Carrie DURAN
The View From Here – Enjoy The View
“It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood” – as Mr. Rogers used to sing. Memories of childhood. Old TV shows. Happy days. Simpler days. Nostalgia can be pretty powerful. Can bring back all kinds of good feelings. It’s why I wear my Duran Duran t-shirt on a Feel Good Friday, and love to bake those old favourites on the not so good days just to cheer myself up. Like the tea biscuits my gramma used to make. I love making those. Warm out of the oven, with butter and jam. Mmmmmmmmm. The BEST.
I feel like these days when we reference the “old days” it’s before the pandemic. Remember the “old days” when we didn’t have to wear a mask and social distance and we actually went to work in an office? Remember when we went out to eat, or sat in a movie theatre? Remember when seeing a crowd didn’t create feelings of excitement AND anxiety in one breath? Remember when we complained about being too busy and having too much to do? Yeah, I miss the good old days too. Or at least I thought I did. Now I’m not so sure. I saw a picture/ meme online that said something about “I never realized how anti-social I was until a pandemic hit and my life didn’t really change”.
As more things open up, the more I feel like I don’t need things the way I used to think I did. I thought I would be racing to get a hair cut. I’m enjoying letting it grow. First time in my life in decades I haven’t had bangs. I’m not running to get the scrapbook stickers or happy planner stickers I always swore I needed. Nope. Still got drawers of them I haven’t used yet.
I’ve been back to work – in the office – for a week now. I thought it might be hard to go back, but it was actually really easy. Still a lot of people not IN the office, so it still feels empty. But it sure feels good to come back and sit at my old desk, with my rolling chair and awkward desk that I always seem to hit my shins on when I sit.
I think we need that routine, that structure. You know what I missed the most? The commute. Only 20 minutes, but those 20 minutes in the morning helped get me ready for the workday ahead. Whether it’s cranking the radio, and singing along, windows rolled down on the way to work or letting the quiet of the car ride home at the end of the workday help you sort through and process all that you did that day. It was the commute I have missed. The signal of the beginning of the work day and the end. A chance to unwind, distance yourself from the job. Hard to do when your workspace is in your home. At least I had my space separate in my craft room. Some people are still working at their kitchen table, anxious to get back to family dinners.
Are you back to work? Whether back to the office after working from home, or back to work after being laid off for the last year and a half? How are you adjusting? How are you feeling about everything right now?
What has changed for you in the last year? What have you realized you can do without? What is something you re-discovered about yourself? A hobby you got back into? How has this past year changed YOU?
On this Feel Good Friday, I realize that my perspective has changed a lot this year. I’ve learned to prioritize things that really matter.
What makes me Feel GOOD? Time with friends and family over time scrolling social media, hoping for some kind of connection. I’ve almost deleted my social media accounts entirely. No more following or friending people I don’t really know or who don’t know me. If this past year has taught me anything, is that is almost more lonely. And there can be so much negativity and judgement online. That stuff damages your spirit and soul. Protect your space.
What makes me feel good is listening to the music I grew up with. Duran Duran. 80’s music. Full albums. Dancing in the living room when the moment strikes. Laughing at yourself as you do it.
What makes me feel good is listening to podcasts that inspire. Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday is a good one.
I know the value of good health and have really invested in me this past year. Not always perfect. But knowing that only you can take care of you is pretty big. Not always giving in to cravings, or stress eating/ binging. That’s been a challenge.
I’m back to doing puzzles, and reading books and digging in my garden. Simple things.
I think what I’ve learned most of all this year is the value in the small things. Those every day moments. Put the phone down. Stop taking pictures of everything in the hopes of sharing it online and just BE in the moment. Really soak it all in. The beauty of the sunrise/ sunset. A bunny in the garden. Lots of bunnies, eating all your new veggies and plants. (smile) A deer playing in the field. Time just sitting and laughing/ singing/ dancing with your kids. Deep conversations. Living life in the moment, instead of for the purpose of posting it online. It changes how you see and feel things.
Change is in the air. Can you feel it? It feels like hope and change and progress.
