A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ISLANDERS: We enjoy watching hockey and of course, being from Colorado, we love the Avalanche. However, tickets were always pricey and driving over an hour to Denver was always the pits. Fortunately, the Colorado Eagles, an immensely talented minor league team played games only 20 minutes from us at the Budweiser Event Center. With affordable tickets and a short drive, getting our live hockey fix was easy. Still, there’s nothing like the rambunctious cacophony of an NHL game, particularly, an Av’s game. Living a mere 10 minute walk from the Barclays Center, attending a hockey game is no sweat. I have to say, we were a little underwhelmed at the March 4, 2020 game. Compared to an Av’s game, this felt like watching golf. It could be because the Islanders were having a rough night against the Montreal Canadiens, eventually losing 6-2.

But before the final buzzer, things got exciting, just not in a good way. Islanders defenseman, Johnny Boychuk took a skate to the face. I happened to catch it when it occurred, but because it happened so fast, all I knew was that something hit his face. His hands immediately went to his face and he fell to the ice, legs kicking; he was in agony. Then suddenly, he hopped up, hands still to his face, and bolted off the ice and into, presumably, the locker room. The stadium was even quieter, and no one really knew what happened; no replays on the jumbo screen–nothing. I got on Twitter to see the replays.

Ouch.

If you have the stomach for it, you can see a slo-mo version. When you think of hockey injuries, you envision missing teeth, not missing eyeballs. Needless to say, an already mellow atmosphere, got even quieter. I couldn’t imagine his teammates having to continue playing after that. Fortunately, the skate just missed Boychuk’s eyeball, but his eyelid required 90 stitches! Left with some minor scarring (nothing new to a hockey player), he’s feeling damn lucky, even joking that at first, his phone’s facial recognition didn’t acknowledge him. Glad for the happy ending, but I still cringe when I think about it.

ISOLATION: Obviously, this is the newest buzzword. It’s scary and beautiful at the same time. When we traveled New Zealand in 2018, we found ourselves blissfully isolated on some of the planet’s most stunning landscapes. I would have no problem being isolated there right now. In fact, we hope to someday end up as permanent kiwis, but like a lot of plans, those dreams are on hold.

Isolation can also be very, very bad. If you’re looking for a captivating read where isolation is only one of many antagonists, check out The Ledge, by my friend, Jim Davidson who wrote about his experience on Mount Rainier. Jim is a climber who has scaled Everest and miraculously survived the 2015 earthquake during his first Everest attempt. Not the first time he cheated death, as you will read in his book.

Being isolated in NYC is a strange thing. Nothing like Jim’s experience, but it’s like static; busy and buzzing, but nothing is happening. You feel a little buzzy yourself, but with nowhere to go. However, if you have a computer or phone and WiFi, there’s plenty of ways to not feel so alone. I attended a Zoom lecture/meditation session with Yogacharya Dharmananda, whom I met in 2015 and studied under for a few years. He said not to take “social distancing” literally; physically, yes, but to reach out socially as much as possible. If you’re feeling isolated, check out Meetups you’re interested in because so many are now offering Zoom get togethers. For writers, check out Northern Colorado Writers, a writing organization (open to anyone anywhere) that is offering tons of online support through Slack and Zoom, so you can commiserate stay connected with fellow scribes. (As former director of NCW, I can vouch for its awesomeness; no bias at all.) Reach out to friends and family. Chances are, they’re feeling just as isolated and will love to hear your voice and/or see your mug. (Face paint not required, but highly recommended.)

Might I also present a case in favor of isolation. We often discount the restorative benefits of alone time, and in doing so, mistakenly link solo time with loneliness. Our busy lives tend to keep us from the important and valuable act of self-reflection. A grownup timeout has shown to create greater empathy, improved critical-thinking skills, and better decision making. I’ll talk more about this in Monday’s post, but until then, consider putting yourself in the corner and thinking about what you’ve done . . . or want to do . . . or will do . . . or just have a heart-to-heart with yourself.