Quarantine: Love to Hate it, Hate to Love it
By Darien Davies
Admit it: We thought it was the end of the world when quarantine was first instated. Wait, what? You mean I have to stay inside and avoid all social contact with the outside world? Nope, hard pass.
Now that we’re (hopefully) out of the worst of coronavirus regulations and survived the Great COVID-19 Quarantine 2020, it’s easy to miss some of what we hated in the beginning. No driving, no socializing, no office work? Bring. Us. Back. So, while we might be getting readjusted to real life, it’s okay to daydream of your quarantine routine. The secret’s out: We all are.
Happy Hour at Whenever o’clock
One of the best parts about the quarantine and social distancing is that while there were so many rules and restrictions, there were none at home. Whether you were working no hours, fewer hours or remote hours, you didn’t have to wait until 5 p.m. to pop open your happy hour spirit of choice.
Champagne for breakfast? Why not. Beer with lunch? Don’t mind if I do. Creating drinking games for every #alonetogether commercial? Now we’re talking.
Business on the Top, Party on the Bottom
Zoom meetings became the hottest way to socially distance in the stay-at-home working world, like it or not. Even though meetings are still a waste of time regardless of the location, at least you didn’t have to be fully dressed to be present. Taking a nod to the “business in the front, party in the back” mullet trend, you’d be lying if you didn’t indulge in the dress shirt and tie on the top and boxers/bathing suit/who the hell cares on the bottom. Party on, Garth.
Bingeing Everything
Again, getting back to the “no rules” rule, the quarantine provided the opportunity for you to never have to say no to yourself. Food serving sizes held no weight, Netflix’s “Are you still watching?” inquiry became outrageously rude, and getting out of bed before noon was unnecessary.
You finally didn’t have to decide between going big or going home — you could finally go big because you were already home. An entire season of The Office, a personal pizza and yesterday’s pajamas? Yes, please, may I have another?
New Habits, New You
If you think about it, the last time you had complete control over managing every minute of your day might have been the summer between middle school and high school. Interestingly enough, the quarantine provided a great avenue for getting back to what you really like to do, or what you could do with more free time.
Whether this included a yoga routine, more reading from no work commute, learning a new language or finally starting that business thanks to newfound energy, you were afforded a clock reset for a few weeks. It doesn’t matter if you used it wisely or not because you used it exactly how you wanted or needed to, so kudos to you. Who knows; maybe drinking hot English tea and watching your dog sleep will become an Olympic sport one day.
To Do or Not To Do
For once in our lives, we didn’t have to make any excuses. Gone are the days of avoiding meeting up with friends for weekend drinks or not meeting your workout partner for hot yoga because your car has a flat tire. Since nobody was able to socialize, so you could do exactly what you wanted, for as much or as little time as you wanted. You could partake in all the Houseparty virtual happy hours your heart desired, or you could skip them entirely. There was no shame in your “no” game, and it was finally socially acceptable.
Quarantining Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
One certain way to test your relationship would be to spend 24/7 together. COVID-19 might have been the catalyst for making or breaking relationships all over the world, for better or for worse. For those who grew together, it was a time to see how two heads worked better than one, in both personal and professional ways.
This could include sharing the chores more evenly, cooking together because now you were both home at the same time, or both helping with homeschooling (or at least sharing the bottle of whiskey in the adults-only time-out closet). It might not have always been lovely, but it was love.
Now that we’re starting to head back into the real world, it’s always important to be thankful for what we have and what we had. Sure, having more alone time and being able to drive yourself around again is great, but let’s not forget about the ride or dies that helped us through the thick of quarantine. Jammies, Netflix, sofa, bed, books, Wi-Fi, food delivery services, YouTube and other saving graces: You will never be taken for granted.
