Stuff I Want To Do When This Is All Over

I don’t know about you, but I am already getting anxious to return to a semblance of “normal.” After just two weeks of being forced to stay at home and having every obligation cancelled, I MISS being busy.

1. Make human contact. I am an extrovert and an empath… I NEED people. It is absolutely bizarre to me that my husband is the only person I can interact with… not that I don’t appreciate him. I miss enjoying tea with my friends before work. I miss causal conversation. I miss hugs. I miss going places. I just miss people.
2. See my family. I never thought I would see the day when my mom told me NOT to come home… but here we are. I can’t wait to just hang out with everyone, laugh together, and eventually be annoyed by each other.
3. Sing with my students. Yes, it is work… and sometimes it is miserable. However, I miss seeing their faces. I miss hearing them raise their voices in song together. I miss listening to them laugh and then sharing an encouraging word with them. I just want to have the chance to say goodbye before this school year ends.
4. Share a pint with friends. Beer and friends are two of my favorite things. Whether we head to Third Wheel or just sit in the yard with a bonfire, I want to hang out and laugh with people I love.
5. Compete in a race. I am exercising as much as I can right now. However, I need a race to motivate me to work hard. I need the competitive feeling of being surrounded by a crowd pushing me on. I need the camaraderie that the race community brings. Fitness is much better together.
6. Eat in a restaurant. I have a long list of St. Louis restaurants I still want to try. I love discovering new food and supporting local chefs. I like spending date night in a cozy spot with my husband… that I don’t have to clean when we are finished eating.
7. Go to church. I mean, watching church on TV is just weird. I know it’s something… but it’s not working for me. Corporate worship is important.
8. Lay on the beach. Cold margarita. Trash book. Soothing waves. Sun on my face.
9. Go to a movie. It’s one of our favorite Saturday morning activities. I love the smell of the popcorn, the recliners, and the giant screen. There are a lot of good movies to be watched this summer.
10. Wander around Target aimlessly. I want to sip a chai latte and push my cart around with no specific agenda, buying a bunch of crap I don’t need. (And I want to see a store that has a full aisle of toilet paper!)
11. Go to the zoo. St. Louis has one of the finest zoos around. Beautiful scenery. Cute animals. Good exercise. I had the great idea of buying my husband a zoo pass (and a bunch of other local experiences) for Christmas that I really want to use.
12. Get a pedicure. My feet are sad and ugly. I want to sit in that lovely massage chair and have someone polish my piggies since sandal season is quickly approaching.
13. Fill my planner with actual plans. I have a Passion Planner. I color code it and fill it with stickers. I carry it with me everywhere I go. It is therapy for me. The fact that it is lying mostly empty (except for my daily quarantine diary) is killing me.
14. Celebrate. My husband’s new job. Cinco de Mayo. Record Store Day. Comic Book Day. Anything at all where people have a common purpose, are dressed up, and having fun together.
15. Go to the farmer’s market. I want to enjoy the spring temperatures, visit food trucks, and buy fresh meat and produce to make tasty meals at home. I want to buy fresh flowers and enjoy the sun on my face while talking to local growers.
16. Stand on Main Street USA and shamelessly weep through fireworks. My beautiful Disney World has been closed for so long… and will stay that way till who knows when. I just want to have the hope that I am going back and can listen to Jordan Fisher sing to me while watching the floating lanterns rise on the castle’s surface.
17. Sit inside a coffee shop. It’s my quiet space. I want to smell the coffee, listen to the hum of the espresso machines, lively conversation, and soft jazz music while sitting at a table reading a book or grading papers… alone, but not alone.
18. Go shopping. I want to talk to the sales staff about trends and try on new things. I want to admire the displays and mentally debate about what I really want to buy. I want to touch the fabrics and see the way they catch the light. I want to have something to blog about.
19. Have choices. Do I want to go somewhere today? What do I want to cover in class this week? Where do we want to go on our long weekend? I want to have the freedom to decide, instead of being forced into a Pinky and the Brain way of life. “What are we going to do tonight, Brain?” “Same thing we do every night, Pinky.”
20. Stop being afraid. I want to be able to turn on the TV or log into social and not be told that the sky is falling. I want to be near a person and not be afraid of endangering each other. I want to know that it’s not the end of the world… and feel fine.