July 28, 2020: The New Normal
"Are we back to normal again?"
I heard my father-in-law, Larry (aka Old Guy), asking Garrett this as I laid in bed.
Garrett was performing his morning ritual of coffee bean grinding before brewing our morning specialty coffee. This was after he had read and stretched, all while I was still thinking about waking up. Through the crack in the door, I could see Larry sitting, feet up, in his favorite sofa spot. Jake, my step-son, was noisily filling his large water jug for a day in the sun at his summer job.
This clanging of ice at 7 am along with the permeating coffee aroma and Larry's shuffling have been my morning wake-up routine of recent times.
With my delivered cup of hot java, I hear the sounds of the morning; the garage door opening with Garrett taking Jake to work and the percolating of Larry's own coffee of choice, Folgers, in his Mister Coffee machine. His own pot to drink through the morning while enjoying his latest book.
Yes, Larry, I think we are back to normal again.
Last weekend was a fun one. Garrett, an avid cyclist, had a group of friends in town to take on the beautiful Colorado terrain on mountain bikes. They came from Utah, Virginia, and northern Colorado. With most enjoying RV living and one staying with us, the guys took on the mountains by day, dodging monsoon storms, and then by night planning their next adventure.
Larry knew most of the cycling crew as many have been long-time friends of Garrett. Our nights included grilling out in our backyard and dinner in Downtown Durango. With company not our typical norm these days, the weekend fury was definitely a twist from our routine.
The guys have logged in many years of biking together. But this round brought new twists with masks, social distancing and a year of canceled biking events. Who would have thought a year ago that their summer of biking would look like this?
Here we are, a year later, with new lifestyles that none of us saw coming. The common question when leaving the house has gone from "did you remember to lock the door?" to "did you remember your mask?". We have adapted. The best days have been those where we embrace what we have, rather than complaining about what has been taken away.
Discussing our life in Durango with one of Garrett's biking friends, it became very clear to me what brings us the most joy. Although our lives have changed with closed libraries, many restrictions, and little travel, what is most important really comes down to our relationships.
I explained to him that although where we live, what we do, and how we do it has changed, I now have more contact and time with my close family (husband, father-in-law, sons, stepson, parents, brothers, niece, aunts...) then ever before. Whether living together, or taking advantage of just being a FaceTime or Zoom call away, increased time with my close circle has made life more enriching.
"I just miss when my parents would call me on my birthday each year. They always said the same thing.... "You were born on the hottest day of the year, Mary. And there was no air conditioning in the hospital!" I loved getting that call. It was the highlight of my birthday. I really miss talking to them."
Hearing my mom recount this phone call with a warm smile made me feel especially thankful for sharing her birthday with her and with her granddaughter; three generations of girl-power filled with laughs and life. It made me even more thankful for my conversations with Larry later that night on good books rather than complaining about the local library not being open. We may have more restrictions, but we also have more downtime. Quality time is a great way to fill it.
This morning we resumed our usual routine as our cycling crew all headed back to their respective homes. Silver Sneakers was on my calendar in it's typical Tuesday time slot. Garrett, Jake and I are back to work. Larry has started a new book (found it on his book shelf and good enough to read a second time). Tonight will be back to my cooking with a quiet dinner at our little table, full of conversation. Hot tub with the hubby is likely and an episode or two of Cheers for all of us is highly likely too.
Yes, Larry, today we are back to normal. I foresee a great day ahead. What will tomorrow bring? Who knows. But I am confident we will figure it out as we go along.
With my delivered cup of hot java, I hear the sounds of the morning; the garage door opening with Garrett taking Jake to work and the percolating of Larry's own coffee of choice, Folgers, in his Mister Coffee machine. His own pot to drink through the morning while enjoying his latest book.
Yes, Larry, I think we are back to normal again.
Last weekend was a fun one. Garrett, an avid cyclist, had a group of friends in town to take on the beautiful Colorado terrain on mountain bikes. They came from Utah, Virginia, and northern Colorado. With most enjoying RV living and one staying with us, the guys took on the mountains by day, dodging monsoon storms, and then by night planning their next adventure.
The guys have logged in many years of biking together. But this round brought new twists with masks, social distancing and a year of canceled biking events. Who would have thought a year ago that their summer of biking would look like this?
