Well, here I am. Just over 18 months after we officially went on lockdown because of COVID-19. As I sit here and reflect back on this time and everything that has happened, I can't help but be amazed that we are still facing tough times and tough decisions. My kids were homeschooled for almost an entire school year (something I never would have thought to be the case) and I still sit here working from my makeshift home office (i.e. my kitchen table) because I'm still under the impression that any minute now I will be asked to go back into the office. Even now we still question who we should see and where we should go.
I learned quite a bit over this time and I have been taught to appreciate a lot. Throughout this entire ordeal I have tried to stay positive and look for the bright side to every situation. I appreciate more and more the time I have with my children and my husband. We take more time as a family now (not just saving family time for vacations). That's not to say things have not been challenging. We get on each others nerves, we fight, we get annoyed, we scream, but at the end of the day I wouldn't change this time for anything in the world.
I know there are a lot of people out there who "just want this to be over so we can go back to normal!" But honestly, what is normal? I think about it every day. Do I really want to go "back to normal"? If normal means going back to the way things were pre-pandemic and having the same stresses and frustrations we had prior to everything shutting down. If back to normal means going back to less time with my kids and getting up at 5am rushing around to make sure I am getting everything done before finally collapsing at 10pm. Then I have to be honest with you... the answer is NO! I DO NOT! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO NORMAL. I love working from home. I love being with my children every day and really being part of their lives in every aspect. As hard as it may be to work full time from home while trying to homeschool your children, I wouldn't have changed it for the world. It's stress but a different kind of stress. Having said that, I cannot say for sure what the future holds. I cannot say for certain if I will end up back in the office over the next coming months, but if I do I will try my hardest to hold on to the things I have taken from this journey and focus on the things that really matter the most to me.
They say you don't know what you don't know (go back and read that again) and I 100% believe that. I have always been a working mom. I always wanted to be a working mom. The title of "stay-at-home mom" never appealed to me. When my children were born I took 6 weeks maternity leave and then I was right back to the office. I think about it now and I feel like I missed out on so much with them. Now I am cherishing this time. Time flies so why not make the most of the situations we have and cherish what we are able to get out of this unusual time.
I am very hopeful for the vaccines that we have now and hope that we can return to "normal" soon, but just what that normal looks like is a mystery to me. There are things I want to change in my idea of normal and I hope that we all see that. It's easy to go back to what is comfortable, but recognizing the potential for change to create a better way of life is definitely a way that we all should be thinking.
I hope that you are all recognizing the positive things that have some out of this experience despite the struggles and hardships and that you take the time to appreciate them. Thank you so much for reading my posts as I continue to share my journey with you.