It sounds cliche, because it is. That said, the strange times we live in have made it all that much more obvious how true some of the cliche colloquialisms are.
After spending most of the last 3 months alone in my apartment with my cat and occasionally my boyfriend (he works a lot), coming back to work part time, even in this quiet setting, has been wonderful in ways I didn’t expect. Before the pandemic I was working full time in an Elementary school setting. I interacted with more than 100 kids, parents, and staff each day and while it’s exhausting for sure, I love it.
So the last 3 months, have been… painfully quiet. I identify as an introvert. I need my time alone, it’s how I recharge, and I figured that out at a young age. I’ve also known for the better part of my adult life that I definitely need work and interaction as well.
And as it turns out, projects, school work, and video calls, will never fill that void quite right.
I was nannying last Friday, we were at the grandparents house. During their lunch break from working at home, Dad and Grandpa, took a break and played several rousing, competitive games of Ping-Pong.
I was down stairs, heating up my soup for lunch and I couldn’t stop smiling. They were hollering and stomping… yelling and laughing. In that moment I realized how important that kind of energy is… it’s palpable in the air and can’t be replicated. Joy, competition, friendship.
They kept apologizing for the noise. I couldn’t quite convey to them just how okay it was… just how wonderful it was to feel the joy of others like that again.
I think that this time has taught us all a bit more about self-care, self-motivation, and slowing down. I hope we take some of the new habits we developed and bring them on into our new ‘normal’… I also hope we never forget just how important is is to simply be with other people.
Coffee & Conundrums 