Tuesday 14 April 2020
I am appalled at how much mess I manage to produce on a regular day. Usually, the mess I make is one bowl for breakfast and one plate and knife to prepare my sandwiches. Then I’m out the door and the next possibility to create mess is while cooking dinner.
Now, in addition to the dirty breakfast bowl, lunch plate and knife, I have a dirty coffee pot, coffee mug, coffee filter with coffee grounds, panini press, and a tea mug. When I’m in the mood for soup for lunch, add a saucepan and another bowl to the list. I’m definitely extra appreciating the office cafeteria now.
Wednesday 15 April 2020
While I am thoroughly enjoying my bench time, there are days that I have no meetings at all, or - if I’m lucky - one at the end of the day, and I find myself counting down the hours until that meeting. It’s a strange feeling for someone who generally has a high need for me-time. Perhaps there is such a thing as too much me-time after all, even for the highly introverts.
Thursday 16 April 2020
It has become more common to activate the webcam in meetings. I quite like it, especially when people show their true surroundings rather than a downloaded picture.
If this trend had started two weeks ago I would have been less comfortable being on screen for an embarrassing reason: a haircut is long, long overdue. I’ve been wearing my hair short for the past two years and visit the hairdresser every two months. After ‘missing the deadline’, there is this period of two weeks in which my hairdo is like a bird’s nest gone wrong until it has grown long enough to fall straight along my face, or long enough to bind in a ponytail. Fortunately for me, my hair just exited the bird’s nest phase when the webcam trend started.
Friday 17 April 2020
It’s interesting how you mentally and emotionally adapt to new forecasts on how long we will be in this situation. At first, we expected to be in an ‘intelligent lockdown’ until April 6. Then, until April 28. Now, who knows.
The prognoses for several weeks at a time were comforting to me. “Just a little longer”, I always thought. And, “Utilize every minute you win by not having to commute! Quick, before we all need to go to the office again.” So, I set out making ambitious plans, scheduling 3 walks a day, 6 workouts a week, 2 books a month, etc. “I'll emerge from this stupid quarantine fitter than ever.” Writing out my plan for the week every Sunday afternoon gave me a boost of energy, and following a strict morning routine ensured that I accomplish things from the moment I wake up.
It’s easy to go all-in when you anticipate a sprint. But what if, during the sprint you realize you’re actually running a marathon?
Answer: it knocks you out. That realization hit me earlier this week and I haven’t been coping too well ever since. When I was still under the impression that I was participating in a sprint, I slept like a baby, felt eager to start the day, and soaked up all the sunlight I possibly could by going on multiple walks throughout the day. This week, I haven't slept through the night once, I have to drag myself out of bed, and drag my feet through the daily walks. I'm tired all day. My body aches, my mind aches, emotions are all over the place.
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