2 months. 3 months. 4 weeks. In just a little bit. Over before you know it. Dragging on. Never ending.
Imagine for a moment a simple equation: home + time + family = the best weeks of your life.
The mornings were allowed to be a bit lazier. An extra 15 minutes to stretch and enjoy the warmth of the linen duvet and the coolness of the silk pillowcase. There was no commute, after all, so really those 15 minutes are perfectly justified. And instead of feeling guilty about them we relished in them; allowing our bodies to slowly rise from sleep without a time stamp to dictate our agenda.
Coffee was made slowly and in bulk. The Chemex working overtime as breakfast was shared around the island commenting on the goals of the day, the progress of the previous evening’s chores, and the cat that doesn’t want to leave the garden alone.
Work carries on but it’s punctuated with extra precious phone calls with family instead of water cooler chats, moments of intense focus, and showers of inspiration.
Hydration becomes important, movement its key, and the work day ends with a 3 mile walk in nice weather or a yoga session if the spring rains have overtaken the day.
Dinner is made slowly and with care, trying new things for the sake of it. Laughing when it doesn’t turn out or savoring each bite when it does. Then it’s off to chores, which just means the list of home projects grows equally longer and shorter.
The shed gets painted, the garden planted. Grass is cleared and weeds are abolished. Skin turns tan and the days grow a bit longer.
All this done together like never before. All this done because we’ve been given three gifts: home, time, family.
I don’t write this with naiveté. I know not all families love. Not all homes are smiling. Not all people have time.
This is a serious monster we face. We pray hard for those fighting it – both the caregivers and the afflicted – and we do our part by doing the only thing we can: distance, space, home.
So for those of you faced with the privilege of a home you like, just might not love yet, don’t you think a deep breath, a priority shift, a gratitude journal might make this time precious?
We all have lost things. It’s ok to mourn what could have been: trips, graduations, celebrations.
But don’t forget to shed that cloak of mourning and take a moment to look around at the gift you’ve been given: time, family, home.
Make it a better place. Do a project, strengthen a relationship, connect with family and friends virtually. Find a task that brings you joy and let your mentality be “safe at home” rather than “stuck at home”. I have no doubt a mindset shift will allow us to look back on this time with joy instead of erasing it from our memories as we pick back up the pace.