The top priority of the day for many of us in the Sixty and Me community is to stay safe and, from a distance, ensure our friends and family are safe, too. COVID-19 has changed life more than we could have known.

We all are striving to best accomplish being a part of our community from a distance. As a 70-something, the best thing I can do for family and friends is to stay home and check in by phone or whatever means possible, but physically stay away from them.

Of course, keeping to our house will give us the blues, but we can also make sure that we use our time to accomplish something. What could that be? With some ingenuity and an internet connection, we have the time to indulge in our passion.

We all have a passion, whether or not we recognize it as such. My personal passion is physical movement and wellbeing, primarily running, but any type of movement will do.

Your passions likely differ from mine, but I’m certain you know exactly what activities keep you going and maintain your mindset as positive as possible.

Get Outdoors If You Can

If your passion is something you can participate in alone, this is your time. At this point, I obey the stay-at-home rule, only venturing out for a run or walk during times of the day when there are few or no people on the road or trail, and staying at least six feet away from anyone who is near.

The fresh air, whether a misty day or tinged with humidity, is a welcome change to the indoors.

When my gym closed, I began doing my own workouts at home using my body weight (push-ups, anyone?) and a few stretch bands.

Then, my gym announced they would be conducting live workouts on Facebook. It’s not 100% as beneficial as being in a class or working with a trainer, but it beats letting our physical fitness go by the wayside while we wait out a dangerous virus lurking outside our door.

Silver Sneakers offers online yoga to any member (65 years and older mostly). Some time ago, for whatever reason, I fell out of a yoga practice I really enjoyed. This is my time to return to it. Remember, you can also engage in yoga through Sixty and Me as well.

Increase Your Knowledge Bank

Is there something related to your passion that you have been meaning to investigate or learn? In my case, I saw an announcement that one of my hiking groups, in lieu of being on the trails as a group, is offering an online learning session in map reading.

This is an area where I frequently rely on other hikers. What a great time to learn this skill! I signed up through Meetup.com.

Meditation for an Anxious Life

Meditation is a great solo practice, though some people find the experience is improved for them when they meditate in a group. If you are one of those, there are many online resources where guided meditation is offered.

I learned a member of my congregation is offering to guide sessions of Heart Rhythm Meditation over Zoom. I attended one of these this week and was surprised at how well it worked.

Now that our world has changed and we may only see grandchildren or dear friends through Skype or FaceTime, let’s appreciate that technology allows us this connection.

Furthermore, let’s indulge our passion and perhaps learn some new skills that we might not otherwise have the time or inclination to learn.

Stay safe and stay home.

What is your passion? Is it art, gardening, volunteerism, archeology? Check around and see how you can improve your skillset. Have you found means where you can continue and deepen your endeavors while staying home? Please share what has worked for you!