Pandemic Vibes

I’ve missed blogging—the old-fashioned kind where you just say what’s on your mind, and you don’t worry about things like SEO, word count, or monetization. I was blogging before blogging was a thing. Then it got all fancy—with paid website platforms, embedded links, and stock photos. It got fancier than that. Now blogs are businesses. They’re side hustles and start-ups built by savvy entrepreneurs. They draw six-figure incomes for their owners. They let their creators quit their day jobs. I don’t want a business. I just want to write. I just want to share the thoughts in my head without competing, building, or strategizing. I want pandemic vibes, but without the virus. We can still do that, right? We can still do things just for fun?

I’m tired of feeling the need to be productive.

If the pandemic taught me anything it’s that I love a lazy afternoon spent on my balcony with a good book and a warm mug of tea. Let’s have more of that. Instead of competing to see who can earn the most dollars and achieve the most prestigious positions at our places of employment, how about we applaud our leisure time? “You had a picnic in your backyard? Nice! Who joined you?” “You took your dog for a long walk in the woods and sat by a little lake for half an hour, just looking and listening? I’m so happy for you.” Instead of responding “jealous” or “must be nice,” we encourage each other and prioritize our own lives to include more of the same.

Because we all need down time.

The human body isn’t made to be constantly “on.” It’s just not how we’re built. We also aren’t built to sit in a cubicle or behind a desk—in an artificially lit, temperature-controlled room—for eight hours. We need trees, sunshine, fresh air. We need an afternoon swim in a freshwater lake. We need long hikes through mountainous canyons. We need to walk, jump, bend, move. We need to nap. And we need to play, to be silly, laugh. Some of those things we were doing during quarantine? That’s what we need. Baking banana bread, working jigsaw puzzles, coloring, playing board games with our kids—we still need those things … in the middle of the day, and not just after long hours at the office or for a short time on the weekend.

I know you’re feeling that.

Can we just shake and agree not to jump back into the pre-COVID world? I’d like to see a “quarantine afternoon” as part of the benefits package for new hires. I’d like to see neighbors checking in on neighbors, offering to drop off groceries or pick up a pack of toilet paper. “Hey, I’m at the store. Do you need anything?” I’d like us to slow down, get outside, FaceTime a friend (remember when we did that instead of texting, just to “see” another human being?). I’d like us to explore new hobbies and develop new skills. As for me, I’d like to blog again. Just for fun.

- Tammie