March Flash-It: Staples

I think we’ve all been thinking about the staples of our lives as we’ve been finding the world smaller and smaller with the constrictions of virus.  Around here, we seem to have figured out the getting-supplies part of it.  Brent is working remotely and that gives a certain structure to his day.  T.R. works at the grocery store, so he is doing essential labor to keep us all alive.  I have my usual home tasks:  cooking, cleaning, laundry.  But I don’t have my usual work to anchor my day.

So:  what are the staples?

The good news is that I am always trying to figure out how to do all the necessary things.  I have a post-it note on my laptop with the four categories of things I need to get into each day:  body, mind, creation, and connection.  The first question is how to apply the principle to the new circumstances.

Body:  Because of my work, I am really blessed to be able to use this sequestered time to focus on my own fitness.  I have a spin bike and a studio full of weights and Pilates equipment.  I also have a dog who is, frankly, loving this whole thing because not only are all her people home, she gets extra walks when we can’t stand staying in the house any longer.  I already have a routine in place for getting up and getting my exercise done—I just have extra time to do more.  I’m adding the afternoon outing with Cricket for bonus points.  And, since I am constantly under-slept, I am letting go of all guilt about afternoon naps.

Mind:  That giant stockpile of books I have?  Its moment has come!  I’m making sure that I do some dedicated reading in the afternoons.

Creation:  I have too many projects going right now.  I want to make sure I do some writing in the morning when I am most able to pay attention, saving the crafts for evening when I enjoy the calm I get from knitting, stitching, or whatever.  I am unlikely to run out of things to do.

Connection:  This is the hard one.  Obviously, I get to spend more time with my family, which is lovely, but I miss my friends.  If I liked talking on the phone, this would be less of a problem, but I rely on my in-person interactions.  I’ll be working on this.

These four staples should help me keep my pages together over the next weeks.