A Quarantine Reflection

Hi everyone! I have a bit of a different post to share today- a post-quarantine survey that I saw on Cupcakes and Cashmere. As of last Friday I am fully vaccinated, so it feels like we're almost out of this nightmare of a year. I know there's still a long way to go (particularly for people in other countries), but if I've learned something during this time it's that I'm ready to roll with the punches and not make any concrete plans.

For now- let's get to the questions and reflect a bit on the past year and what's coming next. I'd love to hear your answers as well!

Biggest Daydreams...

An image that embodies where you'd like to be this year? My goal in life in general is to explore as much as possible. I want to see and do a variety of things- getting to meet new and interesting people that are different than me- trying out new restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, parks and just enjoying life. Last year was all about staying in and embracing home life, but now I'm ready to break out!

Where's the first national/international trip you'd like to take? I'd love to visit a new state- there are still so many that I haven't been to! Getting to see another national park or check off another baseball stadium would be awesome too (whenever more fans are allowed at games). Internationally- there are a few amazing trips that we had to cancel last year (which I'll talk about below) so I would probably pick one of those, but I'm not in a rush to travel internationally until it's safer over there and the vaccine is available to more people.

What's your indoor post-pandemic fantasy? Having friends over for a wine and cheese tasting and also having weekly dates to watch the new season of Big Brother (my favorite summer reality show. Always more fun watching with others!)

Work goals for post-quarantine? I'm going to be working from home for good now, so my goal is to keeping connected with my coworkers and hopefully planning more virtual events! I did a bunch in the summer last year but they kind of tailed off after that, so hoping to get back to it.

Growth + Changes

What's one thing you "hated" pre-quarantine that you'd love to do now? One thing that I was really guilty of in the past is always having to fit in as much as possible when traveling or rushing through things. I can remember a few times that I missed out on some cool events (beautiful sunsets in Hawaii, encores at concerts, fireworks at Pirates games) just because I wanted to hurry up and do something else or get back to the hotel to rest. I don't know what I was rushing for, but I wish that I just relaxed a bit and enjoyed things that could be once in a lifetime. 

Any quarantine habits you plan to apply to post-quarantine? I've never been a person who keeps a schedule on a regular basis (or has routines in general) but this past year it's been nice to create those. I'm reading a book now that talks about willpower fatigue- the more decisions you have to make each day can lead to burnout when you need to make important or big decisions. So- the more things you can have regulated and not need to make a decision about the better, and this has made a huge change for me!

What's a skill you learned in quarantine you plan to continue post-quarantine? Painting! I took a watercolor class with a friend a few years ago at the community college but it was way too advanced for me (even though it was "intro" everyone in the class was very experienced so the teacher just let us free paint all the time and didn't give instruction). Since then I've been trying to teach myself how to paint and even opened an Etsy shop, and it's been such a fun hobby.

How did you grow and change over COVID, emotionally? I've realized that I don't need to have a million friends and plans every single day. It was hard to cut off some people that I realized weren't good for me, and now I'm trying to be more picky about who I am close with. Dan always tells me that you become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, and I want to make sure those 5 people all inspire me to be a better person.

Making Up for Lost Time

Any big travel plans that got canceled during quarantine? 2020 was supposed to be a big year for international travel for us- in April we had plans to go to France and Monaco, then September we were going to Oktoberfest in Munich followed by a train trip to Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. When numbers were starting to go down, we also booked a cheap flight to Japan for cherry blossom season a few months ago..which obviously got cancelled as well. As a positive- we saved a TON of money!

Any large event you missed in 2020 that you plan to make up for post-quarantine? We were planning on going to some tennis tournaments, which I'm sure we'll try for again in the future. There was also an amazing concert with John Williams planned for last summer that we missed!

Aside from eating indoors and seeing friends, what not-obvious indoor activity do you miss most? I would like to take some kind of art class again- I've been wanting to get into pottery or learn about another medium, and Zoom classes just aren't for me. I'm also hoping to learn another language or practice with other people in person!

Plans

Are you buying anything in anticipation of post-quarantine? Not sure if this counts as buying something, but I am planning on getting a haircut! I usually only get my hair cut once a year, and now it's been close to 2 years since my last one. It's getting way too long and unruly, so a cut is definitely needed.

Any concert plans? Not yet, but I'm hoping to catch some outdoor concerts. One of my favorite activity in past summers was going to a local park for free concerts on the weekend. It's so fun to bring some snacks and drinks and just relax while listening to amazing music! 

What is the one thing you're most excited for in 2021? Moving and exploring a new city!!