See You in September: 6 reasons why I need more time before “normal”

Photo by Blessing Ri on Unsplash

I have recently been informed that the world is about to return to “normal”. I write this to plea for additional time to take care of lots of things I have put off for the past year. Could we all agree that most of us need until at least September to really be ready? I have a few things I need to deal with.

1) I need to get in shape- I have lost and gained the same fifteen pounds. I have been committed to exercising every day and I have fallen off the wagon more times than I can count. I recently bought a Peleton and I promise to report back when that arrives. But mainly, I was just trying to survive the past year and the issue of “thriving” seemed ok to put on hold. If I knew I had three months to get myself semi-together, I think I could pull it off. But if you want me to show up tomorrow, I’m not bringing my best self.

2) I never quite mastered the “home” office- In the past year, we had to rethink how two adults and three children all work and go to school in the same place. We established “stations”. I got the bedroom, my husband had the dining room table, and the kids scattered everywhere. Our internet would constantly get overloaded and somehow, even though we never left the house, I could never find a pen. Don’t get me wrong, I love that my “commute” takes me five minutes. Working from home made many things easier but it also made “hard pants” optional. And I swear if you give me a few more months, I can master creating the perfect space and balance for the home workspace but I’m currently still tweaking it.

3) I have nothing to wear- Speaking of “hard pants” which we consider to be pants with a zipper and belt loops that are not jeans, I can’t find any. I went shopping for a “blouse” recently to “step it up” on my Zoom calls but most local stores are over half-filled with the latest in “athleisure”. I ordered a few things online. I haven’t worn heels in months. However, I recently committed to wearing two dresses a week. Wish me luck.

4) I have this dog- It was a hard year and the one thing I truly wanted to make everything better was a dog. But we never felt it was fair to get a new pet to live with us when we were never home. Then we were home, all the time and we adopted “Penny Princess Cairl”. She is the most spoiled…