Smile-breaks
What we took for granted
Sitting at home in the rain, not going to lunch with my sister, not sitting at Starbucks typing my column, not meeting my friend for coffee—the virus touches us all. The Coronavirus disrupts our ordinary and not-so-ordinary lives. Not so much disrupts it as slows it down to an almost full stop. No, I don't have the virus but like all of you, I'm taking precautions and staying home more than usual.
What we took for granted suddenly looms large before us. A movie now and then, a few dinners out, meeting with our book club, dashing out to the store, coming and going freely here and there. . . Suddenly it's home we're faced with for hours on end, which brings a new realization: home is where the heart is; home is where we're most comfortable; home is what we've taken for granted.
At home there's no one to impress; no one to cut in front of us in line; no one to envy because she looks so beautiful and put-together and here I am in my jeans and t-shirt and that nasty cowlick sticking up, or how come he's my age and has no pot belly and I can't get rid of mine for the life of me.
Sitting at home, no one cares how we look. If someone jumps in front of us at the refrigerator, well, just yell at them and grab the door when they turn around to see what the fuss is about. Smile as you take that leftover piece of birthday cake out for yourself. At home we can be ourselves, be that good or bad it's comfortable.
Never realized how comfy your favorite chair to watch TV in is. Never realized how convenient to be able to grab your slippers or go out to where your exercise torture instruments are and put in a few minutes of pound-losing activity.
Home sweet home takes on new meaning as we wait out this pandemic, isolated physically but so very much together in spirit.
