From Life on the Go, to Going with the Flow

After being discharged from rehab in 2002, I worked on gradually building strength and endurance in order to tolerate living a fairly active life on the go.  Between volunteering at my nephews' schools, going to doctor appointments, shopping, exercising, running errands, going to various therapy appointments, and socializing, my life had gotten pretty busy.  However, in March of 2020 my typical day did an about-face and I became far less busy, much like everyone else when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Rather than mourning the loss of life on the go, I decided I was going to enjoy the opportunity to simply go with the flow.

Suddenly I found myself reading twice as much as I used to, which is not really a bad thing as I love to read.  I also started doing puzzles, riding my exercise bike more than ever before, and dressing more casually: donning basic jeans, T-shirts, and tennis shoes rather than getting all dolled up.  I was able to continue to participate in my nephew Nicky's classroom over Zoom.  Technology kept me involved, from a safe distance, albeit to a lesser degree, with many of my regular activities.  There is no denying that my daily life suddenly looked very different than previously.

Rather than mourning the loss of life on the go, I decided I was going to enjoy the opportunity to simply go with the flow.  While there is much that I missed from the old way of life, particularly seeing friends and being more engaged in society, there were some distinct benefits to COVID casual.  For one, getting ready only took five minutes!  I also found new hobbies and spent more time just relaxing in the fresh air outside, which has always helped keep me in good spirits.  As much as I enjoyed cooking and making a good meal before COVID, I rarely had the time to regularly plan, shop for, and prepare a meal.  I may not have been able to do the shopping during the pandemic, but I certainly had plenty of time to cook and bake more.  So, in the absence of being on the go, I was forced to indulge in the benefits of slowing down.

As the world is returning to a semblance of what it was before, I am finding that I have grown so busy doing various projects, learning new things, exercising, and relaxing at home that I have very little time to be out and about.  There were many approaches people took to coping with the tighter restrictions on life during the pandemic, and mine was to make the most of what life had dealt me and find happiness within the boundaries of what I was able to do.  I have had ample practice redefining what life looks like, and how to find happiness within less than ideal circumstances.  This does not mean that I did not struggle at times, but in the end, I found a way to turn it into an opportunity.

Enjoying my first girls shopping day, just like in the old days!

Now that I have more choices, I am loath to give up entirely some of the quieter home-based activities I grew to love and appreciate during those difficult times.  The key word being "entirely;" the balance of what takes up the majority of my time has simply shifted.  Now I prioritize a little bit differently and spend more time doing quite simple things at home than I used to.  With how busy my nephews' baseball games have kept us, I appreciate having learned to slow down and relax from time to time more than ever.  Socializing and entertaining in my home is back to being a regular activity.  Because I am less preoccupied with things outside of the home, I may be making more time for entertaining than I did before the pandemic. 

Ultimately, it always comes back to my favorite quote from The Lord of the Rings when Frodo wishes that things had not transpired as they had.  Gandalf's reply is, "So do I, and so do all who live to see such times.  But that it is not for them to decide.  All we have to decide is what to do with the time that has been given to us."  During the pandemic I did what I could within the boundaries of what was safe, and now I am enjoying the mixture of what I did and loved before the pandemic and what I grew to appreciate during that time, with family always remaining the absolute priority.