Today is April first. I know you’re all hoping someone would say April Fools and this month long nightmare would be over! Sorry, but it’s been like a different holiday. It’s been like living this movie scene.

The alarm goes off at six am. He gets out of bed and heads to the shower. The water is icy cold. He heads into town and stops at the diner. When walking across the street, he steps into a puddle of slushy water. Walking down the sidewalk to greet him is an annoying, too giddy insurance salesman, Ned Ryerson. That’s what life is like for Phil Connors, in Punxsutawaney, Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day.

When Phil finally reaches the end of his day, he’ll go to sleep, only to awake to that same alarm clock at the same time. He’ll get into the same cold shower. The same puddle and the same insurance salesman awaits him. And all of this will occur again…and again…and again…and again.

Yeah, I know “Groundhog Day is only a movie. These aren’t real people. Bill Murray isn’t really Phil Connors and Stephen Tobolowsky isn’t really Ned Ryerson, although most of think of him as that. It’s just a movie, right? So how come many of us have been living our own version of “Groundhog Day” in the last couple of weeks?

Here’s my life:

I get up at the same time every morning. Yeah, it’s closer to nine than six am, but I don’t have to be anywhere so there’s no need to wake up before the sun rises. I go outside to get some fresh air. I’ll take a walk around the neighborhood. The street here is shaped almost like a track at a high school. According to the app on my phone, it’s one third of a mile. Nine hundred and thirty steps. I go around three times to make a mile. I see the same people every day. Some are walking their dog. Others just want to get out of their house. One woman told me she was waiting for the ducks. She said she saw them having sex and was curious to see if they would do it again. Imagine how bored she must have been to check that out?

It’s time to come inside and get ready for the day. I jump in the shower, but I have the opposite problem of Bill/Phil. The water is too hot. I get dressed and think about breakfast. Special K with red berries is the choice. Same thing, same time, every day!

Next comes the news. More cases of the coronavirus. More people becoming ill. More people dying.

I turn off the television to take a nap. The stress and anxiety of our current way of life wears you down. Sleep is good whenever you can get it. It gives you strength to deal with the monotony of the stay at home life.

Seven pm is dinner time. That’s followed by another walk in the neighborhood. Same one third of a mile. Nothing new. Nothing changes.

At eight pm the evening’s entertainment begins. It’s time for the “Family Feud” on the Gameshow Network. Did you know they show the Feud for four and a half continuous hours? That’s nine episodes of Steve Harvey. NINE!!! I’m good for two hours of them. Hell, it’s mindless entertainment that keeps my mind off of what is happening in the world. Anything that makes you worry a little less is good, right?

At ten, I’ve had enough of Steve and it’s time for the news. It’s Brian Williams on MSNBC. Nothing like an hour off bad news to help you get ready to sleep.

Talking about sleep, then it’s time to turn off the tv and the lights and try to get some rest. It’s takes about a half hour to to shut down my brain and finally fall asleep. Getting to sleep hasn’t been too tough so far, but we still have a long way to go before this pandemic is over.

Then I get to wake up and do it all over again…and again…and again…

See? This stay at home life really is our own personal “Groundhog Day”. Hey, it’s time for my morning neighborhood walk. I’m hoping to avoid the woman and ducks. She’s my real-life Ned Ryerson.

Related Post: How many imaginary coronavirus symptoms do you have?

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