12 Micro Celebrations & Pandemic Pick-Me-Ups
Last week, the SignUp team all jumped on a Zoom meeting to have lunch together – it’s good to see friendly faces. At one point, our conversation turned to what’s keeping us from losing it with the ongoing uncertainty everywhere. After all, this pandemic has been tough for everyone in big ways and small.
We have pretty diverse perspectives – young singles, parents of school-aged kids and even a mom-to-be. Here are a few of our small celebrations that help us lighten the load these days:
1. Living in Leggings. Remote work means the only one around to judge is a furry friend, so we are loving us some Lycra. See ya later, denim and all things needing ironing!
2. Touring with Teams. With custom backdrops for video calls, we can work from the beach, mountains or even Paris – or all three in a single week! Maybe surprise your attendees with an accent you’ve nailed down? ;)
3. Nurturing with Nature. Wide open spaces are encouraged these days and getting some greenery time refreshes the soul (if not the body in our 95˚ heat!). Go hop in the creek, get those toes in some sand somewhere – take in some deep breaths of sunshine!
4. Take-Out Tour. We haven’t abandoned our favorite feel-good comfort foods, but we’ve added some new contenders to the list as we’ve branched out. Order-in from that noodle place you’ve had your eye on the last year, try a different pizza joint to fix that marinara/cheese craving, explore your locally owned restaurants and help keep them open.
5. Buns and Beers. What better way to get some fresh air than to take it outside with a cold one and grill up the hot links? No need to stick with the usuals – Grill Master, seek out new recipes like grilled Mexican corn, grilled peaches or even grilled brie (mmmm, cheese…).
6. Checking Off To-Dos. That long list of to-dos has been chopped (thankfully). All those things like paint the spare bedroom, organize the kitchen cabinets, and cull your closet – accomplished. Call it DONE – and it feels so good!
7. Hobby Time! Whatever you’re into, you’ve finally had time to get into it! Is your herb garden growing? Did you macrame new plant hangers for every corner in the crib? Fixed up your motorcycle and are daydreaming about a cross country cruise one day? Good for you, indulge in your joy hobby!
8. Hosting (Virtual) Happy Hours. With Zoom to shrink distances, we’ve been able to hang out with friends we haven’t seen in years - cheers to that!
9. Braids and Beards. Ahhh, the bliss of skipping the morning rush to get ready under a time crunch filled with blow dryers, make-up and beard trimming – forget it! Here we are, reveling in fishtail braids or full-blown beards - see you soon soft curls and clean-cut jawlines, we’ll get to the groom game another time!
10. Our Pets are Feelin’ the Love. I swear my pug thinks I’m never leaving the house again, and he couldn’t be happier. Is your pet smothered in love and rotten these days too? I bet he is.
11. Connecting with Our Kids in NEW Ways. You thought you knew everything about them before – wants ketchup on everything, favorite color is blue, hates wearing socks, and is generally sassy. But over the last few months with more time together than ever, you have been able to slow down a bit and get to know them even better - those nature hikes, longer bedtime story stents and cookie baking catastrophes have made this quarantine feel connected.
12. Being a Good Neighbor. You used to wave to your next door neighbor, and now you’re waving to everyone in your hood! Whether you’re on more walks than ever before or you’ve been helping deliver groceries, your connection craving has been met right where you live. Want more inspiration for neighborhood networking at a distance? Check this article out.
With tough days behind us, we know we’ll make it through this marathon together! But make and take it easy on yourselves and the people you love – try something new this week to lighten the life load.
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