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Staying Home During Coronavirus COVID-19 In 25-word Short Stories

Each one of us is adjusting to the new normal of social distancing and self-isolation in different ways. We thought we’d open a door to the private lives of our writers, so you can see what they are feeling and thinking and doing—expressed in 25 words or less—while when travel is temporarily off the table.


The good news is that I am now alone with my imagination. The bad news is that I am now alone with my imagination. 

- Judith Fein, Executive Editor, YourLifeIsATrip.com 

Brexit. Wildfires. Climate crisis. Trump. 65-million refugees. Global pandemic. Without the heart-opening hope that leaving home inevitably inspires, self-isolation might not seem so bad. 

- Ellen Barone, Publisher, YourLifeIsATrip.com

Is it safe to leave my 1963 bomb shelter now? –I need toilet paper.

- Paul Ross

Outside even the birds are silent. Inside questions jostle for attention. The elm branch taps on my window. "We're in this together," it whispers, nodding. 

- Atreyee Gupta

I explore who I am in crisis-time:  A chipmunk, hoarding supplies? A bear, hibernating? A bird, flying above the fray? A fish, swimming with the flow? 

- Elyn Aviva

Italy beckons but I shelter here. My home is a shrine to Italy; every wall, every shelf. Water colors; ceramics, jewelry, purses. Italy is home. 

- Cheryl Alexander

A state of grace. Nothing needful. Digest travels. Edit photos. Write essays. Finish website. Call friends. Dream of living in Firenze studying Etruscan ways. 

- Aysha Griffin 

Stop, breathe, observe! The universe is asking me to return to the simplicity of life. Deep down in my heart, it really is what I need. 

- Andrea Marques 

Downstairs, cold pizza, dirty dishes, sleeping teenagers. I climb upstairs; soft music, a made bed, books, my wall of quotes and visions for the world.

- Cynthia Marshall Shore  


Back away from the refrigerator -- AGAIN. Get on the treadmill. I said back away from the refrigerator. Feed the cat instead. Let him get fat. 

- Fyllis Hockman 


Look at my patch of sky.  Hear our backyard brook. Watch birds darting past an open window.  Press life's pause button. Fresh light banishes darkness. 

- Barbara Wysocki

One, in quarantine in the basement.

Two, face timing her bestie.

Three, conference calls and contracts.

Me, nourishing them and holding it all together.

- Ingrid Littmann-Tai

Sudden shift in life path. Invisible threat surrounds us. Time to dive deep inside, share love. All alone together we go. Hope for renewal.

- Jean Kepler Ross

Banish panic. Dissolve fear. Thwart anxiety. Name them. Send them to swim in a cauldron of boiling lava. Tune into your inner storyteller. Sing.

- Nancy King

 

I retired to enjoy alone time and travel after a lifetime of high-stress jobs. Our home, our life together- peace. We can do this. Easily.

- Lynn Smith

Out of the city; built-up pressures release. Here, Mother Nature’s rhythms continue; unperturbed by human concerns. Everything has changed; nothing has changed. 

- Chris Pady

Where's my trip, man? Where's my ski. My sea. My far-flung family? Where's my movie, dude? My morning run.My Hamilton. Dude, I'm so done.

- Jules Older

We cut the spring road trip short with a power drive home. Snuggled in our familiarity, we still wonder. What else might we have seen?   

- Cindy Carlson


Weathering

Stripped of quotidien realities,

bare-branched as winter trees 

before the gale, we stand

rooted in common soil.

We will not break, 

we'll bend.

- Dorty Nowak


Slipping into and out of Spain, like two masked bandits, seeking to beat the virus at its deadly game. Did we beat it? Maybe. 

- Gary White

Stockpiling for Covid 19:
Long walks in lush countryside to fill my senses: uplifting birdsong, pungent fennel, fragrant mint, gently caressing breezes, precious sightings of wild irises and orchids.

- Monica Datta 

(Ring, Ring)

Hi Mom and Dad,

Whadja’ watch last night?

What ‘r ya’ watchin’ tonight?

What ‘r ya’ watching tomorrow night?

Thank god for Netflix.

- Effin Older

I grabbed the leash. The dog hopped and waggled as if to say, "I don't know what changed, but I'm glad you're home with me." 

- Melissa Paquette 

A month in Honduras and El Salvador lay ahead, no plans made, nagging reminders to not procrastinate. And just like that, it no longer mattered.

- Kajal Below


What about you? How are you coping? Use the comment box below to share your own 25-word contribution or join the conversation on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear your thoughts.