The View From Here – My Best Mess

Yesterday, I was put together and feeling fabulous.

Today, I sit here, still in my workout “fit” from this morning, I haven’t showered, and am the opposite of “put together”.

I read somewhere today that being the best mess is a good thing.   Letting go of perfection.

Blogger Chidera Eggerue (aka The Slumflower) says “Everybody essentially is going to be messy forever, so I’m trying to be the best mess.” What does that even mean?  As Chidera puts it – “It’s an understanding that regardless of how I show up, I’m enough because I said so.”

I’ve been working from home since early April.  I’ve had good days and really dark days.  Days where I have shown up, ready to work, dressed for work, hair and makeup done.  Feeling good. Focused.

Other days I stare blankly out the window and wonder when I’ll get to work with people again.  Missing human interaction.  Sad.  A bit lonely.  Not even sure what to feel or think.

I mean, I appreciate being home.  I do.  I consider myself really lucky to keep working and to be able to stay home and not shower if I don’t feel like it. (smile)

And I know that we are closer to returning to normal – Sarnia-Lambton enters Stage Three on Friday morning 12:01am.

Are we ready?  Do you feel READY?  I thought I did.  I want people to be able to go back to work and businesses to stay open.  I know so many people who have been struggling, and it’s hard to watch and not be able to do anything about it.

I’m excited for things to go back to ALMOST normal.  I miss having dinner out, or sitting inside a restaurant and talking about everything over multiple cups of coffee.

But does anybody else still have those constant worries in the back of your head?  The whisper of “be careful, maybe it’s too soon?”

I was out with my daughters last night.  My youngest needed shorts.  She’s outgrown what she has.  It’s been a hot summer.  So we ventured out.  Can I say that it’s near impossible to find certain things right now?  I feel like shorts is one of them.

It FEELS normal when I go out.

Streets and parking lots seem fairly busy.  Like it USED TO BE.  BEFORE Covid shut our world down.

We’ve gotten used to masks, and social distancing.  Seeing the arrows marking the direction for us in every store we visit.  The circles to keep our spots away from each other.  It’s just what we know now.

What once seemed daunting, and fear inducing – now NORMAL.

But sometimes, the fear returns.  Maybe not fear, but concern.   You wonder if you REALLY needed to be out.  You see others, and think “They are out.  Maybe we are going to be okay?”

Hoping and praying our numbers stay down.

As we inch closer to our old “normal” – more businesses reopening – are you concerned that we are being too lenient?  Are we forgetting that we haven’t BEAT the virus yet?  It’s still “out there”?

I don’t want to live scared, and it sure is nice to go someplace and see another smiling face.  I can’t wait til we don’t have to worry anymore and we can stop arguing about masks. (smile).

Let’s keep doing what we need to do Sarnia – so we don’t end up going backwards.

Let’s keep doing our part and keep sharing the love and kindness we are known for, that makes us great.

Because the only way we get through this – is together.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan