Here we are, almost to the end of October. Can you believe it? Only a few more months left of 2020. I don’t think anyone will be sad to say good-bye to the year we’d all love to forget. A global pandemic. Kids half-in and half-out of school. Holidays coming up that won’t look anything like what we’ve experienced before.

When the pandemic started, I sat around in stunned disbelief as many of us did, unmotivated to do much more than watch television and bite my nails. The comfort of a regular routine went right out the window. Who could think about doing anything except hunt for toilet paper and disinfectant wipes? I didn’t write because I couldn’t focus, and what’s more I didn’t even try. There were too many other issues screaming for my attention.

But I’d forgotten something. This isn’t the first time our world has been in deep trouble. In the past there have been other terrifying health issues that wiped out countless thousands of people. Smallpox. Typhoid. Plagues. Yellow Fever. Influenza. Tuberculosis. Polio. The Spanish Flu. And if history tells us anything, it demonstrates that eventually Covid, too, will pass.

Bottom line, we must be patient and stay smart, doing what science tells us works to prevent the spread. Wear masks. Social distance. Scrub hands like we just scooped up a smelly pile of Fido’s poop with our bare fingers. And never forget that in the interest of good mental health, turning off the news once in a while is a very important thing.

Once I came to terms with the fact there wasn’t a speedy solution on the horizon for Covid, I decided what can’t be cured, must be endured, and created my own “new normal”. I forced myself to sit at the computer each afternoon (in my jammies, but who cares?) and work. The result? I finished Pathway to Home, the third novel in the Becker Family series. The cover has been designed and the manuscript is currently with my talented formatter. Release date is still projected for 2020, most likely at the end of November or first part of December. This is later than I’d hoped, but I’m still kind of proud. It would have been much easier to forget about writing, and marinate in worry instead – one of my most brilliant talents, by the way.

Shocking secret! I’ve also started work on my next novel, a story about another woman from the past who called Missouri home. 🙂 I can’t wait to tell you more about her!

Routine. There’s something to be said about it, especially when the rest of the world has been turned upside down. Embracing a new mindset keeps me from thinking about the things I can’t control. I fret less, and feel a ton better than I did before, except for one tiny issue with my lower back which will hopefully be resolved soon. (Lesson learned: Take frequent breaks from sitting to stretch your back. I use a few of these stretches, but be gentle with your body and always check with your doctor first!)

And that, my friends, is how I’ve been coping during Covid. How about you? How are you doing in what often feels like the longest year on record?

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Pat Wahler is the multi-award winning author of I am Mrs. Jesse James, a contemporary romance series, a lighthearted Christmas collection, and a children’s picture book.

Coming soon, Pathway to Home, the third and final installment of the Five-Star Readers’ Favorite Becker Family contemporary romance series.