I admit that I have been daydreaming about escaping. Are you doing the same? I guess it is not so much as an escape as it is a return to my previous routines.
I suspect that these quarantine times and restrictions have changed my routine and I never realized how comforting it was to have that routine. My good friend Kevin had sent me a notecard about the importance of routine at the beginning of lockdowns last year. I pooh-poohed it. Then I half-embraced the idea. With all the time that has passed, I realize I rely! on routine to help me, help free my brain up to be creative, to have energy to help others. It’s much like time-blocking, no?
| 7-8am Online morning Meditation Group |
| 8:15-8:45am Drive to office |
| 9am-5:30pm Work |
| 5:30-6:15pm Drive home |
| 6:30pm Dinner |
| 7:30-9:30pm Chores, bill-paying (also considered a chore!) writing, watching hockey, reading, making lunch for the next day |
| 9:30-10pm feed cat her snack, brush teeth, record fitbit steps on wall chart, crawl into bed |
It’s that 7:30 to 9:30pm slot that gets me. There are only 7 days a week. I can’t possibly fit all the things I’d love to do in those two hours. So, what did I do before we couldn’t travel places? I camped out at Barnes & Noble or met up with a friend for dinner, took a class.
Wait a minute! My routine is not as disrupted as I believed. The singular (most important) piece missing is time, face-to-face time with friends and family. I can still go explore or escape to new places in my region, I just really shouldn’t/can’t do it with a group of friends. And, that’s okay. What I can do this year is try to widen the circle of people participating in #AprilDeskEscape 2021. Just take thirty minutes, 3 times a week-and break that work routine. Get up. Get out. Get away from your desk. And, while you are out getting that lovely, healthy walk – you can daydream about the next time you can escape to a place of your choosing with family and friends.
I hope you’ll join in starting April 1. Get up. Get out and about. Get that 30 minutes of a different train of thought, a different routine, a different route – take some photos and share them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the #AprilDeskEscape hashtag. You’ll be amazed at all the places you will be able to visit through the posts of others.
~ Kemetia
PS. Don’t forget your mask
Coffee-and-Courage 