Does anyone else feel like they’re living in an alternate reality sometimes? Never in a million years (in my lifetime, at least) did I think we would experience a global pandemic or a real interruption of life at this level. I was talking to a friend the other day, and we both agreed that, many of us are consumed with this interruption of life as we know it. I’ve tried not to think too much about life beyond this quarantine, however, because do we really know what “normal” is going to look like after this quarantine? I know I don’t. I hazard a guess a new normal is going to be something different entirely. Masks may be more commonplace. I wonder if people will continue baking their own bread, staying away from communal places too often; honestly, I just don’t know.
Since losing my job, though I’m excited to have freelance work, I’ve been a little adrift. This is the first time since college that I haven’t had full-time employment. I go to the grocery store, on average, once every two weeks. The kids haven’t been in a store in over a month, and they haven’t had a playdate in that time either. We haven’t gone out to dinner, and while we’ve done our part to stimulate our local economy with takeout from local places, we’ve played it close to home for the most part. I don’t do well without a purpose though. I need to move, do, and challenge myself consistently. So, since we have about two more weeks of Washington’s current stay-home order, it felt like a good time to set some final quarantine goals to stay on track.
Get Outside Every Single Day
The kids and I have been doing well with this one, in large part because staying indoors for an inordinate amount of time starts driving us all a little batty. We’re doing bike rides. We do cookouts in the backyard, and trampoline is a huge hit for the kids, constantly encouraging them to move their bodies. I can’t wait to start hiking again once the trails are open but, for now, we’re enjoying exploring the trails behind our house and really just moving our bodies outside in the fresh air.
Run Before the Kids Get up 3x per Week
This is a big one. I’m supposed to be training for the Portland marathon in October, but I’ve let my training slide a little bit through this quarantine. Part of it is simply the fact that I was thrown into a tailspin losing my job. Part of it was just complete fatigue. I feel better when I get up and run or workout before the kids get up though, and it sets the tone for the day. My goal is to do it three days a week before they get up to get started on the right foot. Literally.
Invest Time and Energy into My Blog
I’ve been doing pretty well with this through the quarantine, blogging more frequently and becoming more comfortable sharing different things – like recipes. I have some back end maintenance I’ve been meaning to do though (namely fixing categories), and it’s something I need to actually buckle down and do. My goal is to fix at least five categories before the stay-home order is done.
Purge the Kids’ Closets & Dressers
This is a big one. I haven’t done a proper clean-out of their clothes in about six months to a year, and they’ve outgrown a lot. I want to go through their wardrobes completely, eliminate the excess and prepare some drop-off bags for when Goodwill opens again. I already applied KonMari principles to my closet and dresser during the quarantine, so now it’s time to tackle theirs…and it’s a big project.
Learn and/or Develop Three New Recipes
I’ve discovered recently that I love baking, and between the overnight cinnamon rolls I made for Easter (I’ll share those later this week) and the chocolate chip pound cake, I’ve found that we’re spending less money on those tasty treats that cost a little more than we should spend. So, my goal is to keep it up. Invest that nervous time and energy into something productive and that my family enjoys. What should I bake next? I’m thinking some homemade monkey bread…
I know there are mixed opinions on setting quarantine goals, and I get that. With a new normal like this – at least for now, however – it keeps me sane and holds me accountable. So, tell me…are you setting goals for this quarantine?
