Me in 2020 Me in 2021
So it’s been just over a year since I left my day job office thinking I’d be back in a week or two. I’m sure I’m not alone. The pandemic tipped all of our lives upside down. Everyone’s had to figure out a new “normal”. For me and mine, we’ve been unusually blessed in that we were able to hold on to our jobs and health and loved ones My heart aches for all those who’ve lost someone and those who are now faced with frightening new challenges. It just sucked all the way around.
It’s easy to feel isolated right now, even for someone like me who spent 18 years working from home before heading back into cubicle land and is a proud introvert. This year has taken difficult and given it a steroid shot in the ass. All those times I would say something like, “I just wish I could work from home again” have come back to mock me. While I do enjoy WFH, these were not the circumstances I envisioned.
Yes there are some serious pros. No more 1.25 hour one way commute to the office, no dry cleaning, less gas, less wear and tear on my beloved Mustang, all of that is a huge blessing. I replaced the commute with a daily walk, and what use to be a coffee habit at Starbucks now involves USPS and Bones coffee beans. Even my fur girls are just loving the fact we are all home. And perhaps, that’s the biggest adjustment.
We. Are. All. Home.
24/7. With no let up of escape.
Not the best recipe for mental health. The past year’s uncertainty has definitely done a number, not just on my mental health, but it’s reached its sticky fingers to others I know. We’re all struggling to find our way back. Some of my most important changes were making sure I made that daily walk and escaped everything and everyone for that time to just be. I turned off the news. I had to. I use to binge on the news, but this last year, yeah, no, not if I wanted to keep my sanity. My priorities shifted and I find I’ve got a more long-term approach to things like the fact Knight and I are just a handful of years away from retirement and what our next chapter looks like. My perspective for my sons’ future has also undergone a shift. It’s more about ensuring they don’t start their adulthood thirty feet underwater before the starting gun has gone off.
While both of my college students have managed to make sleep pants a fashion statement and tend to experiment in the kitchen at all hours, they too are struggling to find their footing. What they thought they would be doing is nothing close to what they are doing. Although, they’re getting through and are looking forward to August when they can get back to class. So am I, to be honest. At one point, the bio-mechanical engineer had lab experiments marinating in my fridge. The computer scientist discovered there is such a thing as too much time in front of an electronic screen. And while both have friends, it’s not the same when getting together involves Zoom instead of a campus hangout.
Hell, it’s sucked because my writing partners and I are also stuck in the never-ending land of Zoom. And yes, I adore my Knight in Slightly Muddy Armor, but there comes a point when as much as you love your family, you just need a break that involves non-family members. Then there’s the missed new arrivals to the family, the weddings, the family trips, the “just get in the car” and drive trips, all those things I think I took for granted.
Yeah, things have changed and no one really knows what the new “normal” will be, but if nothing else, this last year has put into perspective what’s truly important–your relationships with others. So when everything else seems to fall apart, hold on to those close to you, and you’ll all be able to help pull each other through to the other side. And when we finally make it out, we can throw a damn party.