It is time....

It has been almost two months since we shut the doors temporarily due to COVID-19, and it is time to reopen...on a limited basis, for now.

While our family was not touched directly by the virus, so many in the world have been, and keeping everyone safe was at the top of our minds. With a compromised immune system (Multiple Sclerosis and Alopecia), I needed to be precautious.

As someone who likes to keep an organized, scheduled routine, the change in my days initially threw me for a loop. What to do with the extra time at home? Relaxation was not on my idea list initially, but doing extra work around the house (ie. maid 'overtime') was. I felt that I had to be doing even more around the house, and that it would be wrong for me to sit down and chill out. And let me note, these thoughts are totally self-imposed and this is not a message I am given by my partner. He always tells me to take more time for me, to be more relaxed and not worry about doing everything 'in a New York minute'.

So, what to do?

I really didn't have many hobbies, which might surprise people. I might sell paint and use the paint to refinish furniture, but I by no means would call myself crafty (in a good way, lol).

Over the years, I have done various crafts - tole painting, sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet...the list goes on. But I usually overdo it and go nuts with a craft, doing so much of it that I burn myself out and stop creating.

Finding new things to do and creating a new routine has been challenging for me, but as we come to almost two months of stay-cation, I feel I have found a new rhythm. Returning to my old schedule may not completely happen. Hours may change, schedules may be altered.

The decision to reopen with limited hours as of May 19 (11am-3pm, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays - for now) was well-discussed and planned out. We know that things won't go back to busy right away, and that's okay. It's all okay...

"Amid crisis and disruption, we crave the calm of normality. But can we ever really define what 'normal' is?"

See you soon.

Angela