It’s been two weeks since I’ve blogged last. In those two weeks, life has slowed down to a crawl. My husband started working full-time from home a week ago Monday, and last Thursday I helped my housemate bring home his computer system from work so he could continue to work from home. My routine has changed to getting up in the morning, checking the news, tuning out from the news, watching a press conference, baking, eating, and watching Gilmore Girls.
Strangely enough, my anxiety has calmed during this crazy time. There is nothing to do in this time except for being in the moment. When the thought occurs that should plant some seeds now, so we have fresh veggies in the next few weeks, I dig up some soil from the backyard. When the thought occurs to inventory the pantry and use up things that have been sitting in my fridge, I do that. When my body aches to move, I join the Planet Fitness live broadcast.
It’s interesting to think about this self-isolation as a way of reconnecting with our values – what do we miss when we can’t have it? What do we really need to have?
When I grew up, we lived 30 miles from the nearest supermarket and Wal-mart. We went to town once every three weeks. That was the time to get new books from the library, stock up on groceries, and make sure we had all the supplies we needed for the next three weeks. While this way of life was isolating, intentionally by an abusive parent, we never went hungry. Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without. That was the motto. And excellent preparation for the COVID-19 epidemic.
It’s interesting to reflect. I asked my partner the question “what does our FI life look like to you?” Immediately, his mind went to travel. I pushed back “But our day to day FI life? Do we still live in our home? Do we still have a dog? What’s different aside from the fact that we don’t have to go to the office?” The closest thing we could come to was that we would sit on our porch in the morning more, savoring hot beverages.
I’ve been catching up on Jillian Johnsrud’s Everyday Courage Podcast. Episode 6: Get Unstuck from a Mediocre Life has haunted me since I heard it. She said to identify those things in your life that are just okay, a 6 on a 1 to 10 scale from Terrible to Amazing, and work to improve them. It’s very aligned with my initial concept for value engineering. What I’m concerned about is that my partner and I are stuck at 4s in so many areas, and we’ve accepted that as good enough. Maybe this social distancing will give us the space and energy to question that process.
The other thing that I am very aware of in this time is the need to limit news and social media. I’ve been averaging six hours on my phone in the last week (down 8% from the previous week!). In response, I’ve made this little beauty: A Time Out Box
Inside is a powerstrip that’s plugged into the wall. I carefully cut a hole through the back to thread the cord through. Then, I plugged in our chargers. At periods throughout the day, but especially in the evenings, our phones go in the box.
Just two days ago, our phones were in the box, and my husband and I were cuddled on the couch, trying to choose what board game to play. My husband says “This is what I want our FI life to be like. How can we have more moments like this?” The only thing different about that evening? No phones.