On this last day of 76th day of March I’d like to look back on how drastically our lives have changed since February 29th.
All in Musings
On this last day of 76th day of March I’d like to look back on how drastically our lives have changed since February 29th.
I’m an extreme extrovert. I live by the ‘strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet’ mindset. So when my boys’ school announced a caravan driving through the neighborhoods just to wave and say hi, I was just as excited to see the teachers and staff as they were.
Lots of people have Sunday night dread. They live for the weekend and get stressed and depressed as the weekend runs out. Even when I’ve had jobs I didn’t enjoy, I always looked forward to Monday. It’s a fresh start, a new beginning, another shot at getting things right.
Things are getting real here in Northern Kentucky. Multiple cases, one death, a person I know is hospitalized with the virus and more than a couple of my friends are now on the front lines as healthcare workers. Two weeks into the social distancing and it seems like we’ll be doubling down for at least two more. Luckily, there are plenty of distractions to get my mind off the pending doom.
I’m blessed beyond belief. I’m working, so far everyone in my family is safe and healthy, and we have everything we need for the time being. But just like everyone these days, I’m writing with both sides of the pencil.
Today started off so rough that I overslept 3 hours and missed a phone conference. Yep, that was how I started off the day that was supposed to be Reds Opening Day.
I’m mentally drained. I’ve been working long hours, haven’t left my home in days, weeks…I’m not even sure because at this point all the days are running together. I’m still getting up every day at 6:30, taking a shower and facing the day with enthusiasm. But without a commute that consists of cruising down the basement steps, I barely have time to settle into my morning podcast before arriving at my desk.
Since I started Midlife Pickle, I’ve thought about the concept of balance a lot. Balancing work and family, wants and needs, spending and saving, remembering the old but embracing the new. Something that I’ve started to realize is every situation has a mix of good and bad. Sure, the scales are not always equal, but I’ve yet to think of a situation, no matter how dire, that didn’t result in something positive.
Social distancing is challenging for an uber-extrovert like me. I’ve organized a company wide virtual happy hour, a family FaceTime chat with about 10+ people, 5th grade conference calls, and I had 52 separate text message strings yesterday alone. While I enjoy being home reading a book or watching a movie, I generally recharge and am ready to be out in the world quickly. This new normal of spending day after day after day home has been quite an adjustment.
I live in Kentucky. Politics here is questionable at best. I won’t give my commentary other than to say I am loving Governor Andy Beshear and I’m not alone.
What good will come of this you ask? Lots, that’s what. Part of being a half-glass-full kind of girl is I see the positive in everything. Sometimes the upside is obvious and other times we have to dig a little deeper. Even when I consider some of the worst things that I’ve been through, I always managed to grow or learn from the experience, even if it took several years for that to be revealed.
Working from home is kicking my ass. With starting a new job and dealing with a pandemic, I have more work to do than is imaginable. The problem with working from home, and having no plans beyond the family X-Box RBI tournament, I end up working longer hours that if I were in the office. There’s something about a commute, even a small commute, that bookends a work day. Without the commute, work seeps into all areas.
