the announcement came…shelter in place was taking place in the bay area…it would be for a little while…or so we thought…hard to believe…that it has now been a year…exactly a year ago, today…sometimes when i think back on the year…i feel it has gone by so so fast…and at the same time…it has been the longest year…ever…
when the pandemic hit…and shelter in place happened…while i knew it was serious…i truly thought it would be over in a few weeks…maybe a month…and so i buckled down…and took that time to relax…stay home…do all the things i didn’t have time to do when i was busy working…and living life…
but let’s be honest here…i ended up not doing much of anything…maybe it was the shock…maybe it was the “too much time on my hand”…maybe it was the realization that because i had so much time on my hands…i could relax a bit…take a load off…
and that is what i did…i cooked…i gardened…it was great…for a short while…
but then reality set in…and i realized that this was not going away any time soon…
it’s funny how a complete halt to your life changes your perspective to what is important…to what is a priority…and to what we give time to…
as the months progressed…my wardrobe became non-existent…what does one wear while at home…with no where to go? my go-to shoe? slippers of course…comfy & cozy was my comfort…
my only outing was to go to the grocery store…and that was about once a week…sometimes once every two weeks…i tried to stay in as much as possible…and when i finally did venture out…it was in my sneaks…jeans or leggings…what was the point of dressing up?
my accessories for the year were limited to wearing a mask…at first i only had a few…this pandemic would be over soon…i thought…but as time went on…my “new” accessory of the year…grew into many…
as the months went by…i added to my activities…lots of reading…lots of puzzles…this one by far was the hardest and most fun…
for those of you that know me…you know my love of color…so this puzzle was very challenging…but so beautiful when finally finished…
reality started setting in when my hair needed coloring…my acrylic nails needed attention…so i did what everyone else was doing…i let my nails go…my roots…well that i just couldn’t let go…so i re-touched my hair for the first time ever…by myself…
in the big picture…these are all really non essential problems…truth is…this year has been tough…i along with so many others…lost several family members…lost several good friends…and lost clients…not all to covid…but none the less…it still hit hard…when you couldn’t be there for funeral services…or hospital visits…at last count a total of 14 people…gone from my life…in one year…
if i’ve learned anything this year…it is what is important…something i feel i’ve always known and appreciated…and was thankful for…but moreso now than ever…family, friends, togetherness, health…
i’ve missed the simple things…going out with family & friends, get togethers…and for someone who absolutely loves her work…i’ve missed my one on ones with clients…shopping for them, creating outfits for them…
hopefully soon…we will resume back to normal life…or a new normal…at least a more safe and open normal…
i do know…that for a good long while…as i was only grocery shopping…my wardrobe changed drastically…i didn’t care what i was wearing…and what i realized is how much it ended up affecting my moods…so that is something i have made a conscious effort to change…i mean it’s what i do for others…and while we are still not really going places…your clothing affects your mood…and while i’m not wearing heels…or my dressy clothes…making an effort is helping me get back to normal…my new normal…
how has this year changed your wardrobe needs? do you make an effort to get “dressed”? do share in the comments…i’d love to hear how the pandemic has changed or hasn’t changed your wardrobe needs…
most importantly…i hope you are finding your new normal…
till next time…
elena
xo