We are all adjusting to our new normal with COVID. It's so strange for the world to change so suddenly. But the reality is that the world as we know it changes every day. Some changes are to a greater degree than others, but typically not as unforeseen as the pandemic implications.
A year ago I was perfectly happy in Boise enjoying frequent Happy Hours and daily downtown dog-walking, while Larry was entertaining himself with porch time in Indiana. Now we live together in the mountains in Durango. Together. This wasn't on our radar a year ago. My seventeen year-old stepson didn't foresee being held up in his Manhattan apartment with his junior year ending with on-line school and then moving in with us for the summer by May. What used to draw looks of confusion when Garrett and I would explain our remote work-from-home arrangements is now the new working norm in America.
Here we are, a year later, with new lifestyles that none of us saw coming. The common question when leaving the house has gone from "did you remember to lock the door?" to "did you remember your mask?". We have adapted. The best days have been those where we embrace what we have, rather than complaining about what has been taken away.
Discussing our life in Durango with one of Garrett's biking friends, it became very clear to me what brings us the most joy. Although our lives have changed with closed libraries, many restrictions, and little travel, what is most important really comes down to our relationships.
I explained to him that although where we live, what we do, and how we do it has changed, I now have more contact and time with my close family (husband, father-in-law, sons, stepson, parents, brothers, niece, aunts...) then ever before. Whether living together, or taking advantage of just being a FaceTime or Zoom call away, increased time with my close circle has made life more enriching.
From Larry chatting with me over a glass of wine as I cook each night, to the bits of time I spend with Jake in the kitchen, I fondly remember my own sons at his age and all my years of cooking for my family. Garrett and my nightly talks in the hot tub (coined our board meetings) have replaced our numerous date nights in years past at fun new restaurants and breweries. None of these new moments of today would be considered 'Instagram worthy', but they are our life. Our real.
I recently read a quote. "Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling." There is a lot truth in this. How we respond to what each day has to offer matters a lot.
Three times a week I am treated to a Silver Sneakers Zoom workout session led by my mom and with my niece, Ky. We religiously stick to our Zoom workouts while covering three states: Arizona, Nebraska and Colorado. If one of us has a conflict, we discuss in a group text to find an alternative time. We love these sessions, both from a health standpoint and sharing daily life with each other. From discussing favorite family recipes to updates on our ordinary days, we cherish our virtual time together.
Three times a week I am treated to a Silver Sneakers Zoom workout session led by my mom and with my niece, Ky. We religiously stick to our Zoom workouts while covering three states: Arizona, Nebraska and Colorado. If one of us has a conflict, we discuss in a group text to find an alternative time. We love these sessions, both from a health standpoint and sharing daily life with each other. From discussing favorite family recipes to updates on our ordinary days, we cherish our virtual time together.
Our standing Silver Sneakers workout landed on Mom's recent birthday. While we were doing bicep curls (Mom kept counting out loud to keep us on track), I asked her about birthdays to date. Which was her favorite and why? Without much reflection, Mom knew her answer.
"I just miss when my parents would call me on my birthday each year. They always said the same thing.... "You were born on the hottest day of the year, Mary. And there was no air conditioning in the hospital!" I loved getting that call. It was the highlight of my birthday. I really miss talking to them."
Hearing my mom recount this phone call with a warm smile made me feel especially thankful for sharing her birthday with her and with her granddaughter; three generations of girl-power filled with laughs and life. It made me even more thankful for my conversations with Larry later that night on good books rather than complaining about the local library not being open. We may have more restrictions, but we also have more downtime. Quality time is a great way to fill it.
This morning we resumed our usual routine as our cycling crew all headed back to their respective homes. Silver Sneakers was on my calendar in it's typical Tuesday time slot. Garrett, Jake and I are back to work. Larry has started a new book (found it on his book shelf and good enough to read a second time). Tonight will be back to my cooking with a quiet dinner at our little table, full of conversation. Hot tub with the hubby is likely and an episode or two of Cheers for all of us is highly likely too.
Yes, Larry, today we are back to normal. I foresee a great day ahead. What will tomorrow bring? Who knows. But I am confident we will figure it out as we go along.
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| Morning routine |
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| Dinner time! |
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