In last weekend’s paper Daily World Publisher Mike Hrycko invited readers to share stories with us about how the coronavirus has affected their lives. What are your stories? We’d like to print as many as we have room for. Send them to mhrycko@thedailyworld.com.

By Ella Seely

Central Park

Since being more of an extrovert than my husband it has been a challenging time for me to develop a new routine. I like to have lots of dates and appointments on my calendar. I like to set goals and I am the social director in our relationship, which gives me something to look forward to. Well, that’s all gone now.

All winter I had looked forward to a trip to San Antonio to get out of the rain and the cold to celebrate our 52nd wedding anniversary. We cancelled that trip of course, and now there is a big question mark on the calendar if the trip we have planned to see family in Norway in August will happen. I know — adjust, adjust. I am slowly getting better at it.

We live in a beautiful environment and every day I can look out the window at the trees in the open field across from our house. Our yard is looking a little greener and more colorful every day and the Rufus hummingbird has returned. Spring is here — my favorite time of the year. I often complain how far Grays Harbor is from activities in Seattle and every winter the rain and the fog get me down, but now I feel lucky we are not living in a populated city.

Ever since we got a computer in our house I have done my share of swearing at it, but now I realize how lucky I am living now with access to new technologies. Back in the ’60s, when I first settled in this country I could seldom talk to my parents on the phone since they did not own one. Today, I can talk to my sister on FaceTime for an hour and it does not cost me anything extra. Lately, that has been helpful for both of us and since this virus is worldwide our worries are the same.

A friend introduced me to Zoom and the other day I had coffee with a couple of girlfriends just sitting in our own living rooms. I also feel very fortunate we all have access to the Timberland Regional Library system with Apps like Overdrive and Libby. I can still read books on my Kindle or listen to audio books on my phone, all for free.

One of these days I will get my paints back out and start a new painting. I seem to have let other things get ahead of art in the last couple of years. Doing art is a wonderful way for me to forget about the outside world.

I will get through this and I hope I will remember how fortunate I am having my health, my partner, access to technology, my hobbies and living on Grays Harbor.