Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

Monthly Recap | September 2020

Happy October! It’s starting to actually feel a bit like fall around here—and by “a bit like fall,” I mean it was 83 degrees at noon yesterday and that felt DOWNRIGHT PLEASANT. We take what we can get here. 🙂 Today, I’m recapping September in terms of books, podcasts, TV shows, and more. Enjoy!

READING

I read 12 books in September, bringing my yearly total to 116 books. This will definitely be my highest reading year yet! (This time last year, I was at 101 books and the year before that, 103.) My top three reads from September were:

WATCHING

  • Cheer (Netflix) – I finally watched this Netflix documentary and I enjoyed it so much! I did competitive cheerleading when I was younger and this brought back so many great memories. I fell in love with all of the cheerleaders (ugh, let’s not get started about Jerry, though. I am so disappointed!) and their stories. And man, I was so impressed by the athleticism of these cheerleaders, especially the girls who are just being tossed up in their air like rag dolls again and again and again. I would definitely recommend this documentary!
  • Getting Organized with The Home Edit (Netflix) – I’m not a huge fan of The Home Edit, but I started watching their Netflix show for something easy and fun to watch during my move. And it was exactly what I needed! While Clea could most definitely get on my nerves (Joanna is a saint for putting up with her), I loved watching all of these dysfunctional spaces become beautifully organized. Are there issues with the show? You bet! But when I needed something calming and easy to watch, this truly fit the bill.
  • Big Brother (CBS) – I’m still trucking along with Big Brother, even though this season has been a massive disappointment. I don’t even have a favorite (maybe Tyler?), which is unheard of for me at this point in the season. Blah.

LISTENING TO

  • All American: Tiger Woods – This podcast is all about the rise and fall and comeback of Tiger Woods. He’s such a compelling athlete, from being a black athlete in a majorly white sport to his sex scandal and fall from grace. I’m really enjoying it! I believe this podcast is going to be looking at all kinds of athletes, going deep on their beginnings and scandals and all that jazz, and I’m looking forward to who they’ll profile after Tiger.
  • Childhood with Chanel and Tiffany – When I heard that Chanel Miller (author of Know My Name) started a podcast with her sister, I knew I wanted to listen to it. Chanel is known for speaking out about really hard topics, and this podcast is the opposite of that. Instead, it’s just Chanel and Tiffany giggling together and discussing their childhood memories. It is goodness and light and hope, and I highly recommend it!
  • Kids on the Case on Criminal – Oh, my heavens! I have never enjoyed a podcast episode so much! Phoebe talks to a handful of kids (ages 10 to 16, I think?) about some of the cases they’ve solved, such as finding an Alzheimer’s patient who got lost. It is so lovely and made me tear up about the sweetness and kindness of children.

BUYING

  • Laptop stand + wireless keyboard ($56) – Chalk this up to a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it’s one that has made my work life so much better. It makes it easier to type and look at my screen with everything tilted in a much more ergonomically pleasing manner. My posture is so much better, too, surprisingly! (Or maybe not so surprisingly?!)
  • IKEA dresser ($150) – One of my new purchases for my apartment was a new dresser. My old one was falling apart with many of the drawers difficult to open, so I took a trip to IKEA one afternoon to check out their dressers and loved this style. It was a beast to put together, but it’s a nice little addition to my bedroom!
  • Desk ($285) – I couldn’t help myself, you guys. I am so tired of working from my tiny desk and bought the desk I linked to last week. My mom and stepdad are coming over tomorrow to help me put it together since it’s huge and not a one-person job. I’m looking forward to being able to work from a much nicer desk soon! (And let’s face it: the cats need more space to sleep on my desk. They barely have room for it right now! Hehe.)

Highlights

> Moving. This was indeed the highlight of my month and I am so happy to be in my new place. It is so much bigger and I feel so much less cramped. The move itself went fine, although moving to a third-floor apartment with no elevator in 100-degree heat was no fun at all. I’m slowly settling in and creating a little home for me and my cats, and I’m just so grateful I was able to make this happen.

> The return of reading dates. My friend, A., and I used to have regular reading dates where we would find a coffee shop or outside locale and just read. Of course, we would spend a good amount of time catching up but then set a time for 45 minutes and sit quietly, reading. Well, our last reading date was in JANUARY! The pandemic really threw a wrench in our plans. This month brought the return of reading dates. We met up at a park downtown and had a nice view of the water. We spent more time talking than reading, haha, but we had a lot to catch up on! We’re hoping to make these reading dates more of a regular thing—especially with the weather cooling down!

