Hello Again

You would think that, given our current state of self-quarantine, the hours spent within the four walls of ones home would be the perfect time to sit down and write. 

And yet.

For the past month I haven’t written about any aspect of my life – not the uncomfortable, strange, and terrifying changes brought on by a global pandemic, or the hope-filled, heart-centered changes in my personal and professional life. 

I would like to catch you up on all things. 

Let’s begin where we last left off. Putting down roots. 

A lot has happened between then and now. 

I started my new job and had one day in the office before our entire staff shifted to working remotely due to a certain coronavirus pandemic sweeping our globe. I wish I could write an uplifting post about thriving through self-isolation, but I’m just not there yet. Maybe next week.

The long hours at home with no where to go have been a decent motivator to get things done in the garden and around the house. 

[REDACTED] and I have successfully built and paid out four raised garden beds (I shamelessly admit that he did most, if not all, of the building while I was probably inside stress baking cookies or something.) While it isn’t warm enough to plant much, in fact it snowed just this morning, I have a few small sprouts coming up from the seeds that I started earlier this month. 

Even more monumental – the two of us built a pavilion! It is enormous, and it called for four strong and able bodied humans with three ladders. We accomplished it between the two of us with only two ladders. Our neighbor’s retaining wall gets an honorable mention for the support it lent during the raising of the roof. 

While law school classes are all online via virtual classrooms and meeting spaces, [REDACTED] is taking the transition in stride. We both are. After an emotional rollercoaster full of applications for summer opportunities, I am very proud to say that [REDACTED] will be interning for a federal judge. Legally, I don’t know if I can say anything more. 

I can’t put my finger on what is making it so challenging to write, to read, or to hold down anything resembling a normal schedule at the moment. It feels like it should be so easy to do those things given all of this time at home. 

I have been working and feel immensely lucky for that. Despite getting to know co-workers only through remote meetings, I have a deep sense of rightness with the decision to transition to this new role and organization.

I am doing my best to take each day at a time. Some days I feel ready to tackle a whole to-do list, others I would rather play games on my phone and ignore the outside world as long as possible.

For the extroverts out there, I highly recommend video chats. My mom is an extrovert, and while she enjoys her peace and quite and time alone she really thrives in community and with others. There is nothing wrong with needing people.

For the introverts out there, if you live with another person, I recommend saying your needs out loud and finding time to be alone. Go for a walk if you can, set aside regular time to drink a cup of tea. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be alone.

Wherever you are, friend. I hope you are well. I hope you are taking deep breaths and finding ways to meet your needs.