I've Been Preparing for "This" My Whole Life

I apologize in advance, for what I am about to write. I know I am an anomaly. I know what I think and feel is not mirrored by the majority. I know so very many people are being affected deeply by this period of isolation. I cannot begin to imagine what it feels like to be separated from a loved one in a long term care home or hospital as we manage what is known about the coronavirus. To those people, I am sorry. I cannot begin to know what it feels like in your shoes.

That disclaimer out of the way and the invitation to stop reading now if you feel what I may have to say does not apply, I am going to get "real" for a few paragraphs. Leave now if you wish. I promise I will write about rabbits, cats and rainbows another day. Just not today.

Back to the beginning now ...

I woke up to the most glorious morning yesterday. I had ordered my groceries online and yesterday morning was my pick-up-day.

Being able to choose one's groceries from the comfort of their home is a gift like no other. I sat and pondered brand names, prices, sizes and asked myself the question "Do you really need three packages of chocolate bars in order to save $0.86 per package? Or is it wiser to buy only one package and save $5.14?"

I made smarter choices than I would have, had I been walking up and down the aisles with a grocery cart far too big for my needs and a subconscious desire to make a grocery trip worth while. When I was out and about during this time of just-stay-home warnings, my cravings and emotional side tended to overrule common sense.

I did make the mistake of not creating an account first, so I was unable to change my grocery order between the time of my shopping and pick-up day. Once I found this out, I never looked at my order again and just awaited yesterday morning. Add a small dose of age-related amnesia to the mix and emptying the grocery bags felt like Christmas morning. I was so excited to see what I forgot I had ordered!

The store advised me when my order was ready, I called when I arrived, I sat in the designated waiting spot and soon enough, someone came out with my groceries. All I had to do was pop the lid of my trunk open. They had picked out everything on my list, packed it up and loaded the bags into the trunk. All I had to do was sit safely in my car.

Since I was out and about anyway, I topped up my gas and went for a leisurely ride through the car wash to wash away the winter grime. I left the house at 8:10 a.m. and returned at 8:55 a.m. Other than getting gas, I never left the car.

Forty five minutes to do all that had to be done for the week? And someone else did my shopping for me? I was one very happy camper and eagerly unpacked, washed and put away our groceries before I headed straight into my work-day from home.

Working from home has required more discipline than I had at the onset. But I'm finding my groove and this is working very well for me.

I have modified our spare bedroom into an office. Everything I need is contained within a room-with-a-door. Other than the printer, all of my work is contained within this room. May I say this again? A room-with-a-door. A door I close at the end of my day's work to create a tangible separation from the "work" and "home" portions of my life.

I'm getting more exercise than ever before as I work at my day job. The printer is located at the end of the hallway and if several pages are printed, they will fall onto the floor helter skelter. So I find myself making several trips and often it isn't even worth sitting down between printer-runs.

The printer is atop of my personal filing cabinet, beside the fridge.
Point of interest:
The white board is erased of all appointments, social commitments and errands - I think I may be in heaven!

I am standing, I am walking and I am simply moving more. "More" is a very relative term. I moved very little in my prior office. Anything more than I had been doing is better than nothing.

I created my "office" out of what I already had on hand. The desk is an old sewing machine cabinet (minus the sewing machine); I emptied out a filing cabinet and moved it into the closet; our stationary and paper shredder now reside the office; I have utilized unused tables, a dresser and even the futon to keep my work in order.

I am pretty content within this little world of mine.

Ordering groceries online, working from home and NO appointments, commitments or social expectations? This. This is what I have been preparing for my whole life. This is my idea of a perfect world.

Is "this" good for me? Time will tell. My motivation level is not high. My happy factor is at a "mediocre" level. My "good enough" rating is through the roof.

As long as I have an internet connection and a telephone to keep me connected to the people outside of these doors, I have everything I need within arm's reach.

But ... the gift I still have and hold is the freedom of knowing I have a choice in the matter. I can leave the house. I still go to my second job three hours of every week day. I do have contact with people outside our home AND our home houses two people and two cats. I am not alone.

I am not being pushed outside my comfort zone and this feels so very good right now. I am in absolutely no hurry for the world to reopen and insist that I rejoin the social masses.

What I have right here, right now is enough. I have so much. I have so VERY much. I have a home I love living in, I have daily contact with humans and felines. We have all the supplies we need. My employment nor income has not been affected. We are not under quarantine orders and we have a sense of freedom with our limitations.

Most importantly, I have my health and (as far as I know) the health of those who touch my world remains stable. I know what I have is beyond a blessing.

My wish for you, is that you are finding what you need within the limitations of this COVID-19 world we are living in. Most of all, I wish you good health, safety and the freedom you need to make it through this time.