> NFL football. I am so glad football is back! I needed this in my life, mostly because it meant spending all of Sunday with my mom, brother, and older nephew. The NFL has implemented somewhat strict COVID protocols, but I am so annoyed by the mask-wearing by the coaches! It doesn’t work if you don’t wear your mask correctly, dudes! Ugh. Other than that, I’m enjoying the season, even if it is weird to see empty stadiums. (They have piped in fake crowd noise so it doesn’t feel totally silent aside from game noise, but it’s definitely weird.)

> My election assignment. I was so excited to get my polling assignment for the upcoming general election. It’s going to be an interesting election (seriously wondering if we’ll have Trump supporters trying to “watch” our precinct as he has been instructing them to do, ugh). I’m glad to be able to do my part and help ensure a fair and free election. And let this be your reminder that as long as you are at the right precinct, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE. Always! You can vote by provisional ballot even if your voter registration has been challenged. Please do not leave without voting, even if you’re being hassled.

> All of the birthdays. It was a month of birthdays in September! My brother turned 34 and my nephew turned 12, and we celebrated with cookie cake, presents, and football. My stepdad also had a birthday at the end of the month. And I got to surprise my friend B for her birthday with a bunch of my other friends, which was a delight! It was a good month of celebrating my people, is what I’m saying.

> Pup-sitting Chip. My mom and stepdad went on a little vacation for his birthday, which meant I was on Chip duty! It was so nice to have one-on-one time with him and to be able to enjoy their backyard. I didn’t go in the pool but loved being able to dip my legs in the water while watching Chip run around the backyard (and reading my book outside! So nice!)

Categories: Life

Settling In

Hi, friends! I am writing this post from my little office nook in my new apartment and my heart is so full. I missed this space last week, but it was definitely necessary to get away because my week off was busy! There was so much to do between getting everything moved over to the new place and cleaning the old place—throw in the start of the NFL season, a birthday surprise, and a massage and whew. I’d like another week of vacation, please!

The move itself went well. I started moving things over on Thursday, Sept. 10th, did the bulk of the moving on Saturday, and finished up by Thursday. Having a full week to move everything over was so helpful, especially moving to a third-floor apartment (with no elevator). I had to take a break to catch my breath and bring my heart rate down after bringing up every box! My new workout goal is to be able to walk up the stairs without losing my breath. Whew.

I moved most of the boxes and odds-and-ends myself, but my brother and mother came over on Saturday to help. My brother moved all of my furniture, which amounted to a sofa, bookshelf, bed, desk, and cat tree. My mom helped move a ton of boxes and bags of books, and also helped me with getting the girls in their carrier to take them to the new place!

Speaking of the girls, they have been acclimating to the new place wonderfully! I brought them over on Saturday afternoon, and they both hid under the sofa for a few hours before Ellie started venturing out in small bits. First, she only came out to rub against my leg and meow loudly at me but as the day went on, she started exploring her new digs and even slept on the bed with me on Saturday night (our first night in the new place). Lila came out at night and I could hear her exploring but she would scurry back under the couch if I gave her any attention. But she’s gotten braver as each day passes and seems to be enjoying the new place! I was definitely worried about the transition, but they handled it beautifully.

As for how I’m handling the transition, I am doing well. 🙂 I started having anxiety on Thursday evening when I was unpacking a box in my new apartment—I just felt out of sorts. The new place didn’t feel like home but neither did my old apartment. I also experienced a lot of anxiety on Friday and Saturday but it went away by Sunday. I think it helped to have the girls at the apartment and Ellie needing extra love. And now this new place is starting to feel like home! I’m so very happy to be here and I can’t wait to continue to make it homey and inviting.

What I love about this apartment is how spacious it is. I like that I can have my own little office nook that doesn’t interfere too much with the look of the living room. I love the updated kitchen, all the closet space, and that the girls still have their window ledges to explore the world from.

I was disappointed to find out that my room doesn’t have a ceiling fan, so I bought a cheap one from Wal-Mart and the maintenance department will hopefully install it this week. I also feel like something’s up with the AC because it’s not nearly as cold as I’d like it to be. I have to keep the AC set at 70 degrees at night just to keep things comfortable! That seems… extreme, you know? So, we’ll see if anything is up. A ceiling fan should help, but damn am I nervous about what my electric bill is going to look like this month. Eeks!

