Diary of a Furloughed Fed: Day 1

Today is all about adjustment and restructuring. Yesterday, there was no time to do all those things I keep telling myself I should do.  Today, there is all the time, so now I have to figure out what should be done.  Where do I start?  Do I really want to do all those "should do" chores?  Are they really important?  Who cares what I do? 

How do I make the days meaningful -- after all this is not a vacation where meaningful action is sauntering down quaint streets and souvenir hunting.  This is a furlough -- time off with no pay -- so my favorite pastime, recreational shopping is out of the question.

My answer is to take action -- "just do it" like the Nike ad says.  So I did and I'm able to say that at 4PM, I'm sane.  I:

• Figured out how to stay connected to those left at work outside of our official communications channels.  Just knowing what is happening, even if I can't do anything about anything, helps to keep me grounded.
• Didn't oversleep.  I gifted myself an extra 20 minutes, but then got out of bed to start the day. 
• Went for a run after coffee and a quick scan of the New York Times.  It was delightful to not have to wait until the weekend and after work for exercise.  Fresh cool air and sunshine made me happy, if sweaty.
• Tackled a few chores of that long list of "things that should be done."  I feel like I have accomplished something during the day, so there is not fog enveloping my head to stunt my ability to think positively.
• Took a trip to see what was up.  The metro and mall were sparsely populated and the buildings, monuments and parks were locked. Many security guards on Segway's hovered around.  Gave me the feeling that we are truly "locked out" of our own town.
• Grocery shopped in the afternoon.  That's what retired people do so I thought I practice.  I was able to test the fruit for ripeness without being jostled.

Today's news didn't give me much hope that we'll be going back to work this week.