I realized during this whole pandemic that I am such a creature of habit. I enjoy waking up at the same time each day. Going to work, taking my daughter to school or dance class or soccer practice, going to the gym while she’s in school, shopping in a store, running errands without feeling like I’m risking my life.. It’s all so crazy how disrupted my schedule is… On the days that I work, I work three days a week, 12 hour shifts and sometimes extra as needed. I would wake up at 4 am, get ready, if my fiance was going to work I take my daughter to my moms so she can take her to school for me. I work, I come home for dinner which I usually try to plan our meals two weeks in advance. This is still pretty norma; except.. I’m not working three days a week, I’m working two because we have such low census from us canceling so many cases causing our department to close down rooms and call employees off. 

On my days off I used to, wake up at 6 am, get myself ready and fix breakfast. I’ll turn cartoons on and wake my little girl up for school and she gets ready and we go to school, following drop off I would go straight to the gym and then run a couple errands as needed. I’ll go home and clean up before meeting my friends or family for lunch or a coffee date. I would sometimes have meetings on Wednesday’s with our church women or once a month we’ll meet for vestry.. None of that is happening anymore. My daughter is home from school so there’s no rush to wake up super early even though i do out of habit. She does have school work at home that we work on during breakfast or lunch for an couple hours. We practice her dance routines at home-I’m actually getting good. We’ll watch youtube or work on home projects together like growing a garden and studying the life of seeds and spring. 

I am actually quite thankful for this pandemic, in an odd way. No I don’t like being terrified of catching in, I’m not a huge fan of working on the frontlines when I have a little one at home to be worried about but I do appreciate this one thing that the pandemic has given me and that’s time.. Time to spend with my little one. Time to spend with my fiance. Prior to all of this I have felt life simply slipping away. I’m coming up on three years working in this career and I have loved every minute of working there but I have missed being home and spending time with my loved ones. I am so blessed to have this time to spend. I miss some of the people I can’t see of spend time with but I’m happy to have the opportunity to spend time with those I can. I have spent more time in nature than I have been-which is a normal transition from winter to spring. I have been fishing, hiking, kayaking and just enjoying the weather.. When it’s pretty. My daughter has loved me being home too, she gets super sad on the days that I have to work but I have such a good support system and with all of this going on she has even been able to play with her cousins a little more which she enjoys! 

My best advice that I can give you right now is enjoy your time at home. Use it to reset, relearn some of your old hobbies, reprioritize, learn something new, just make the best out of it and if you’re working count it as a blessing and be careful and aware.

with love,

c.p