It was so nice to take the week off work last week, too. I haven’t taken any serious time off (other than a day of PTO here and there, but I’d usually log into work to check email on those days) since December. It was much needed. My brain needed the break. I used my time wisely, going over to the old apartment for a few hours every morning to clean and bring back little odds and ends that hadn’t been moved over (like my two big boxes of Christmas decorations, suitcases, my Crock-Pot, etc). I finished up on Thursday, which was my goal so I could spend Friday truly relaxing.

There’s still a lot to do to make my new apartment feel like home. I have lots of things to hang and eventually, I want to buy a bigger desk, invest in a cozy sectional, and get a bigger area rug. The truth is, I don’t know how long I’m going to be in this apartment. It may just be a landing place for a year or two, or it might be where I stay until I’ve saved up enough for a down payment on a house. But I’m glad I’m here. I’m glad I made the decision to move. And I can’t wait to take you all on a much more detailed apartment tour when everything is ready!

Categories: Life

August Recap

I remember how excited I was when August began, and how quickly I wanted it to pass because I’m just sooo anxious for my move! And, whew, August did not let me down in how quickly it passed. I can’t believe we’re in September and I’m just days away from my move. Eeks!

Before I get too excited about this month and all the fun changes it is going to bring, let’s discuss August!

READING

I read 12 books in August and hit 100 books! It’s looking more and more likely that I could cross that elusive goal of reading 150 books this year. We shall see! Here are my top three books from August:

WATCHING

  • The Floor Is Lava (Netflix) – This game show is completely ridiculous, but I loved every second of it, haha. I miss crazy game shows like this! The basics of this show is that people have to make their way across a room, jumping on tables and couches and other random objects to do so. All of these objects are surrounded by lava so if they miscalculate a jump, they could easily fall in and thus, they’re out of the game. So fun!
  • The Baby-Sitter’s Club (Netflix) – I finished season 1 (and I’m praying so hard for a season 2). I loved every second of this series and the changes they made to make it more diverse and inclusive. Give this one a watch, for sure!
  • Golden Girls, season 4 (Hulu) – Still working my way through Golden Girls and I love spending a few evenings a week with these ladies.
  • The West Wing (Netflix) – I’m still on season 1 of The West Wing as I only watch one episode a week. Still thoroughly enjoying it, although I find the way the characters talk to the president to be highly unbelievable (it almost feels disrespectful?? Hmm).
  • Big Brother 22 (CBS) – YASSSS. The only show I watch in real time is baaack. I was so thrilled when CBS announced they were going to do an all-stars season, and curious how it was all going to happen with COVID. The contestants went under a two-week quarantine before the show began and I’m pretty sure they get regular COVID testing while in the Big Brother house (but don’t quote me on that). Happy to have this super fun reality show back in my life!

LISTENING TO

  • Folklore by Taylor Swift – I have been listening to Taylor’s new album here and there, usually when I’m driving around, so I have only listened to it all the way through once. I didn’t fall immediately in love with it during my first listen as I did for Lover, but as I’m relistening, I’m realizing just how much I love this album and its quieter style.
  • Rob Has a Podcast – One of the reasons I am so behind on my podcast queue is that I started listening to Big Brother episode recaps from Rob Has a Podcast. Each recap is at least 90 minutes long and with three episodes a week, that’s, well, a lot of listening time! But it’s been fun to follow along with the RHAP team this season.
  • Behind the Bastards – I added this podcast to my feed this month and I’m currently working my way through the archives. Each episode is about an hour long, discussing a bad person from history and some of the bizarre factoids of their lives.

BUYING

  • Dining room table ($400) – I already mentioned this last week, but I bought a dining room table for my new place! My new dining room won’t be terribly large so I didn’t want something that would take up the whole space and I think this cute set will be perfect.
  • Bath containers (3 @ $20/each) – I love these containers so much that I now have four (my mom gave me one that she had but never used). They operate on a lazy Susan and are rather large so they can fit a lot of stuff into one container. I have two that I use for all my cleaning supplies and two I use in my bathroom.
  • Plunger ($15) – Such a boring adult purchase, but necessary. Earlier this month, my toilet clogged and I had to call the emergency maintenance line to have it fixed immediately. All he had to do was plunge it, and I decided I needed to get my own plunger so I didn’t have to worry about calling for such a simple request! Since I bought this plunger, I’ve had to plunge my toilet twice so I guess it was a good purchase!

