One of the hills I miss.
A reflection on some of the small ways my own small life has changed due to Shelter In Place, as food for thought on what I'd like to hang on to when this ends, what I might feel ready to let go of now that I've realized what life without is like, and what I'd like to enjoy with renewed gusto and gratitude when this ends.
I miss:
- Being able to go the movies or to a live performance
- Being able to have a normal birthday celebration
- The positive office atmosphere my coworkers and I made for each other - the jokes, the advice, the customer stories, etc.
- Looking at and tasting the produce at work
- Some favorite items from my normal grocery store of choice, which has way, way, way too long a line for me to face now
- Being able to shop from bulk bins
- Generally being able to choose lower-waste/lower-plastic items as often as I used to
- Sunglasses. Sounds silly, but mine broke and even as a hardcore "shop local!" type I didn't realize how much I would miss brick-and-mortar retailers until I needed something that sort of needs to be bought in-person (i.e. so you can try it on)
- Being able to donate and resell things I don't need anymore
- Being able to visit my local family members
- Hiking in the hills and being able to visit other beautiful outdoor places that are not close enough to home to justify right now
- Being able to get film developed
I am happy that:
- I have no commute
- There is much less noise in my life
- I get to walk around my quiet, pleasant neighborhood streets on my breaks
- I have time to run more often
- I have time to cook much more often
- I am talking on the phone more with my family
- I am living with my girlfriend (because we are sheltered in place at her apartment)
- I am not living with my official roommates
- Going outside to walk and get fresh air and sun and see trees has become a very on-purpose and precious-feeling practice
- I am living with few possessions and way fewer items of clothing (while away from my home)
- Working remote means I can do a lot of homey things in the quiet moments during my workday (e.g. empty the dishrack, or start lunch cooking for myself). No longer is all the housework crammed into the last four "free" hours of my day.
- I am buying from our wonderful local vegan mini-market more often
- Not being able to easily return online purchases is steering me away from online ordering of items I'm not sure about
- I am spending less money generally buying things for myself
- I am actually reading through some of the books I own and haven't read, rather than adding to their numbers
- Watching movies at home has become a bit more of an enjoyable pursuit and less of a lazy-feeling pursuit, and I'm spending more time searching for really good movies
- I am going grocery shopping less often (and thus spending less time on it)
- I have gotten back in touch a bit with one old friend
No doubt I'll think of more things - and when I do, I probably will add them here, so that this stands as a record for me.
If you have any list items of this sort and also find this type of reflection meaningful, you are invited to share yours - I'm curious to hear.
