As I start to see some provinces opening back up I’m beginning to imagine what that will look like for Nova Scotia.
We were certainly hit the hardest among the Atlantic provinces but I really felt like it was handled the best we could with the resources we had. This was a new experience for everyone including our top doctors and politicians. I feel blessed to live in Canada through this whole experience.
Shameless Selfie in my back yard. Stay the Blazes home t-shirt made by Nova Trophy.
I don’t know what the next steps are going to look like but I decided to start looking at what the new normal may look like someday.
I decided to start a list of things that I’ve been enjoying:
Having time to work out in the morning: Not commuting 45 minutes to work everyday has allowed me time to work on my physical health. This has been a positive impact on me. I need to make sure this habit keeps up.
Working from home: My job didn’t really change by moving it home so the time savings has been worth its weight in gold. I can throw a load of laundry in on my break and the cat enjoys hanging out with me while I’m in the office. On really good days the rabbit will come in to join as well. Do I miss interacting with clients and other people face to face? Sure. But the positive impact has outweighed those little things. In the new normal I would love to have the opportunity to keep working from home- maybe not 5 days a week, but even a few days gives me back a lot of time.
Shopping for essentials through Farmers Market Channels: Grocery shopping became very unpleasant very fast. Thankfully there are lots of ways to avoid it I’ve found out. I’ve been using wfm2go.ca for my veggies, fruits and meats and I’m so happy with the experience I will never do my grocery shopping the same way again. Overall, yes, it’s probably more expensive but since the produce hasn’t traveled thousands of kilometres to get to me is LASTS. I love being able to keep kale and spinach in the fridge for almost 2 weeks. I’ve always loved supporting local and now I feel like my routine has made the full transition.
Having a little free time: I’ve completed projects that I expected to take years. I completed the painting in my kitchen and dining room months before I’d predicted. It’s been actually quite nice being home to get things around the house done. Even though I live alone I’ve rarely felt lonely since I am a naturally busy person. It’s been nice to have no other commitments, and no FOMO (fear of missing out) on the weekends. When this is all done I must remind myself it’s okay to just be home sometimes.
Not eating out all the time: I’ve been home since March. I’ve had McDonalds drive-thru 2 times. Before this all started I could be found in a drive-thru 3 times a week easily. This was the detox I needed. That along with the exercise shrank my bumps and squishies incredibly fast. Don’t get me wrong I’m no supermodel now but this was definitely the detox I needed.
Not using the dryer: Being home allows me do choose to do laundry on the nice days. I have not touched the dryer since this all started which is great for my energy bill, great for my clothes and great for the environment.
Low Credit Card Bills: Man… not filling your gas tank weekly adds up faaast. Like faaaaast. I was expecting things to stay around the same since my food bills are way up from cooking everyday, 3 times a day (at least). But nope. They are at 1/3 of the usual balance. I’m sure not feeling the need to shop for clothes and other unnecessary things is helping as well.
Don’t get me wrong, for the 7 positives there’s also many things I miss and can’t wait to get back. I think we all miss visiting family and friends without a doubt. I’ve also missed sitting down at a restaurant and laughing among strangers, thrift shopping (the thrill of the good find!!) along with bulk shopping and using my own bags in stores.. Those little things can’t come back fast enough in my opinion.
Now for the things I’ve realized I HATED about the “old normal” and don’t plan to integrate these into my new normal:
The hectic lifestyle: Why do I feel the need to be busy 16 hours a day? Beats me, but now that there’s simply not enough to do in a day for that anymore I’ve really enjoyed not being burnt out all the time (lol wow.. I rock..ugh)
Eating take-out 2-3 times per week: Comes paired with the hectic lifestyle and reeked havoc on my body. Real food, local food, much better! Don’t get me wrong I still want to sit my bottom in a nice restaurant as SOON as I can, but I hope the days of swallowing a burger like a seagull as I drive to my next commitment are over.
Big Box or Grocery Store shopping: Already wasn’t a fan of places like Wal-Mart. During this mess it is the LAST place I want to be. I haven’t needed anything from those sorts of places in months. Everything I NEED can be found locally.