MOMENTS

  • I went on a nice long walk around a nature preserve on a Sunday morning and it was exactly what my soul needed. An hour to be in nature, move my body, and listen to a podcast was perfect.

  • I celebrated seven years at my job! I can’t believe I’ve been there for so long. It’s nice to feel like one of the “OGs” of my department, though, and I’m thinking about ways to expand my role and open new avenues of growth for me. I had my annual review with my manager and director, which went wonderful, and they seemed keen on the ideas I proposed for growing my role.
  • I went to poll worker training! I learned so much and I’m looking forward to helping out in November’s election. (Quick note: Being a poll worker is not a volunteer position. I thought it was, but it is actually a paid position!)

  • All that said, I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a standby poll worker. I had so much anxiety waiting to be called in! And of course, I did: This is not the best scenario for someone with social anxiety. I didn’t know if I was going to be called in, where I would be working, who I would be working with, what I would be doing. I went through the training and read the manual and watched the videos, but actually WORKING at a precinct is an entirely different ballgame. My stomach was in knots while I waited and it took at least three days afterward before the anxiety fully left my system. (I’m even feeling anxious as I write this bullet point and remember how I felt!) I didn’t sleep well and was super distracted all week. So, next time around, I’d like to just be assigned to a precinct. I can’t do the waiting game again!
  • A dear friend sent me the coziest cat blanket for my new place (but of course, I’m already using it – how can I not?) I love it so much!

  • Kamala was announced as Biden’s VP pick and I couldn’t be happier about it! No, Biden is not my first choice (Kamala wasn’t either) but none of that matters. Our country is in crisis and Trump has shown time and again that he doesn’t have what it takes to be president. We need someone who is, and that someone is Biden.
  • My mom and stepdad officially moved into their house this month, finishing all of their pre-move tasks in the nick of time. 🙂 To celebrate, we had game night with my brother and older nephew! So fun!

  • I met up with some friends at a local park one evening, which was so lovely and filled up my cup! Officially, it was our ten-year book club anniversary but with everything going on, we just met for a picnic and chit-chat!
  • One of the sweeter moments of August was discovering that Lila will allow me to hold her now! She used to stick her ears back and get out her claws the minute I tried to pick her up, but she’s grown comfortable enough with me that she’ll let me hold her and snuggle her. It makes me so happy! (Now, if she would only let me administer her flea/heartworm medication, sigh. It’s a topical treatment and she fights me so hard on it!)
Categories: Life

Seven Things I Learned During Poll Worker Training

A few weekends ago, I attended poll worker training! I have wanted to find a way to get involved in politics (rather than ranting about issues to friends and listening to my liberal podcasts, heh), and becoming a poll worker seemed like a pretty good idea. After all, there will be a shortage of poll workers this year with COVID-19, considering many poll workers are older and more at risk for complications if they get the virus. I thought that becoming a poll worker would be a good way to get involved and provide a service for my community.

Let me tell you, my head was spinning after the three-hour training I attended. There is so much more to being a poll worker than I ever expected—so many checklists to follow and processes to know. It’s a big job, when you think about it, as poll workers are in charge of helping to make sure people can vote their ballot and getting that ballot to the proper elections office so it can be counted.

Here’s what I learned while going through this training:

1) A poll worker’s main job is to make sure no voter leaves without casting a ballot. Maybe not all poll workers operate this way, but they should. This point was particularly hammered home in my training that anyone who comes to a polling precinct to vote shouldn’t leave without voting (unless they’re at the wrong precinct). This is the duty of the poll worker, to help facilitate the voting process, and that’s what every poll worker should want to do. I realize that I have the privilege of being a white voter so I am not disenfranchised at the polls in the way BIPOC are, but I wanted to begin with this statement because no poll worker should limit a voter’s right to vote. Period, end of story.

2) You can vote without ID. I knew a little about provisional ballots before my training, but not much. A provisional ballot is a ballot that isn’t cast until questions regarding the voter’s eligibility are resolved. For example, if you don’t bring your ID with you to vote, you can still vote via provisional ballot! You should not be excluded from voting just because you do not have a specific form of identification. Voter ID laws are inherently discriminatory, but that’s a discussion for another day.

