It’s the start of week ten at home and oddly enough, I am still surprised by what each day brings. As a person who thrives on routine and organization, there hasn’t been much of either these past two and a half months. I am finding myself doing things I swore I’d never do — or at least never do again since I started my self-improvement journey nearly two years ago. But here we are, living #myquarantinedlife, and apparently “Never say never” is my new motto.
Not sure what I mean? Allow me to illustrate with a brief list of eight things I never thought I’d do:
- Save run-off cooking fat. My grandmother used to save bacon grease in an old coffee can and I never understood why. Now, channeling my inner-Jeanne Dewey, I’m instructing my teenage son to pour the excess ghee from the frying pan (before anything goes in it) into a glass jar. I have no idea what I’ll do with it once the jar is full, but that stuff is as expensive AF — Plus, he was pouring it down the drain before and that needed to stop.
- Buy a bidet toilet seat. I know I’ve mentioned this before in parts I, II, and III of this blog mini-series (can you tell I love this thing!), but I’m telling you, this invention is LIFE CHANGING! Seriously, buy one now.
- Bake homemade bagels. I bake, but as a New Yorker first and a gluten-free girl second, this never crossed my mind. But after seeing all those two-ingredient bagel recipes posted on social media, I succumbed to the peer pressure and did it. The result? Let’s just say that was a one-and-done experiment. #nybagelsnobslivehere
- Make my own detergent. Okay, this one isn’t so far-fetched (since I’ve been cleaning up all my toxic chemicals over the past year and have really stepped up my detox game, thanks to my mercury poisoning diagnosis January), but it still feels a little Amish-like.
- Dye my own hair (again). I’ve learned from past mistakes just how bad I am at doing it myself. Not only did I waste time and money, the color was always off, I always missed spots in the back, and I ruined a few towels in the process. But after nine weeks of trying to ignore gray roots that were reaching the two-inch mark, I bit the bullet. Thanks to my rockstar hairdresser who dropped off my color last week with detailed instructions, I no longer look like Cruella deVil. I actually feel human again!
- Walk. So much walking! And given that I live in a part of the world without sidewalks, this can be a dangerous endeavor sometimes. But it really does lift my mood (guess all those scientists were right about the positive effects of vitamin D). Plus, I’ve been using that time to call girlfriends and get a break from my #quarantinefour. Win-win.
- Miss going out. As an introvert and a homebody, staying in is my jam. But I did like going to some places — like Whole Foods, Wegmans, and the gym. Sigh, … I miss those places.
- Sleep in! For the past year and a half, I was a die-hard 4AM-riser in order to get to the gym by 5. But once the gym closed and my body got a taste of sleeping in, it has rejected those pre-dawn hours. Once the world opens up again, going back is going to be hard!
I guess the expression, “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” is befitting for my new way of life. Honestly, I’m kind of winging it over here, doing whatever I can to make it through the uncertainty with my sanity in tact. If this #lockdownlife has taught me anything, it’s to never say never again … because you just never know.
-LJDT
