The Show Must Go On
Hello there. Is anyone even there? Well if you are and happen to be reading this, WELCOME! I started this “blog” a few years ago after a trip to St. John surrounded by (other) bloggers and influencers. Let’s just say I was inspired and influenced enough by them to create this domain. I’ve always kept my page active by means of paying the monthly fee; as you never know when you may have something important to say that requires larger real estate than a Facebook post or a 15-second Instagram story slot. Just some good old fashioned writing. Some call the art of writing therapeutic. Others just call it art. Currently I’m calling it:
I’m in quarantine due to a natural pandemic happening right now, and I’m running out of things to do.
Did I really just type that last sentence? Yes, yes I did.
Since quarantine started I’ve been doing my best to keep busy. I’ve already re-organized my junk drawer, washed my windows, touched up the paint on the walls and baseboards around my apartment, done numerous self portrait photo shoots, survived a 2-week case of Covid-19, sang and recorded multiple covers, cleaned out my fridge, took the Covid-19 antibody test and tested positive, finally got around to ordering a new pair of Warby Parker eye glasses after a 5-year old outdated prescription, re-purposed my 1950’s style built-in bathroom hamper as a toilet paper/paper towel storage unit, FaceTimed with friends a few times (but probably not enough), explored my city for the umpteenth time, and spent way too much money on Amazon. Oh the irony of overspending while being on unemployment. But YOLO.
I’d also like to say that my apartment has never been cleaner. This is all owed to the fact that I have had a lot of extra time on my hands, making room for detail type cleaning. Basically picture me on my hands and knees with a toothbrush scrubbing the floors. Ok that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not a complete embellishment. Also my plants are thriving. All twenty-seven of them. Now that is no exaggeration. They are pretty much my children. My apartment has recently and is still in the process of getting a bit of a makeover with each passing week. Just some small items to spruce up the joint. I mean I’ve never spent so much time staring at these four walls. Don’t I deserve a new view? I have some additional upcoming home projects on the horizon which includes cleaning out my closets, creating a chalkboard wall in my kitchen, installing new accent lighting, and shampooing my area rugs. These may seem like boring chores to some, but for me its fun tasks I’m looking forward to starting.
To be completely honest, I am doing well and enjoying this much needed downtime and alone time. Once I figured out my new norm and schedule for things like grocery shopping, at-home workouts, bedtime, morning snoozing, dinner time, chores, laundry, masked walks, and daily 7pm cheers for our hospital and healthcare workers—everything suddenly became manageable and my days started to have purpose again. I’ve accepted my new norm and will continue to do so, until I don’t have to anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things I miss. I miss hugging my nephews. I miss the gym. I miss dancing at the local bars. I miss retail shopping in person. I miss my bi-weekly haircuts. I miss work. I miss travel. I miss having 2020 goals that I probably would have actually completed. But life is full of surprises, twists, turns, and curve balls that continue to keep us on our toes and test us. Our survival skills are truly being put to work right now. It is important to always remind ourselves - we can only worry about the things in life we have control over; and have hopes and dreams for everything that is out of our hands.
I often say in life, things can always be worse. And trust me, they can be; and at times they will be. I also often say and truly live by the words “the show must go on.” Maybe not always as we planned, but hopefully in a way that will make us proud we didn’t give up. And hopefully in a way that will always be remembered…