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Debbie Dingell posts a kind of quarantine diary on one of her two Facebook pages each morning, as relaibly as the sunrise and sometimes about the same time.
The Dearborn congresswoman's detailed entries seven days a week are stream-of-consciousness chats about her activities, moods and small joys. Part of the charm is that they're first-draft thoughts flowing from mind to screen, as casual as emails between friends and just as frank.
The 25,000 followers at her personal page, open to public view, see more than a few paragraphs of tough truths, hopefulness, occasional frustration and glimpses of a widow's loneliness. (The fourth-term representative also has an official page with 33,000 followers where she and her staff post, not necessarily in that order.)
Dingell's latest observations around 7 a.m. Monday reflect the customary blend of uplifting outlook, reality checks and shooting the breeze. Excerpts, slightly smoothed for readability:
Debbie Dingell: "Reach out to someone. ... Friends are the family we choose." (Photo: Twitter)
♦ Missing everything: "We have to work on trying to not let the four walls get to you. The anxiety aways gnawing inside of me isn’t going to win today. Today, I will get more things done ... while we still have a life locked up, physically distant and missing, well, everything."
♦ Random kindness: "Don't let this Monday get you down. The birds are chirping. What haven't you gotten done that you wanted to while stuck at home? ... Make a list of old friends you were going to reach out [to] and haven't yet. We got three more weeks at home as we begin our new normal planning. Reach out to someone for that random act of kindness and change their day."
♦ Yes we can! "I am very strong that routine matters. Being stuck inside doesn't mean you don't get up, get dressed, make the bed, put makeup on and hit the day. Sunday's [routine] is keeping the house clean -- do laundry, change linens, clean that toilet bowl. But I did accomplish things that are hard and [that I] do not normally do.
"Has anyone noticed they're changing a lot of light bulbs? I can do the easy stuff -- lamps and over the bathroom vanity. But the garage, halls lights, front entrance [are] high ones that I usually have two people for, and I am normally the one on the ground. I changed them! By myself!
"Fixed the cable box that is Greek to me, but if you want to watch cable, better figure it out. The ice maker broke, but someone on the phone directed me through what to do. Fuse went out -- got it done. Opened a stuck window and didn’t break the glass or my arm. What felt like foot-long centipede didn't make me jump on the bed.
"Things that use to intimate, frighten or make me think 'how can I do?' are now on the get-it-done checklist. The Rosie 'Yes We Can!' [is] loud in my head."
♦ Gossip, laughs, tears: "I also had several Zoom gatherings, connecting to friends beyond just regular meetings. My college roommates have been doing it for a couple of weeks and I included it this week and made sure the staff didn’t schedule anything at the same time. (Yes, we are scheduled seven days a week and most nights. You have to mark off time you want and say 'please do not schedule.')
"It was fun...I saw them, we gossiped, we talked cooking (they do, I don't), grandchildren, friends, laughed and cried. Seeing friends of more years than you want to acknowledge (almost 50 years -- a couple I knew in grade school) just grounds you. We all still keep in touch, we know everything there is to know about each other (we lived together in college and right after) and we don't judge, we just support. They text frequently ... but the days don't let me respond very often."
♦ 'The family you choose:' "I also Zoomed with my poker group and just close friends. We haven't figured out how to play cards yet by Zoom, so now we play trivia. This group meets every three nights and I try to make the tail end of one of them and always do the weekend one. ... Friends are the family you choose."
♦ Sign-off: "Happy Monday! Stay Home! Stay Safe! Save Lives! -- D2"
