Because I don't have any #HatofSummer items to specifically write about today I sat down without a clear idea of what I needed to write about. The only thing that comes to mind right now is the question What do you miss the most?
We are all experiencing severe disruptions in our daily routine. Even for those of you who are allowed to leave their house to perform essential jobs, the environment that you are entering into and the world you are traveling through must seem different and must provide you with some feeling of loss. I can only presume this because I've only left the house (not counting being in the yard or on the porch) twice in the last two weeks. But everything I am reading suggests that the world is very different. So, I presume that you are definitely missing things.
I am missing the variety of each day. (And my days were not that varied to begin with. Almost every working day consisted of me getting up early, making sure the kids were awake, getting ready for work, driving to the office and working, coming home for dinner, possibly participating in outside volunteer activities, relaxing a while, going to bed. Rinse and repeat with little meaningful variation for about two decades.
This stability is something that I definitely have prized. And I celebrate my life's consistency and the security of it. But even in its sameness, there were differences. The workday was always different. It may sound stupid, but lunch was always a complex diversion. And my life was always enlivened by what my kids were doing and what I could help them do in support roles.
All of that has been narrowed down to a very limited set of daily options. My job continues with little variation except for location. But daily food choices are not the same. And the kids are prevented from getting out in the world--so that eliminates that source of interaction for me as well.
I think that is why I enjoyed making last week's #HatofSummer videos--because it gave my brain a new thing to think about and a new perspective to consider. And that is why I enjoyed redecorating the basement--turning that old same hodgepodge of a room into something new and more intentional. These are all good things, so I need to find more of them. For example, participating in my church's various Live Streams are bittersweet, but they are enjoyable for putting a new twist on a familiar experience.
ANYWAY--what do you miss? Leave a comment describing what you want back. (And if you can explain why that elephant picture came up when I searched for "what do you miss?" I'd love to hear that as well. What is your best theory on that mystery?
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