One Year

One year.  One year of work from home.  One year of loungewear, sleeping in, no makeup, glasses, messy hair, still no desk chair.  Of online workouts, studio closures, urban hikes, wine bottle weights, a 'roll out of bed' commute.  One year of zoom happy hours, zoom holidays, zoom classes, zoom meetings, zoom lectures, Facetime Fridays.  Of takeout dinners, homecooked meals, dusting off cookbooks, wiping down containers, masks, grocery store pick up.  One year of socially distanced porch drinks, glasses of wine on the roof, rainy backyard beers under a tent, outside wine by candlelight, staying home.  One year of learning, of reading, of dismantling, of listening, of protest.  Of missing family, missing friends, missing hugs, handshakes, smiles, touch.  Of missing out.  Of reconnecting and disconnecting, of letting go.  One year of bread baking, puzzle completing, Netflix bingeing, backyard hair cuts, sidewalk dance offs, drive-by birthday parades.  One year of anxiety, sadness, hopefulness, gratefulness, loneliness, boredom, shock, jealousy, guilt, numbness, all of it.  One whole year.

It's been A YEAR.  So many thoughts, so many emotions.  This is far from over, but there are some glimmers of hope on the horizon so I'll cheers to that {distantly, with a mask still firmly over my face}.

xoxo,

stephanie marie