There are so many things I miss right now. My son and my siblings who live in Connecticut, traveling, and eating in restaurants to name just a few. There are other things that I don’t miss like my 45-minute commute. But after reading A Zoom Life of Lazy Luxury, I started to think about what I’ll miss after the pandemic is over.
My Short Commute
I love the extra time it puts into my day–almost 2 hours. It’s crazy to think that a 6-mile drive would take 30 to 45 minutes, but it does in Orlando. I could lessen it if I wanted to pay three dollars in tolls each day, but I’d only reduce it by about 5 minutes. Not worth it.
Crazy time, especially considering that for 25 years I used to commute only 5 to 15 minutes to work. And that 15-minute drive was when I lived in a different town. I both live and work in Orlando. When I first moved here my friend Jess told me to get used to the fact that everything was a 45-minute drive. She didn’t lie.
The almost 2 hours of extra time each day allowed me to take up crocheting. I’m not great at it, but I’m getting better, especially since I keep making the same thing over and over again: scarves and flowers. We’ll see where it goes from here, but it’s something that I wouldn’t have started without the extra time.
Shopping in Empty Stores
Except for now with the crazy Christmas shopping people appear to be doing, whenever I went to a store, it’s been near empty. And except for a couple of a-holes, everyone has been masked up. (And please, don’t try to tell me that people without masks probably had asthma or other breathing issues and couldn’t walk and stay masked at the same time. If they had real breathing problems, they wouldn’t even be out during this pandemic.)
I hate shopping in crowded stores so this has been a big hit for me. I even got to enjoy a day in Disney Springs that was relatively crowd-free. So nice. The key is to go on a weekday, not on the weekends…so yes, I took a vacation day for it.
All Day with my Husband
I will miss spending all day with my husband. Maybe some don’t like spending all day, every day with their spouses, but we love it. When we first got together, we were living in a 2 bedroom condo with my son. Then we moved in with my mother. When we moved to Florida we were by ourselves, but we had jobs that worked opposite hours. So we rarely saw each other except for 2 hours a day and maybe one day on the weekend if we were lucky.
Then the pandemic hit and my husband, who was a banquet chef, was laid off and my company sent their employees home to work. So there we were, alone in the house together for hours on end for the first time since we’ve been married. And we loved it.
We chat, he makes me my lunch each day, and we even get to go to sleep at the same time each day. Bliss.
Sure, it was a little tight financially, especially considering Florida’s erratic unemployment system but it was so satisfying for us on an emotional level. Sadly, next week, all of that ends when Chris starts his new job as a Sous Chef at an assisted living facility. It’s the perfect job for him, but the commute will be long. And I’ll be working from home alone—without my personal chef to make lunch for me. 🙁
How about you? What will you miss when this is all over? And for the record, as soon as I can get the vaccine, I’ll be there with bells on!
I will miss having my husband home. It’s been wonderful spending each day together.
I’m happy for your husband’s new job–though commutes like that are a bear. I will also miss driving less, once the pandemic is over, and we’re back to regularly-scheduled school and sports and all the kids’ activities that have me driving so much.
I love that ten dollars is about all that we spend on gas right now!
I am with people a lot, so when we hit the shut down in April and the Governor ordered everyone to stay at home, I loved it. It was like getting permission to stay home. That is a selfish but true statement. I know it was hard for many people and I was still working from home, but it felt good to stay put. I know how hard it was for the economy and I wish the governors had just said, every company is essential, go do what you need to and then stay home. Would it have made a difference. I am not sure there is anything I will miss when this is over. I think that the pandemic has forced us to think outside the box, to look at things differently. Although we do not usually eat out a lot, we try to order take out 2-4 times a month to support our local restaurants. I am not always sure we can afford it, but we want those restaurants to be open when all is said and done. Small town, only mom and pop restaurants, no chains. My daughter lives, well I shouldn’t say where, but about an hour from Orlando and worked there until COVID. Whenever I read your posts, I feel closer to her. Go figure! Merry Christmas and holiday blessings, Michele
I’m so glad that reading my posts makes you feel closer to your daughter. We try to support local restaurants and finally found after almost two years here, the best (so far) Asian restaurant. It’s such a relief after trying one disappointing place after another that had been recommended to us.
I like your twist the pandemic and the positives… It hasn’t been all bad
So true.
This is such a wonderful, positive way to look on a challenging era. I especially like how you love spending time with your husband. That’s a lovely compliment and I’m sure he feels the same.
Thanks, Laurie. After getting anxious over not being able to go out like we used to, I think I settled into contentment with what we did have.
I hope that we’ll be able to get back to normal next year. Dr. Fauci says the end of 2021, but so much is unknown about covid-19 we’ll just have to wait and see.
thanks for the mention of my blog post! I miss seeing the kids and grandkids. I miss travel, day trips as well as visiting far-flung places. And I miss sitting in a restaurant, enjoying the atmosphere, and being served. I have never been an avid socializer, but do miss hanging out with friends. and I miss live theater.
I miss all of those things (except I don’t have grandchildren) but there will be those things that I will miss once life returns to a more “normal” version. Chief among them will be the time spent with my husband…and that starts today when I see him off to his new job.