What's the Rush?

Let's cut to the chase. Or actually... let's NOT.

I am in no hurry to get back to "normal" or "the new normal" or whatever you'd like to call it. I've conformed to this trend of talking about how much I want things to go back to normal, but I'm definitely not nearly as eager to return to my routine as I have let on.

As much as I miss my desk at the office, my bamboo desk-plant (that's certainly dead now), nights out with friends, and my favorite lunch table on school campus, the coronavirus pandemic has given me a lot that I will someday miss too.

I've spent more time with my family than I can ever remember. My whole life has been go, go, go. Whether I was 10-years-old and spending four days a week at the dance studio, or 16 and was way too cool to spend Friday nights at home, I was always just a little too busy to hit pause and focus on my loved ones. But for the past few months, I don't think I've eaten a single meal alone or gone a day without lounging on the couch next to my parents and sister. While we may be getting on one another's nerves every now and then, it's given me the opportunity to appreciate what likely will be my last summer living with my family.

I've also learned to get really creative, and I'm not just talking about my love for painting that has suddenly taken off...

...but while we are on the topic, look at one of my favorite pieces!

The creativity that I and really referring to though, is that which has applied in overcoming pandemic-related obstacles. My meal-planning, for example, has never been better. I typically eat out a LOT more than I'd like to admit, but now, with all of the restaurant restrictions, I've learned to cook more often and better utilize the ingredients I already have in the pantry. Who knew you could make omelettes at home? Le Peep? I don't even know her anymore!

This kind of thing has also been a direct cause of my savings account looking quite a bit livelier too. I've definitely found ways to spend --don't you worry-- but without the same temptations to go shopping or eat out as before, I may ACTUALLY be able to graduate in December and move out, like I had planned. Thinking I could do so pre-covid was a little ambitious, to say the least.

I've gotten to know myself and those closest to me better than I ever did before. I didn't know that this was a piece of my life that was missing, but now that I have it, I'll cherish the these past few months forever. I'll probably even find a way to miss them. So while 2020 definitely didn't turn out the way myself and everyone else had planned it, there are a lot of reasons it was even better.