I’ve never had difficulty titling anything I’ve written, but I find myself in that predicament today. These are troubling times for all, and for some—more so. You are in my thoughts as I write this blog post.

Working from home, in a solitary state, is nothing new to a writer, and I’ve been doing so since 1988. I don’t find this self-imposed seclusion to be depressing or lonely. For I am never alone. I have my real rescue Bullet, and my imaginary rescue Bullet always at my side, as well as Darcy and my secondary characters to constantly amaze and amuse me with their adventures and misadventures.

Do I like being social? Of course. Balance in all things. Nothing compensates for time with family and friends, or making new acquaintances.

I embraced this so-called loneliness, which I term independence, from the age of sixteen when I enrolled in correspondence courses from the University of Nebraska Extension Division. Sometimes life’s hurdles can be good. I never thought I’d be working from home to complete my high school education, but when we moved to Monrovia in Liberia, I had no choice. The school was “in the works,” but far from being completed. In retrospect, it was one of the best perceived setbacks in my life.

For me, home schooling was a misnomer of sorts as neither one of my parents were schooling me. If I needed additional coaching or hands-on classes, I had a tutor, usually someone from a local college where I also took my supervised exams. 

Schooling at home instilled many life values that would not only get me through high school and my pre-college curriculum, but would set me up, in a good way, for the rest of my life. 

When I took on the daunting task of studying, virtually, alone, my father had said, “If anyone can do this, you can.” That was all the encouragement I needed. 

The day I graduated, no cap, no gown, no fanfare, I walked away with something more important: a life plan, and in my opinion, the backbone to success: self-discipline, goal-setting, meeting assignment deadlines, staying focused, determination, and persistence. It may sound monotonous and too structured to some, but for me, it works. 

For those who are self-isolating, my thoughts are with you. 

For those who have self-quarantined, or have been required to self-quarantine, may you soon heal and be freed. 

For those who have passed on, my condolences to the families during this tragic ordeal.