Here we are, ready to kick off the fifth month of 2020! The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and everything else is cancelled. Who would have predicted that the must-have spring fashion accessory would be a face mask, or that the month of April would seemingly be 97 days long? As this has been a time of uncertainty and adaptation for us all, for this month's article, I decided to check in with a few members of our bar to see how they have been managing, and what they look forward to most once restrictions are lifted.

 

Janice Hawbaker's biggest challenge is having everyone cooped up in the same house 24/7, as she, her husband, and adult daughter are all working from home. Her daughter and husband share the study upstairs, and Janice has been "relegated to the dining room." Speaking of dining, Janice shared that her family has not eaten this well in years, and her commute from the dining room to the kitchen is much more enjoyable than her previous commute of driving 30 minutes each way. She has found that she has had to slow down and actually think, and learn to do a lot more by herself. She wants to assure her staff that they will not become obsolete. The things she misses and looks forward to most are being able to see her aging parents and her siblings, hanging out with friends, going to church, yoga and Zumba, eating out, traveling again, going to the hairdresser, getting a pedicure, and the list goes on!

 

According to Nate Spang, his biggest challenge has been explaining to his 5and 3-year-old why they can't play with the neighbors, hug their relatives or go to school. Fortunately for Nate and Maureen, the kids have been good about following the rules, which he admitted has been difficult for even he and Maureen to do at times. The silver lining to this situation has been the extra time that he has been able to spend with his wife and kids. They have been using the time to educate their children on all things Star Wars, and they seem to be eager pupils, as they can now tell you every character and scene from the first 6 movies, as well as the Clone Wars cartoon! What Nate looks forward to most will be going to a Phillies game with his family or at least being able to watch one on TV.

 

AJ Benchoff's biggest challenge has been operating a small business with several employees, primarily remotely, and he stressed that he couldn't do it without the great team his firm has in place. The biggest challenge his family has faced is finding the best way to juggle their respective work and school commitments at home with limited computers, space and time. In order to cope, AJ and his family have been doing more family games and in-home cooking. To keep things interesting, they have been playing online trivia, and they purchased a Tabletop Boardgame Simulator so that they can play board games with family and friends online, as opposed to in-person. AJ agrees that it has been nice to spend more quality time with his wife and son. What he looks forward to most, in addition to just physically getting to be with others again, will be simply going out to eat at a restaurant, sharing a nice meal among family and friends, and being out and about in the community.

 

Lindsey Ringquist is doing well, though she agrees that quarantine life is "certainly strange." Her biggest challenge professionally has been working without support staff, as she and her mother, Pat Shoap, made the difficult decision to furlough their staff. She misses them tremendously, both for all they do in the office, and for their friendship. At home, her biggest challenge has been trying to fill all the hours in the day for her 16-month-old, and she admits to letting her watch far too much Berenstain Bears! Her husband has found a "learn to play the piano" app, so when they aren't working or learning life lessons from the Berenstain Bears, she and her husband have both been practicing piano. They have also been playing a lot of chess, which Lindsey says she is terrible at, but I'm sure this experience will be an opportunity for her to sharpen those skills! The silver lining for Lindsey has been the freedom to be "okay" with downtime, and she admits that it is nice to not feel rushed all the time. She is most looking forward to going out to dinner again. While she loves to cook, she misses a good meal out!

 

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I give a lot of sympathy to Jeb Keller. When asked about his biggest challenge, he shared that he and his fiancé were to be married in June, but they have since pushed their wedding date back to September. Planning has been difficult, and it is still unclear whether it will be possible to have a wedding in September. To add to this stress, Jeb's sister lives in Australia, and it is unknown if or when she might be able to come home. From a professional standpoint, Jeb shares similar challenges of adapting to working remotely, navigating the SBA loan process, and planning for eventual court reopening.   Jeb has been passing the time by playing a lot of Canasta and listening to all kinds of podcasts. A recent podcast centered around Charles Manson's involvement in the MK Ultra program (which was a secret CIA mind control/LSD program, not to be confused with the low-calorie beer). This has resulted in his deep dive into other conspiracy theories. His dogs are also loving the extra attention now that he is home. In addition to his hopeful nuptials, Jeb is looking forward to being able to eat at a restaurant and travel outside of Chambersburg.

 

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Samantha Wolfe really misses seeing her sisters, nephews and niece who live 4 hours away. She is sad that they were unable to get together for Easter like they normally do, however, she is thankful for technology that allows her to video call her family and see them regularly, though she misses hugging everyone. Otherwise, she has been passing the time by playing a lot of board games that she hasn't played in years, and she learned that she does "not completely stink" at playing charades! One positive thing that she has experienced is the overall kindness that people have shown in this tough situation. She has also really enjoyed baking, but she is not sure if this will end up being a positive, and she wonders how many loaves of homemade bread one can consume before growing out of your clothes! (I think we can all relate!) Overall, she most looks forward to being able to hug her family again. Her newest nephew as born in December, and she can't wait to have some quality time with him in 3D.

 

It seems that we are all finding ways to cope and adapt, as we define our new "normal." I am glad that the members I have heard from seem to be doing well overall. I think that even the biggest homebodies can agree that we all long for the day when we can once again enjoy personal contact with our families, friends, and colleagues, and we all look forward to enjoying a nice restaurant quality meal that we didn't have to prepare ourselves! I hope that all who are reading are finding ways to make the best of this situation, and are staying safe, healthy, and sane. Just make sure to put on a pair of real pants every once in a while, to assess the damage.