The state of our house
It has been my assumption for many years that I prefer a neat and tidy house because I want it to look nice should someone stop by unexpectedly. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a clean freak and sometimes the layers of dust on the horizontal surfaces in our house have their own zip codes. I'm talking the general tidiness factor that allows a guest to walk in and be greeted with a sense that things are clean and put together and someone cares enough to vacuum and dust on a schedule, if not regularly.
Was I doing that for others? Nope, not at all, I've been doing it for myself all along! No one was stopping by, and if they were they were, it was just to drop things off on the porch and run back to their cars. Yet I still feel compelled to keep things neat and tidy. I'm the person I've been picking up for all this time. It was a revelation to me.
The same thing went for my appearance. While not a glamour queen or anything, I'd thought that when I get dressed in the morning, I'm mostly doing it for others, that I cared maybe a bit too much how others viewed me and what I wore. But I found out during lockdown, when the only ones to see me day after day were my loving and sort of colorblind husband and dog, that I dress for me. Each and everyday, even when there were no Zoom meetings to attend, I got dressed in something semi-normal, put makeup on and fixed my ever growing hair. I can't stay in jammies all day, even in a pandemic, I need a fixed waistband to get my day started.
How I get projects done
The reason I'm not a morning person isn't because I wake up grouchy or in a bad mood. OK, well lately this pandemic has me waking up in a less than cheery state. But the reason I don't get much done in the morning is because I prefer open-ended time frames for anything more than loading the dishwasher or starting a load of laundry.
My job with the school district and my proctoring work is typically in the afternoons, and I didn't realize how much this was affecting my desire to tackle big and little projects around the house. My work isn't physically draining, but the timing really messes with my wanting to start something I won't have time to finish to the bitter (or sweet) end.
Time wasn't much of a factor on lockdown. In fact "all the time in the world" was suddenly handed to us on a silver platter. From fixing a hole in the ceiling that's been there since we moved in, to painting the bathroom, the mailbox, the shutters and anything that wasn't moving, to cleaning out the garage shelves and hauling bricks in the yard - lots got done. Our yard is all ready for company, even if we aren't. Starting a Zoom English class for my Moldovan friends? That one has been a total kick. Time is a gift, and I was a very happy recipient.
I'm not a panic eater after all
Along with the whole toilet paper thing, pandemic snacking seemed to be a big topic of discussion. When the realities of the coronavirus first really hit, for once in my life eating did not become an avenue of distraction or comfort for me. In fact, I lost my appetite for most of the things I love, which was good because I was in no mood to brave the line at Trader Joe's for my "must haves" of peanut butter, chocolate covered anything, Norwegian Seed Crackers and avocados.
With nowhere to go and all those days of open-ended time ahead of me, I found I was enjoying cooking more than ever. We sat down to so many meals together, even breakfast on the porch as we watched the neighbors walk by. To my incredible surprise I put on a few live cooking shows for friends and I didn't burn anything. We ate like kings - whole-food plant-based kings.
I loved shutdown. There I said it.
Trying to be a sympathetic friend, I listen and read as people have expressed how much they miss getting together with friends at restaurants and parties, or just grabbing a cup of coffee together. I mentally reach down inside to see if I still have a heart, because honestly I have been completely enjoying this time. If you could have the shut-down minus the death, sickness, fear, and economic devastation, I'd say "Stay Home Directive - How long can we keep this up?"
Our street was so quiet, we met neighbors we've never even seen before, and when they asked how we were, we knew they really wanted to know how we were. We sat on the porch more than we have in the seven years we've lived here. There was an unexpected calmness about life amidst the chaos, and part of me, well a huge part of me, doesn't want it to end. My friends' kids and my congregation and my hair salon, bring those back. Alright, maybe sidewalk salons and al fresco meetings. And travel in a floating bubble with no TSA lines. And teleporting to Chicago. All the other stuff can trickle back in as slowly as it wants, if at all.
Some keys to my success, should I ever face something like this again:
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| First, I tried not to have a cow about staying home. We had food, water, shelter, rice and beans. And a dog, who might have enjoyed it if we'd had a cow. |
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| Putting first things first was the most important step. Not just an important step, but a historic one. |
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| I had this positive guy with me. |
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| And this positively adorbs pup, who got more walks than ever before. |
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| We planted our pandemic garden. It's like a Victory Garden, with much less know-how than generation's past. Grow garden grow, it means less trips to the stores! |
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| When we did venture out, we masked up. Or we painted, whichever you prefer. |
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| Our front yard was a plethora of purple. White shutters look better with purple than the old brown ones. |
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| If you want your hair to grow out, have them close all the hair salons. Works every time. |
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| Should there be food shortages, we've got the whole calories and scurvy thing covered. |
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| Green smoothies just about every morning. |
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| Happy meals are super good for you. |
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| We rediscovered the joys of delivered produce. |
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| Rest is key to staying balanced. |
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| Veggie burgers to the rescue! |
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| We ate some most interesting and tasty meals. Exactly why do I run to the store so often? Because now I know so many errands are completely overrated. |
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| When I got super stressed about the news, I cried. Then I made masks, because it's hard to cry when you're sewing. |
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| Projects large and small became the focus of our attention. We tackled some major stuff, and minor things too, because it's better to view your home as your castle rather than a prison in lockdown. We spiffed up the castle, with more to come. |
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| Finally, we spoiled this little Flower Pup rotten. All the dogs, and some of the people, wish Stay-at-Home would go on and on, but it can't and won't. But we can sure come out of it better people with a stronger sense of what really matters. Faith - Family - Friends - Furry Things |
