Shelter in Place: How Our Readers Are Adjusting to the New Normal

As we shelter in place during the coronavirus pandemic, we’re coping in ways we never imagined. Board game companies can’t ship quickly enough; families with children are learning how to homeschool; and renovators are tackling projects to improve their homes while keeping boredom at bay. We asked our readers to tell us how they’re adjusting to life inside—and occasionally outside—their own four walls. Here’s how they responded.  

Katherine Schroder in Ketchum, Idaho

It started snowing again, so we haven’t been out to the trampoline. We are a family of four living in a 1,340-square-foot townhome. Ketchum is in the ski resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful place, but sadly our town has one of the highest infection rates of COVID-19 per capita—there was an article in the New York Times featuring our situation. So we are taking social distancing seriously, but we’re grateful to be able to get outside for walks around the neighborhood, where we’ve been watching a herd of about 100 elk graze on the hillside!

Nicole Schmiedl in Denver, Colorado

For the last two weeks, our lives have been confined to my 660-square-foot apartment. We’ve tried our best to establish and maintain a routine—get up at 7 a.m., make coffee, and watch our daily allotment of the news. From there we’ll head to our "offices" for the day—the couch or the breakfast table—where throughout the day we’ll simultaneously take our Zoom calls and work. 

We’ll unwind from the day by walking our neighborhood or FaceTiming with friends, and then we’ve been making meals and scheduling date nights such as a puzzle night, spa night, or movie night. We try to practice gratitude and find the joys in simple things, as we slow down life and try to stay sane.