3) You can vote even if the poll worker says you can’t. This is another instance of being able to vote via provisional ballot. There are certainly cases in which a poll worker may tell you that you cannot vote. Perhaps the system shows that you already voted or your name isn’t showing up in the system as an eligible voter. There are also instances where a person’s voting eligibility is challenged, either by another person or a poll worker. In every case, you can still vote by provisional ballot. Don’t leave the polling site without voting your provisional ballot! (And no, this doesn’t mean someone is about to vote twice, if the system shows they already voted and then they also vote a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot will be spoiled if there is clear evidence that the voter did already vote.)

4) You can ask for another ballot if you make a mistake. This was brand new information to me! I didn’t know that I was legally allowed to ask for another ballot (up to two times) if I made a mistake on my ballot. I always thought that the ballot I was given was my ONE AND ONLY BALLOT DO NOT MESS THIS UP. Apparently, I didn’t need to be so precious about it. 😉

5) Every polling place has an ADA-compliant voting machine for individuals with disabilities, and you can also ask a poll worker to help. I had never wondered about what the voting process is like for someone with a disability, which just speaks to my own able-bodied privilege. How goddamn privileged to not have to wonder about ADA compliance! Every precinct has an ADA-compliant voting machine for people with disabilities and in my county, we use the AutoMARK machine that allows for voting via audio ballot, using a Braille touchpad, and using a sip/puff tube. Another option is to ask a poll worker to help. In this scenario, two poll workers of different parties will come with you to the voting booth and help you vote your ballot.

6) Every poll worker has a specific job. I mean, perhaps I knew about this somewhat but it was really interesting to learn about all the different positions and how they function. First, there’s the clerk and assistant clerk (I trained to be an AC). The clerk is the head honcho and the AC helps them out. The clerk handles any of the more complicated cases (i.e., the voter doesn’t have ID, the voter isn’t in the system, etc.) and deals with the provisional ballots. Then, there are four other positions:

  • Deputy – This is the person who greets you at the door and directs you to where you need to go. They also handle putting up election signs outside and taking them down, as well as maintaining order outside the precinct.
  • Inspector – Once you’re inside the polling precinct, you’ll go to the inspector who checks you in and gives you a voting pass. If they can’t check you in for some reason, you will be sent to the clerk.
  • Ballot distribution manager – After getting checked in, you’ll be directed to the BDM who will take your voting pass and then provide you with the correct ballot based on that ticket. If you mess up your ballot, you’ll see the BDM to get a new one. Before the polls open, the BDM has to count up all the ballots the precinct has received and note that on a specific audit sheet. Then, after the polls have closed, the BDM has to count up the number of ballots remaining and subtract that number from the number of ballots originally received and then cross-reference that with how many ballots were submitted into the voting machine. The number of ballots submitted + the number of ballots left = number of original ballots. Make sense?
  • Machine manager – This individual makes sure all of the ballots are correctly read by the voting machine. They are not allowed to look at the ballots (even if they have to rescue it from getting jammed). At the end of the night, the MM is the one who delivers all of the ballots that were fed into the machine to the election office.

7) The poll workers work looooong days. I was astounded to learn how long a poll worker’s day is! Poll workers must arrive at the precinct by 5:30AM to begin the set-up process and are legally not allowed to leave until the polls close at 7pm—but their day isn’t done then! Not only do they have to stay open until everyone who was in line when the polls closed has voted, but then they have to complete the closing procedures. For a small, local election, the poll workers are probably only there for an hour after the polls closed. But for a big election, like a presidential election? They’re probably there for hours after the polls close. (Not only that, some of the poll workers also have to take ballots and paperwork and precinct equipment to the appropriate location after they officially close the polling location.) WHEW! So, the next time you see a story about people waiting in line to vote way past 7pm, remember the poll workers. They have been working for almost 15 hours at that point, and their day isn’t even close to done.

In the end, I didn’t get called to be a poll worker for our local August 18th primary. Well, I did but when I got to the polling location, the clerk didn’t have anything for me to do and sent me home, lol. I’m glad I went to this training and learned more about the voting process from the “inside.” It gives me a deeper appreciation for our poll workers and voting as a whole.

