After being hit hard with coronavirus, New Orleans is slowly reopening. I am not.

I’m still in hunker-down mode, which includes comforting my family and myself through a myriad of feelings and situations that exacerbate those feelings. We’re doing fine, and I’m cautiously optimistic about the future, but I function best when I take things slowly, one foot in front of the other.

That said, I’m finding strange new avenues to hygge. Here’s a little list of some.

• Crossword puzzles and word games, including the NYT Sunday crossword
• Hamster cuddling
• Staying up way too late watching horror movies. Lately I crave thrillers, sci-fi, gothic, suspense…a place to put my fear for a little while, to sort-of quote Stephen King
• Rooting plant cuttings I swiped from neighbors’ front gardens (without injuring their plants, of course) and watching those little roots grow
• Saying no to almost every social opportunity with minimal guilt
• Driving my old drop-off/pick-up route without actually dropping off or picking up kids
• Yoga in the park, under moss-strewn trees
• Vegan-baloney-and-American-cheese sandwiches with mayo and lettuce
• Tea & the actual physical newspaper on my porch in my PJs
• Writing a scene of my novel-in-progress every day (almost)
• Keeping a loose pandemic diary of vivid dreams, poems, and this writing prompt game from Ebony Flowers
• Overalls