are still riding around in the back of my car.

Since there are many occasions that I do work from home, it has just seemed prudent to stay here as much as possible.

While this “lockdown” has not been too bad for me, I am quite aware there are others struggling with being confined.

I literally had to threaten my mom the other day that if she went to the grocery store I would never talk to her again.

Thankfully, she conceded and all remains good on the homefront.

And speaking of the homefront, I have come to the conclusion one of two things will happen to me when the sheltering-in-place orders are lifted.

I will either be fit or fat.

With nice weather and a neighborhood to walk in, I have been averaging three miles a day.

On the days I go to the Vicksburg National Military Park for exercise, I burn even more calories.

Making it up the hill to the Illinois Monument is quite a feat. Not only does it feel like I have conquered a mountain each and every time, I know that I  don’t have the coronavirus. At least for now.

There is a lot of hard breathing that goes on to make it to the top even when you are in good shape.

I am enjoying these walking opportunities almost as much as I am enjoying eating.

For the past two weeks, I have cooked more than I have in the last two years.

Recipes that had once lain dormant in my cookbook have been resurrected.

I’ve made homemade lasagna, baked a carrot cake, made several batches of brownies, and for Easter, I whipped up one of my favorites — Billie Smith’s sweet potato casserole recipe.

Sweet potatoes do fall under the vegetable category, but by the time you have topped the orange spuds with brown sugar and nuts, it rivals a dessert.

In the end, whether I add a few pounds or grow more muscle, there is one thing I know for sure will happen. Never again will life look the same.

COVID-19 has changed our world. The virus has challenged our lifestyles and encroached on our finances and our freedoms.

It has comprised our safety and endangered our lives.

Much destruction has occurred, but in the midst of all the bad, good things have also happened.

Even with our distancing, people have come together to support one another.

So whether fit or fat, as they say, we will get through this.

 

Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.