The Silver Lining
I’ve been spending a lot of time with my husband lately. We’ve both been working from home, eating at home, exercising at home, all things at & from home.
It’s interesting that I haven’t once felt trapped, like I thought I might, spending 24/7 with anyone (as I hear Dave reply “Hey! What the...?” as he reads that part). But the truth is that I’ve heard so many people say that they will come out of this confinement either drunk or divorced, and for a minute there, I worried. I may have stopped wearing a bra, stopped dying my hair & brows, and wondered if that might impact my marriage. (It hasn’t.)
I’ve never been home for long stretches, and wasn’t sure how it would feel. At the beginning, it felt like a knee to the gut, but as I surrendered, everything softened.
I’m almost surprised to say that it feels comforting. I love that my little pod is present for meals, midday conversations & passing through the house. And I’m equally happy that I spent so much time traveling these past few years. Hanging out in Malibu with my friends was a dream; time spent with my husband & son on the back patio of an Echo Park home was absolutely epic. I long to return to Charleston & walk down King Street, bike around Hilton Head & stay up late listening to waves crash along Ditch Plains. I can almost hear the sounds of crickets on cool September nights from the Owl’s Nest porch in Bovina. I look forward to visiting Yosemite when all this is over.
But for now, I’m really okay being here in the pause. Life isn’t about being busy or being successful, it’s about BEING. I’ll never regret extra time spent with the people I love & I’ll never take for granted the ease of witnessing an unmasked smile. We can be on both sides of this, gratitude and longing; we just have to remember that what’s happening now is part of our life, and we shouldn’t be sleeping on it. Let’s savor the good parts, even if they’re less than perfect.