I've been off my game with the COVID-19 restrictions in place, as many of us have. What day is it? Does it really matter?
Admittedly, this has been harder than it sounded. Initially, I was all on board for this working from
home thing, but the reality is, it is really hard to work from home when 1) you're fighting against the schedule of an unruly 2-and-a-half-year old and 2) you don't have the office comradery to keep you going. What I also didn't realize sitting in my office every day, was my capability for self-thought. It may not have truly been "alone time," but it mimicked that feeling more than I knew. That is all gone now, and I, like many of you, are suffering from it.
So what are we to do? Keep safe, keep healthy, and try to keep sane. One of the advantages of this stay at home order is that we can reinvent our schedule, or in my case, see what could really fit into it.
Generally, I get up early and am basically fretting about getting to work the entire morning--all activities are rushed or skipped in light of the impending drive to work (which is odd because since having a baby, I've literally never managed to get there on time). Since work is just a room away now, I've been pleasantly surprised to see just what all I can do during those morning hours without worrying about the timing. Enjoy a quiet cup of coffee? Check. Go for a morning jog? Yup. Walk the dog and listen to my audiobook? Yaasss.
One of the hardest parts about working right now, is the question of what I am working for? When will this all end? Is it worth planning for fall, or will it just be all the things that were canceled in winter and spring? Will people even want to do these things once this is over? For me, there is a lot up in the air, and for that reason alone, it is stressful. All those little elements of timing, may not seem like such a big deal, but they are helping with the overall scheme of "life from home" even though it is definitely not the same platform as life in the office.
So, I'm up early. I'm going to try to do what needs to get done, and then I'm going to do me. I'm going to hang out with the little guy and watch Mila and Morple or make endless play-doh snakes. I might even take a nap. I'm going to make something delicious for dinner because I have the time to do it, and I'm going to enjoy the great outdoors if Michigan's weather will permit. I expect soon enough to be sitting back behind my desk, staring at a wall, instead of out my window at home--so live for the day.
Mentally, this is hard. Physically, a few people's waistlines will probably stretch. Emotionally, this could be one of the greatest and worst times of our lives. Seek the advantage in all of it. Oh, and stop judging people on what is or isn't "essential," and stop buying all the stupid toilet paper.
