DECORATING IN THE TIME OF COVID19

How are you doing with life in this pandemic?  

Life, seemingly overnight, went from meeting with clients, shopping and designing for clients and monthly social gatherings for food, design and crafts at my house; to meeting with clients and then binge watching Netflix or reruns with The Hubs on the sofa and the dog curled at our feet.  I enjoyed the fact that business seemed to speed up rather than shut down - more people spending more time at home = "Ugh...I really need to redo this room"... but I missed my friends.  I missed church.  I missed family gatherings.

I hate masks. 

Its not that I haven't been busy.  Taxes and the linen closet kept me busy awhile. The junk drawer is cleaned, the dresser for table linens is organized, the sideboard has been sorted and items selected for Goodwill. I've become adept at online shopping and gift buying.

I've made a list of the projects I want to complete over the next few months

it's very long

so I have a lot of things to occupy my time, provided I can get off the sofa.

(I may not actually be looking forward to cleaning out the garage.)

We feel grateful that Covid19 hasn't severely impacted us or our family. We are actually doing well. The Hubs and I enjoy each other's company, and my son keeps in touch via phone, text and the occasional lovely visit. The rioting around the nation is concerning and gives us more reason to spend more time at home with those we love. Keith retired a couple of years ago, but he misses working out at the gym. I haven't stopped working although business is done a little differently now - with masks, hand sanitizer, online shopping, social distancing and via Skype.

While I enjoy spending more time at home, I fear I'm not adjusting well to the new world in which we live. I believed spending more time at home meant I would have lots of time to be creative.  I thought I'd finish the decorating projects I'd put off in my own home and catch up on all those unfinished sewing, crafting projects sitting in the closet. I believed this could be a little gift of time for me - at last, time to do all the things that I'd put off until I had more free time.

I planned to sew masks.  I planned to catch up on the projects I didn't get to do last year...

Instead, I discovered I was waiting. Waiting for things to get back to normal. While snuggling on the couch and gardening and cleaning out drawers, I was mentally holding my breath. Beneath the busy work was stress I was ignoring. I wasn't worried I was going to become ill.  I was worried our lives in this pandemic would be our new norm and that they would be impacted forever - that we would always need masks and be afraid to touch each other.  I was worried about friends, family, neighbors and beyond - whose lives have been or could be severely altered by the disease or the economic downturn.

I worried we would all become hermits

(if you could have seen The Hubs' hair last month you would totally believe that)
and would never be able to go to a ball game, wedding, concert or gathering of friends again. 

Stress can totally stunt your creativity.
But, I want to change that.  I want to find ways to move forward in this pandemic. I know a lot of you need a project to keep you busy at home, or a creative outlet even if you are busy, and so do I.

Something that isn't cleaning.

Please.

I want to stop waiting for things to get back to 'normal'.

I'd love to know what projects you are planning/attempting/doing and how you are weathering the pandemic.

That's what the comment section is for - lets connect!

The times...they are a changing.