Missing Quarantine

So, it’s been a year since quarantine chaos happened here in Indiana.

A year since social gatherings, work trips, sporting events, normal trips to the grocery store, all just halted without much warning.

And as life begins to adjust back to being busier and more filled with work than angst, I have found myself thinking: I actually miss quarantine.

Not all of it, certainly. Eating every single meal at home instead of going to a restaurant was annoying. Not being able to hold my friends’ baby was very lame. Having to cancel vacation travel plans just straight-up sucked.

But when I think back, I realize there were some lovely and peaceful things about those quarantine days.

Mostly this: there was very little expected of me.

I am a high expectations person. As in, I put a lot of pressure on myself to meet other people’s expectations for me. Once I have agreed to do something, you say “jump” and I say, “Absolutely. But what kind of jump? Here, I prepared a portfolio showcasing my different kinds of jumps. Let me know which you prefer and then we can discuss details like how high, how many jumps, etc.”

I live to make your dreams come true.

No, like, really. It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning (on the days when I’ve forgotten to preset the coffee pot.)

And I’m not mad about that.

But there was something completely delightful about living without those expectations for a while. No small talk at parties, no preparation for events, no “I have to be there at this time” worries. It was life under less pressure.

And I feel certain that there must be ways to integrate that into post-quarantine life. But I’m just now realizing that I miss it, so I haven’t yet had a chance to figure out what those ways are. So stop pressuring me, would you?! Gosh.

Ahem.

Do you miss anything from the more strict quarantine days? Or, if you’re still in strict quarantine days, what do you think you might miss later?