Finding my Pandemic Motivation...

I know that there are a lot of people out there whose day-to-day during this pandemic has only been affected by the fact that they no longer have to put on proper pants and commute.  This has not been my experience and it has not been the experience of many of the women in my circle.  I move in a circle of entrepreneurs and gig workers.  There is a lot of fear and wheel-spinning in my circles as we sit at home taking care of children who should be in school and try to ponder our next big move.
Personally, I have found myself mostly paralyzed by it all.  I know that I should be taking full advantage of this time.  Typically, my google calendar is a colorful collage of coordination that requires constant analysis.  These days, there is a tidy “POSTPONED” typed before every entry and I’m blessed with an abundance of time.
SO what do you suppose I’ve been doing with all of that time?  I’ve been home for a week already.  I’d love to report that each and every day, I go for a run, do some yoga, make healthy homemade meals, clean the house, write a novel and compose a sonata.  The reality is that so far I quickly forgot what day it was and possibly found the ‘end’ of bingeable shows on the internet while subsisting on nachos and jelly beans.

I DID go for several lengthy walks with the dog so I did get some exercise and some sunshine.  And I DID do some reading which is something I haven’t done in a long time.  Did you know that the Japanese have a word – Tsundoku?  It means acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in your home without reading them.  This is absolutely what I do.  I love bookstores.  I LOVE books.  I love to own them, to touch them and smell them and look at them but I’ve gotten out of the habit of actually reading them.  But over the course of an entire week with nothing to do, I have only finished one book and accomplished little else.

This week will be different.  This morning I got up and went for a socially distant sunrise walk with a friend, had my breakfast and am already at the kitchen table writing and it isn’t even 9 am.  I’ve made a list of things to do.  Some of these things are drudgery (let’s not talk about the state of my basement….) and some will be pleasant.  It turns out that I have a piano in my living room!  I know!  It was a surprise to my dog too!  I opened the keyboard and literally blew the dust and cat hair off of it a couple of days ago and spent 45 minutes trying to remind my fingers that I once sorta knew how to play.  The dog was very concerned.  There was a lot of whining and shaking happening on the couch on the other side of the room as she tried to work out why that piece of furniture over there was making noise!
So – on my list, I’ve included a return to a lot of things that I either haven’t done in a very long time or that I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the time.

• I will play the piano
• I will learn to play the guitar that is under my bed that I literally have never touched.  Did you know that Fender is offering 3 months of free online instruction right now?  What a waste to ignore that!
• I will begin to learn to speak Spanish so that the next time I have a week long retreat in Mexico, I can converse with the resort’s delightful staff in their language instead of mine.
• I will read.  Novels.  And inspiring non-fiction (should we talk about my Glennon Doyle addiction?)
• I will bake.  Have you ever tried to make croissants?  Not.  Easy.  What a great time to perfect!
• I will sew.  I have so many half started projects in my basement…where to start?

I say all of these things ‘out loud’ on the internet so that I feel like I’ve made a commitment to someone besides myself.  The hope is that this will make me accountable and I won’t sink back into the couch with a remote control in my hand.
What have you always wanted to learn or to do?  No time like the present!  If you are at home trying to work and homeschool your kids…I recognize my privilege and I tip my hat to you.  Go get ‘em sister!  

But if you’re like me, alone in your home and starting to talk to the houseplants…tell me, what new thing will you try this week?  Or what old thing will you return to?