It’s hard to start writing on a public platform when the only thing you’ve really written for the last year is the obituary of a good friend. I’m aware we all have the same amount of time in a day and all, but writing used to be something I was good at making time for and it seems like ever since I graduated college, it’s hard to carve that time out of my day, whether it’s on pen and paper or even on a computer (which is approximately a million times faster, generally – sometimes a benefit and sometimes a hindrance in its own right).
In the shadow of COVID-19, social distancing is recommended. As someone who has been working from home for the past year with a young child, the irony of being instructed to stay in and see people less often, if at all, is not lost on me. If I weren’t working from home, I’d like to think we’d be out and about more and a bit more socially generally speaking, but I think some of what hinders our being social butterflies is our going on 2 year-old puppy who is a bit of a nut job. Hopefully soon she’ll have a personal trainer (who also trained her dog-mom) who can help me help the dog through some of her anxiety issues that make interacting with people she’s less familiar with a bit of a challenge.
Needless to say, it’s not like I (we, there isn’t so much I these days) got out too much before we were told not to go out and party too hard with large groups of people. A few birthday celebrations have been postponed, we probably shouldn’t go to the zoo for a little bit (acquired a pass for the family recently which has been a totally worthwhile purchase and paid for itself in two visits time), but otherwise, we will probably be drinking coffee on the screened in back porch, working in the garden if Gilly and the weather will allow it, and staying close as a family unit. I’m not complaining (am I? I dunno), but I am very much an and it gives me energy to be out in groups of people so sometimes working from home is a challenge in that it fulfills very little in terms of even non-meaningful micro-social interactions (I don’t know if that’s a thing, but I feel like people will still know what I mean).
Hmm, probably a year long hiatus after having a child and coming back to talk about a lack of social interaction maybe isn’t the way to go. It’s just a very intensified situation currently. I’m sure everyone knows it at this point. Publix had maybe 5 packages of the toilet paper left (the small packs), which we didn’t need, so I didn’t get any (yo, I cloth diaper a kid – I also know where to find caesarweed if I prefer a biodegradable option), and folks were wheeling around carts full of La Croix – not my idea of a quarantine necessary, but I guess some people have comfort foods (bogo frozen pizzas?) and other people have comfort drinks (we have a large quantity of coffee and half and half).
I glanced over from writing this to see my toddler (it really doesn’t take much for them to morph into toddlers so fast) swirling a stick around in the ashes from the fire pit. Probably not the best play pit, but better than any stray piles of dog poop that haven’t been scooped yet, I guess. She won’t suffer from being overly clean (The Hygiene Hypothesis), that’s for sure. Well, a breeze just blew in, so I’m going to enjoy the cooler weather for a minute with my girl. Because despite the fact that I miss other people frequently , I don’t mind at all getting to hang out with her every day.
Gnarly Farms 