I remember a time a few months back, before COVID-19. I was having a conversation with a girlfriend and we both agreed that we’d love to just have a weekend off to do nothing.
“ooohh, how nice would that be?” we both craved.
Between us, we live very active lives. There’s work and university, kids and school, husbands and housekeeping, plus other activities such as after school sports and extended family commitments. We both practice martial arts and I also now practice playing the flute. Not to mention the running of my small jewellery business too.
Our culture is driven by time. Always rushing, always “busy”. Scheduling our lives to fit everything in.
There isn’t a lot of time to just sit still, in the quiet, to breathe and relax.
But is there?
During my time of sequestration, I’m doing a lot a self-discovery. I’m taking a real hard look at the way I manage my time and the things I consider important.
I count my blessings as I’m fortunate enough to still have my job. Working from home is great and I’ll admit that yes, at times I get out of bed at 8.45am, make my coffee and switch on my computer at 8.59am. I don’t have to make school lunches and I don’t have to rush out the door so my son makes it to school before the first bell.
I’m sad that my Dojo and the gym are closed. But sometimes when we have these things scheduled into our daily routines, they become chores and the love for them dies. Often I would skip a training session as it was easy and the excuses were valid. I just worked all day, I’m tired, I have to jewellery prep for a workshop, etcetera. But now because of quarantine I am actually working out from home more now than ever. As a family we take daily walks. Sometimes two! Will I go back to the Dojo and gym after all this? I don’t know.
I can practice my flute at any time during the day while still checking in on my work. And the rewards of home schooling my son is so gratifying. I’m taking mid-afternoon showers, reading lots of books and doing lots of cooking.
My sister said something to me the other day about her 10 year old daughter: “she rolls out of bed at eleven o’clock some mornings and takes almost half an hour to finish her cup of tea! Just sits there……She’s living her best life!” If you knew my niece, you’d know she is like this even on a normal school day and it frustrates the hell out of my sister.
This got me thinking. We should all be like my niece. Even after this isolation period is over. I want to continue living my best life. No rush, no hurry. I will continue loving all the people and things that are most important to me and re-evaluate the things I did that just filled my schedule but brought no joy.
I hope your time in isolation is creative one day and unproductive the next. Because it’s okay. We have permission to slow down and embrace the new pace.
Making the most of it.
Bianca xo