We recently posed these three questions to members of the Rotary Club of Lake Placid with some surprising, anticipated and thought-provoking answers.

The expected answers were to the first question, “What do you miss most during your isolation?”

A resounding and predictable response of “family and friends” sprinkled with “hugging grandchildren.” Dining out with friends, traveling, and face-to-face conversations were variations on the theme.

The second question created more interest and intrigue.

What are you doing differently now? The following are a smattering of responses: Appreciating what I do have in my life verses what I don’t have. Being more in the moment and slowing down the pace of life.

Staying at home, doing jigsaw puzzles, reading more and listening to NCPR.

Cooking meals with family members and eating at home. Shifting the focus to domestic and personal projects.

Doing weekly Zoom calls with family and friends across the country. Volunteering to make masks for healthcare workers and family members.

Constantly aware of personal safety, wearing masks and avoiding situations that could increase the odds of catching COVID-19. Stop shaking hands and being vigilant of constantly washing hands. Looking at life through a COVID-19 lens.

Not traveling overseas but rather working from home. Limiting errands to the grocery store, bank, post office, etc. Taking long trail walks and not wearing makeup!

Finally, the third question, looked at “What is something positive you’re doing that you weren’t doing before the lockdown?”

Many of the responses mimicked question two, yet there were several unexpected revelations which included the following.

Thinking of ways to use virtual communication more creatively.

Quality time at home with much less travel!

Putting business and volunteer commitments into perspective and taking the pressure off of the non-stop treadmill of responsibilities. Realizing there’s more time for other meaningful things in life such as family and friends. Communicating more with siblings.

Playing bridge with friends around the country. Setting time aside to do more enjoyable things which nourish the body, mind and soul.

Appreciating the blessing of long-lasting friendships and making it a goal to reach out to at least one person each day.

Connecting through Zoom calls with distant family members and long-lost friends spread around the country and the world. Facetime and Zoom virtual dinner dates with family and friends. And restoring the simple act of eating together every evening as a family.

Sheltering at home has been a great opportunity to test the strength of family relationships.

Exercising daily and spending more time with pets.

Taking time to learn new things.

Thinking about the pros and cons of isolation helps to put into perspective what is and is not important in our lives.

Now with more time on our hands than we know what to do with, consider devoting some time and energy to others. The Rotary Club website features “Volunteer Opportunities” with descriptions of each project. Any member of the community interested in volunteering is welcome to join in. http://rotarylakeplacid.org. During the pandemic, the Rotary Club of Lake Placid now meets via videoconference on Thursday mornings from 7:20 to 8:30 a.m. If you are interested in attending a meeting, please email RotaryLakePlacid@gmail.com.