Inspired by this blog idea by a lifestyle blog I follow, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 5 things I miss, 5 things I don’t miss, and 5 things I’m grateful for right now. As hard as it has been to concentrate during this weird time, I do want to document what life is like in quarantine because of COVID019, as of May 2020.

5 Things I Miss

• My friends and family – I miss being able to see, visit with, and hug my friends and family. I miss spontaneous happy hours and making plans to meet up. I miss my people! 
• My work family – I truly miss interacting with the people I work with in person. I miss catching up on the weekend in the office common area. I miss our team gatherings for holidays and celebrations. I miss my actual office. I really miss visiting schools and interacting with students. I miss non-virtual school.
• Traveling – I miss the vacation I didn’t get to take in March. I miss the concerts that I was going to travel to this summer that have already been cancelled. I miss planning a vacation and anticipating the countdown until travel day. I miss the adventure of traveling to new places with my friends or family. I can’t wait to plan a future vacation!
• Eating in restaurants – I love eating, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss this simple pleasure. I miss my regular catch up times with friends in restaurants. Those were less about the food and more about the companionship, but they go hand in hand. And I do miss some of my favorite places!
• Non-mask, normal life – I miss being able to walk out of my house, get in my car, and drive anywhere I want, without worrying about my mask, my cleaning wipes, whether the place I need to go is open, and how long the social distancing line will be when I get there. I miss going for walks on the beach (that is technically allowed now, but you can’t park near there and it’s a crowded mess that I’m currently avoiding!). I miss reading for hours on end just for the simple joy of it. I miss the old ways.

5 Things I Don’t Miss

• My commute – I think I have filled my gas tank once or twice in the last 2.5 months. As much as I miss my work life, I don’t miss the daily commute. I don’t miss all the time I spent in my car, in traffic. 
• The 5 AM alarm – During my pre-quarantine life, my alarm went off at 5 AM every day for the last few decades.  This was so I could work out at home (on my treadmill) in the morning before the work commute.  Now that I’m walking in my neighborhood after work each evening, and my “office” is ten steps from my bed, the alarm time has definitely gotten later.
• Errands – I’ve never been a person who enjoyed running around town doing a lot of errands, but I have spent many a Saturday doing just that. Considering I’ve only been to a grocery store about 4-5 times since this all began (plus some CVS runs), I can’t even remember what all those errands used to be for. By simplifying life, I find I need a lot less “stuff” on a regular basis.
• Crowds – I have always been an introvert. I prefer small groups of people I know, above large crowds of strangers any day. Living alone has always been great for me because of this. I still like living alone, though I do miss more daily interaction with other humans (the cats only provide so much support!). I do not miss having to deal with large crowds when shopping, at random events, or just out and about in regular life.
• Mindlessness – I’m so much more aware, so much more mindful, right now. I realize how much of my life was done on autopilot before. Going through the motions, not considering where I was or how I was feeling, just doing what came next. I don’t miss that feeling, where you are always busy but never doing anything that matters. I feel more purposeful in my actions right now.

5 Things I Am Grateful For

• My job  – I’m so grateful that I still have a job, that not only do I collect a salary and have healthcare, but that I am able to work safely from home.  I may not enjoy many aspects of working from home, but I’m grateful it’s an option.
• Health – I’m grateful that my family and friends are healthy, and have been able to remain so during this time. I know that isn’t a given as we continue to open up more around the country.
• Neighborhood walks – I continue to be grateful that this time has forced me to explore my own neighborhood. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to do this in the company of my brother, with whom I haven’t spent this much time since we lived together! I love all the new canyons we have found, and all the fun we’ve had exploring new areas.
• Photo prompts – As I mentioned in Happiness Hashtags, I’m enjoying daily photo prompts by Susannah Conway.  We finished up #aprillove2020 and moved right into #maymoments2020. I love the challenge of finding a good picture to match the day’s prompt, and seeing how others interpret each prompt. Instagram is fun entertainment!
• Technology – As much as technology can be a pain, what would this time be like without it? I couldn’t work from home, I couldn’t “see” my friends, family, or colleagues. I couldn’t take pictures or share them with others. I couldn’t order from store remotely or get anything delivered. I couldn’t catch up on old seasons of new-to-me shows. I couldn’t find new books to read. I couldn’t listen to music or podcasts. Technology has it’s problems, but I’m grateful for all it brings into my life.