new year’s resolution for 2020 not going as planned
This was NOT the year I lost 20 pounds and got “Summer Time Fine.”
This was NOT the year I started my new DIY passion project.
This was NOT the year I took more vacations from work with the family.
Not even close. The year dubbed “20/20 Vision” back in January had us BLINDSIDED by March and careening into chaos in June. (Where is the factory reset button on this year?!)
I’m actually having trouble remembering what life was like before the era of the Corona-Tine.
B.Q. (Before Quarantine)
Rise early in the morning.
Shower and put on perfume.
Dress like a corporate rock star – sparkling like an anime character!
Starbucks Special!
Wave a cheery “so long, Suckers” to your own kids as they hustle off to school – backpacks weighing more than they do filled to the brim with snacks, lunches, and the whole school supply list.
Bump your motivational jams on the way to the office and complain about traffic.
Get your eight hours full of tasks and meetings.
Whine that there are to many workdays in a week.
Race home to feed the kids and spouse.
Rinse and repeat.
Typical. Classic. Probably a Monday..
A.Q. (After Quarantine)
Rise with 30 seconds left to clock into your Remote Desktop on your computer in your living room office.
Car now getting four months to the gallon.
Change your calendar to “Thisday” and “Otherday.”
Trips over a strategically placed race car toys at the bottom of the stairs on the way to the coffee maker in Cafe a la Kitchen.
Drops third Zoom call with potential client due to network outage.
Questions if a broken leg considered “bad enough” of an injury to risk catching the virus by going to the emergency room or if “walking it off” will suffice.
Writes fourth thesis statement for “Reasons Cheetos are NOT an Acceptable Food Group.”
Quarantine Thought #1282: What is “Sports?”
Teaches “new math” to kids in everyday situations: If Mom wears the same yoga pants 3 days in a row, how is it possible that these laundry baskets are STILL overflowing? Solve for “X.”
Level up on TikToc: “Bored in the house ‘cause I’m in the house bored.”
Slow dissent into madness…
Honestly, 2020 really derailed any hopes and dreams of “great year.” I am pretty sure that history teachers 10 years from now will have to dedicate an entire textbook to the year 2020 entitled: “2020 – The Year It All Went Wrong.”
One of two things have happened to every person on this planet. Acceptance or Denial. In one way or another, what we consider “normal” is being redefined. Whether we agree or disagree about certain matters is yet to be determined.
We are in a form of acceptance when we start to make the adjustments needed to reconcile changes within our circumstances to make things more tolerable to our personal tastes. Denial is when we fight to keep things just the way they were before the Coronavirus Train of Doom careened us off the tracks!
As we all navigate the troubled waters of 2020, it is nice to know that there is at least one thing that is within our control – routine.
Creating a routine in the midst of a global pandemic sounds ridiculous, I know. However, having a little routine in place can give each of us the sense of “normal.”
Am I the only one who has been more tired since lockdown than when I was running back and forth the the office? I suspect that I am not alone in this feeling. I have come to determine that the cause of the drained feeling is that our bodies are trying to figure out what to do as well as our minds. We have all gone from being productive in one facet or another to sitting around waiting on “what’s next.”
Alarms nearly went extinct when industries closed. It’s time to dust off the old noise maker to help us keep up with at least the time, even if we don’t really know what day it is. Putting our mind on some form of schedule or routine will address the “always tired” feeling and we may even accomplish something.
Keep in mind, it is a good thing to have some form of a schedule, but it is not mandatory. However you can constructively cope with the 2020 Blues, do it.
I encourage you to glance at your “20/20 Vision Board of New Year’s Resolutions” and see if there is anything on your list that you can modify to attempt to complete for yourself. Write that book! Learn to craft that thing! Build that summer body!
Do something that makes you feel gratified. Take on a project that you can manage within your new circumstances. We are not expecting anyone to come out of this like a super model or a new Guinness World Record Holder for some super craft. (If someone is holding you to that standard, drop that friend. Nobody got time for that!) It is just suggested to be productive during this unprecedented time, it might just make you feel better.