It’s the time of year on the Mid-Shore we experience the phenomenon known as the “Eastern Shore traffic jam.” Unlike a city version, this one isn’t caused by gridlock, but by a combine or other large piece of farming equipment driving down the road from one farm to another at a snail’s pace. Backed up behind them, sometimes for a mile, is a long line of cars waiting for the tractor to finally turn off. It’s a rite of passage in spring, when fields are being readied for the growing season, met with a uniquely Eastern Shore attitude—acceptance for a slowed pace and a general good humor. No one honks, no one swerves, no one is in a terrible rush, and everyone just calmly bides their time.

This same attitude—good humor, pragmatism, and a willingness to adopt a slower, rural pace—has made the Eastern Shore a particularly good place to be during the coronavirus. Social distancing was already a way of life here, when next-door neighbors may be separated by miles of fields and rivers, and there can’t possibly be a better place to enjoy a staycation (optional or not). No one seems too bent out of shape with the lockdown restrictions, and if anything, the communities on this side of the Bay have already found some wonderful ways to adapt. Whether it’s a tractor traffic jam or a pandemic, we adjust our timing, keep our chins up and find new ways to get where we wanted to go.

A great example is a small business on Kent Island, 50 Shades of Flowers, that started a produce, fruit, and seafood delivery service to get staples and blooms to customers in Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot and Caroline Counties during the coronavirus. Normally they would have serviced restaurants, but they’ve pivoted to a totally new business model, working with local farmers and distributors to get their much-enjoyed goods to our homes. It’s a huge boon when most people want to make grocery store trips as infrequently as possible, and I always feel a little lift whenever I see their fresh flowers in our house.

The Upper Eastern Shore community has been adapting in other ways, too. The term “tribe” seems overused, but in the case of Covid 19, it seems accurate. Whether it’s socially distanced driveway parties, corona couples (we have 3-4 different families/couples that are in our safe circle), Zoom hangouts, or exercise challenges, we’ve managed to find a way to stay connected with the people we care about here. And there’s no limit to the innovative ways that tribe has discovered to make their own fun. My husband and his friends have even set up a golf course in our backyard—including floating golf balls—they can hit into a target in the creek and then go fetch with a neighbor’s jon boat. Community like this has never been more important, and I’m so grateful for the people here in Prospect Bay that continue to make life fun, even if it’s different.

It’s a small thing, but I’m also so grateful for the views. If you have to work remotely, it should be in a place as gorgeous and lush as the Eastern Shore in the springtime. Green fields full of flowering cover crops, the shoreline cattails peeking out in the marshes, birdsong everywhere. I can’t help but think as a real estate agent, in a new reality where telecommuting seems like a way of life for a huge number of us, why not move here? There’s nothing to stop you from enjoying these open spaces, peaceful waterfront views, lower cost of living and fabulous (but not too close) neighbors and communities—why not make this place your home?

The pressures of the pandemic will eventually subside, and like that traffic crawling behind the tractor, we’ll resume our normal pace and routine. The rest of the world will be running a million miles an hour again, but here on Prospect Bay, listen for the sound of a golf ball splashing into the creek around cocktail hour. It turns out that some of the ways we adapted during the virus have been so much fun, we might keep them around for a little while longer.