Categories: Life

The Coronavirus Diaries | Update #12

It’s been a month since my last coronavirus update. In that time, not much has changed here in Florida. Case numbers have been steadily decreasing and we had our first day of cases under 3,000 on Monday. (The last time that happened was June 17.) We haven’t hit the 10,000 mark since August 1 (9,642 – close enough to 10,000 that I’m counting it), but things might change drastically once school is back in session. However, we’re steadily catching up to California in terms of deaths—this week, we passed the horrifying milestone of 10,000 COVID-19 deaths in Florida. When will things get better? Surely not while Trump is in office, which is why I lay awake at night, terrified that he will be re-elected.

Since my last update, I’ve done a few curbside library pickups and also had a vet appointment for Eloise—two things that went way differently than pre-COVID times.

  • Curbside library pickups – Six weeks after placing my books on hold, I finally got an alert from my library that most of them were ready for pickup! Yay! I called the library and scheduled an appointment for a Wednesday afternoon and it was busy when I got to the main library branch. The line of cars snaked all the way out onto the road! But it moved quickly. When it was my turn, I put on my mask, dropped off a few books I’ve had since early March, and then gave my name to the librarian waiting just inside the door. She was masked and gloved, found my books, set them in a container, and then used a stick to push the container over to me. It felt very apocalyptic, I have to say, but whatever it takes to keep librarians safe is fine by me! There are now three libraries open for curbside pickup near me and processing times are getting much faster, so hooray!
  • Vet appointment for Eloise – When I arrived at the vet, I parked and called the office to let them know I was there. A vet tech came out (I wore my mask when interacting with her) and took Eloise into the vet’s office while I stayed in my car. After 10 minutes or so, the vet called me directly to tell me that Eloise was lookin’ good, at a perfect weight, and had gotten her shots. Then the vet tech came back out and placed Eloise’s carrier back in the car and had me pay outside. And that was that!

I’ve recognized that I fall somewhere in the middle in terms of risk aversion. Since I am not high-risk, I find myself more at ease with going places like restaurants and Target. But I’m also not throwing all caution to the wind—I try to stick to restaurants that have large outdoor patios and I stay away from crowded spaces. I prefer going out for lunch to going out for dinner since it’s less crowded. You won’t see me at a theme park or on an airplane anytime soon.

It’s probably because my county has a mask mandate that I feel more comfortable being out and about. If we didn’t have that in place, I would be much more cautious about where I’m going. I do wonder about the moral implications of going to a restaurant, though. Am I putting the waitstaff in danger by being there? Obviously, if I was feeling ill at all (even if it wasn’t COVID!), I would stay home but I could also be asymptomatic, unknowingly spreading the virus to at-risk waitstaff. Masks are only required when walking around the restaurant—once I sit down, I can take it off. Then again, since our government isn’t doing anything to protect these workers, they need to work. They need people in their restaurants. The best I can do is limit my time at the restaurant and leave a big tip.

Two things I’ve been grappling with are going back to the gym and getting a massage. I really miss having a gym to break up my workout routine, but everything I’ve read advises against going to the gym. Plus, my gym is really small and I doubt anyone is wearing masks while they work out, so it doesn’t seem like a good plan. I really need to cancel my membership, though. I don’t know when I’ll feel comfortable being at a gym again!

But oh, do I want a massage. My body has been craving one, especially for my lower back and butt. I deal with sciatica nerve pain and a massage really helps to relieve the tension, but I don’t know if I “should” get a massage. I would wear a mask, of course, and my massage center has announced very strict sanitization policies. I’m less concerned about getting the virus if I go get a massage and more concerned about passing it along to my massage therapist. Maybe I should get tested before going, just to be on the safe side?

So many decisions these days feel more charged because there are moral implications to everything we do. And it’s really easy to judge the decisions other people are making—I know I am definitely guilty of that. But we’re all trying to do the best we can and what feels right for our situation. (Well, most of us are. I feel just fine judging anyone who is anti-mask.)

I am fatigued by this pandemic. I miss my friends. I miss traveling. I miss being out in public without a mask. I miss quick trips to my nearby library. I miss getting regular pedicures and massages. I miss normalcy. I don’t know when normalcy will return. What it will even look like when it does return.

But I try not to think about the past or even the future too much. It just makes me panicky. I have to stay anchored in the present, live in this moment, and let the future meet me when it’s here.