Hello, Day 16!!
How we doin’? Groundhog Day set in yet? Have you lost track of time, the day, your routine, your mind? All of the above?:) Well, you’re not alone and it’s vital to remember that we are all in this together. “In it to win it!”, right? Ugh.
I’ve got to be honest, like all of you, we have good days, okay days, and luckily not too many bad ones. And when I say “bad”, I mean it’s the garden variety “I have zero motivation to do anything” kind of bad. Which in its own way, can be the worst kind of bad. So it’s important to keep perspective, remember why we’re doing this, and embrace the rare unicorn of slowness this new normal has brought upon us.
BUT…before we dive in, here are my top ten observations after two weeks of Shelter in Place.
1. When will we ever witness the collective universe united in sweatpants ever again? Everyday. Everywhere. Will we ever wear pants without the “sweat” in them, ever again?
2. When will we ever have the opportunity to work out every day, all day, at every virtual gym, with every celebrity trainer, whenever we want? I guess if you’re wearing sweats 24/7 you should probably do something productive in them, right? But do you have to put it online, every damn time? I think I will be the only human that comes out of this quarantine without abs of steel or Jane Fonda’s arms. The amount of stress-reducing exercise taking place out there is making me very, very anxious.
3. When we all finally emerge from our holes (umm, I mean homes) at the end of this, we will all have the same hair color, bushy brows, droopy foreheads, flat cheeks, tiny lips, and janky nails. Maybe it will spark a new trend because we will realize all the time, money, and worry we spent comparing ourselves to the next person.
4. Restaurant takeout WITH cocktails should have been legal outside of the state of Louisiana a long, long time ago.
5. The world has officially fallen off its axis because people like Cardi B want to free people like Joe Exotic (aka The Tigerking), and people like Donald Trump will probably pardon him. If that happens, I will lock MYSELF up.
6. Our pets are officially sick of us.
7. School. Excuse me, I’m sorry, I mean “school”, may never, ever be the same again.
8. Women everywhere are fantasizing about a gray-haired, glasses-wearing, elfentine scientist who stands taller and smarter than anyone who has come within one inch of the Presidential podium in the last 1,166 days.
9. News anchors doing their own hair and wardrobe AND reporting from their basements? We can probably do without the news at this point…
10. Zoom is the virtual hero of COVID-19. I’m going to miss these get-togethers when we can all hang out in person again. The grainy, Brady Bunch checkerboard screens filled with wine glasses and smiles? An indelible sign of these Corona times, for sure! Will we ever forget how quickly we became social media verbs and “learned to zoom” or “join a House Party” in no time flat?
Oh, and final thought. I’m going to invent Tik Tok for adults. A place like Facebook where we can have a low learning curve and dork out dancing to the oldies without our kids hassling us. We can show them there’s more to “dancing” than Doja Cat, Drake’s Toosie Slide and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” challenge. We can teach them classics like The Bus Stop, The Electric Slide, The Moonwalk, and The Running Man. (No need to link those because we all know what they are.:)
Let’s zoom on that, ladies!
Wishing you the best of luck and lots of wellness in week two!
Here are a few things I’ve been loving and learning this week.
Brené Brown, people. Brené. Effing. Brown. She does it again! If you don’t know her, get with the program. Best selling author, Ted Talk superstar, and now the number one podcaster on Apple, Brené has dedicated her life’s work to the research of shame and vulnerability. She’s all about establishing boundaries, truthtelling, and practical living. Her research and data connect courage with vulnerability and the theory that one cannot exist without the other. Her work with NASA, the United States Military and Fortune 500 companies suggest that practicing empathy, “embracing the suck”, and “courage over comfort” are a pretty terrific trifecta. Powerful stuff to embrace in these anxious times. You will be an instant fan.
Luckily I really enjoy one of the essential activities of sheltering in place- cooking. I’m transitioning from soups and comfort food to lighter dishes that feature spring vegetables and flavors. Most farmers’ markets are still open (ours is), and I think a six-foot distance tour of what the spring vendors have to offer will be a welcome outing this coming weekend. Check out some great recipes here and a few other good ones here.
Another essential SIP activity is doing a quick weekly run-through for essentials at the grocery store or Target. I love Minted, and I love that Target stocks their cards. Why not pick up a few favorites, scribble out a little note to someone and drop it in the mailbox? When the days seem to run together and often feel incredibly predictable, it’s nice to have a little surprise when you grab the mail. Go ahead, make someone’s day.
As I said above, I’m not using this time to dive deep into closet cleaning, cupboard organization, or becoming an online aerobics instructor. I’m actually doing the opposite- I’m rereading favorite authors, introducing my husband to movies he’s never seen that I know he will love (Prince of Tides), and wholeheartedly enjoying the Little House on the Prairie pace around here. One of my all-time favorites is Bay Area author, Kelly Corrigan. Her anecdotal style and easy-breezy, “I’m going to make you feel like we’ve been BFF’s forever” voice is the epitome of comfort reading. Tell Me More is an “examination of twelve essential phrases that turn the wheel of life”. “I don’t know”, “Tell me more”, and the ever touchy, “I was wrong”, are a few that brought out powerful conversations that “make love and connection possible”. All good dinner table prompts during this time of quarantine and beyond.
We all know I love a stripe! Horizontal, vertical, pink, or blue, lines are my thing, and this adorable set of stripes kept creeping into my feed. These cotton/cashmere separates from Faherty will keep you looking cute at home, as well as that trip to the store or stroll around the neighborhood. And they’re currently 25% off!
Xo- klm
