Riddle me this. How can you be late for telework??? Huh? How?

Well…teleworking is my new way of life. Well at least for the past two weeks and the month of April (and probably even the majority of May). So I finally wake up, wash my face and brush my teeth. Normal routine minus the makeup. No ironing required because my clothing of choice includes T-shirts, tights, and flip flops or fuzzy socks. Goal is to simply remember to put lotion on these feet. Sigh…this is my new normal.

This year, prior to the world shutting down, I changed my arrival time from 8:30am to 8:00am to support an early morning meeting. This was no easy task. My fellow mammas would agree. Gone are the days of 6:30am arrivals. I didn’t think I could ever make that 30 minutes adjustment a routine, but I did and actually started to like it.

But now, I can barely wake up on time for an 8:30 arrival to my office a whole room away. Did you catch that? Arriving at a HOME OFFICE and I’m still LATE! Who does that? Me! That’s who. Why is this happening, you wonder?

Sleeping patterns, that’s how. I’ve yet to make it to bed or to sleep before midnight. Honestly I can’t tell you why. At the beginning of this quarantine due to this virus that is now known as Covid-19, I went to bed at my regular time but then I’d awaken in the middle of the night with anxiety over everything seemingly falling apart around me.

After a few ugly cries and much prayer, my anxieties subsided but I began to fall asleep later and later. And it’s not just me, my kids have been falling victim to these late nights. Late nights equate to late mornings. I used to workout in the mornings. Late nights mean late mornings means no workouts. Sigh

Originally, I felt guilty for these changes or new habits. Now, I don’t. I refuse to beat myself up during this unprecedented time in our history that may NEVER happen again. So many are stressed and afraid. And rightfully so because so much has changed in such a short period of time.

For me and my family, my husband and I are both working from home. And I don’t know about anyone else but I’m working working!!! I was already busy at my physical job location and teleworking knocked it up a few more notches. I’m often exhausted when I “get off.” Coupled with this new work environment, I’m also the teacher and school administrator for the kids who are now home schooling. There is no wonder my hair is still on top of my head.

So why stress about not being able to workout consistently? Why worry about how my hair and nails look? Why worry about the house being messier than normal? At the end of each day, we are together. We have food to eat. Utilities and water are on. We are healthy. The kids are happy. For this one paragraph, many can’t say the same.

Before we get upset, we should think about those afflicted with this virus. Remember the 18,000 (over 2,000 just yesterday) lives lost thus far and many more to come. Jesus. Many have lost jobs. Many are intermittently fasting to preserve food, not because it’s a dieting fad. Many are taking care of the sick. Many are on the front line risking their own lives daily. Many leave their families to work at low paying jobs just to survive.

I have no complaints. This is my new normal. Despite the circumstances, I am blessed.

Thanks for your attention. Remember you are your own competition.

Competition of 1