happy monday my friends! hope you all had a great weekend and were able to spend some time relaxing and recharging. or, if you had kids, you didn’t have too many diapers to change since it was dad’s day and we all know he didn’t change any diapers [although joey got home from being away for a week, so being the great dad/partner he is, he changed ALL the diapers]. but enough diaper talk. i was thinking this weekend about how life will never really go back to ‘normal’ or pre-covid, and i made a mental list of all of the things i’m grateful for when it comes to quarantining and working from home for what has been three months now [seems like an eternity!].
i get to see my kids more
i now get to see my kids before they go to daycare. when i was in the office, i was MAYBE seeing logan since she’s an early riser, and it was only for a few minutes. i now get to be there while they finish breakfast and help logan get dressed. honestly, it’s a more chaotic and stressful start to my morning than an early morning workout and sneaking out the door, but this is time that i cherish with my kids.
i now appreciate driving a little more
i was getting burnt out of my 2+ hours in the car everyday commute, so now that i’m not commuting everyday, it makes it a little more enjoyable when i get to be in my vehicle. it also helps not pack on the miles 🙂
i’m wearing less makeup
not that i wore a full face of makeup everyday anyways, but i do notice that i care a lot less about how my makeup turns out everyday. mascara/eyeshadow/liner/blush — good to go!
i wash and style my hair a lot less
this one is merely out of laziness, but i went from washing my hair every other day to now every three – four days. it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the effort if it looks the same in a zoom call.
i spend more time with my husband
it’s funny because, while i know we get on each other’s nerves from time to time, i never once worried about being home with joey all the time. he’s truly my best friend and i enjoy getting to run upstairs to have lunch with him, fight over who needs the internet more, and do the whole morning routine thing together. if and when we return to a more predominantly-office setting, i will miss seeing him so much.
it’s easier to make plans with people
i appreciate social interaction so much more now. it’s a treat. before, even though i like the people i hang out with, it would sometimes feel like a lot if we were meeting friends for dinner after a long day of work + commute. now, i look forward to finding things to do in the evenings!
it’s all about perspective, i’ve been finding. personally, i’ve really struggled with the work-from-home situation since i live in a small town, but i have always loved the hustle and bustle of the city. working in downtown minneapolis gave me that, and now working from home i feel liek that has been taken away from me and my life feels … small. finding ways to embrace and enjoy this “new normal for now” has helped me to acclimate and find ways to really enjoy what my current day-to-day brings.