Craving Variety

I’ve been feeling antsy the last few weeks, off and on. The spring air brings an energy of newness, of fresh beginnings and excitement for what’s ahead...except: still pandemic times. 

The repetition of each day, without much differentness to break up the monotony, and nothing concrete on the horizon -- no vacations, no gatherings and no out-of-the-ordinary events -- has started to wear on me. 

Like so many folks, my days mostly look identical: 

Wake up. 

Get ready. 

Get child ready and to school. 

Walk dog. 

Work. 

Lunch. 

Walk dog. 

Work. 

Get child from school. 

Parent. 

Dinner. 

Walk dog again. 

Relax. 

Sleep. 

Repeat. 

Ad nauseam. 

Weekends punctuate the sameness with hikes with friends and grocery runs, maybe a socially-distanced backyard fire pit, then it’s back to the same old same old. 

Normally, routine and same-ness don’t bother me. I like simple habits and simple pleasures, and when needed, I can create a lot of variety in my imagination (hello, Pisces over here). I know a lot of folks have been struggling with this cabin fever waaaay longer than I have, and I feel for you. 

It’s one thing to do the same things every day, but I’m also noticing I’m feeling the lack of variety physically, like I can’t sit still for the sameness. 

I'm distracted by my body wanting something different. To respond to this call, I’ve taken my laptop outside and worked in our backyard or on our patio, and it helps...until the weather shifts, or the weed whackers come out. 

As I sit at my desk inside, I find my eyes scanning the space -- what would normally be a formal dining and living room combo -- and craving something new and exciting. A project of some kind to tap into that spring energy, to change something in my environment.

A few days ago, in a burst of either inspiration or consumer-driven foolishness, I quickly searched online for furniture for our living room, and pushed the purchase button.

Some context: We moved into our place nearly three years ago, and brought the furniture from our former home in Saskatchewan into it and made it work, without purchasing much new (basically, just new mattresses and a bed frame, desks for our workspaces, and a TV stand). We had something to sit on and sleep on and eat on, so… good enough! 

Our “formal” living room has been mostly furniture-free since then...unless we pull the patio chairs inside during the winter! It’s been a dance floor, yoga studio, puppy wrestling ring, and sunbeam nap spot. When we had a tenant living with us for a few months, she brought along a sofa and end tables, and it suddenly felt like someone fancy lived here. Since she moved out, it’s returned to its rather neglected empty space, waiting for the right time (and modest cash flow) to be furnished. 

A few months ago, we got hot lead on a second-hand mustard-coloured sofa from our former tenant (thanks, Grace!), and nabbed it. There’s a simple white IKEA bookcase in the corner, and my spouse’s sweet electric piano from his childhood that our kid now plays, but that’s it. 

So now I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival or two chairs and thick rug -- like waiting for eggs to hatch and new chicks to liven up the nest. I’m hoping the injection of colour (purple! teal! fuschia!) will fulfill my antsy newness-seeking urge.

And -- bonus I just realized -- once we can welcome people into our homes again, we’ll have a grown-up place to gather and rest our bums. Just need to find a second-hand coffee table...

I’m curious:

How have you created variety and broken up the monotony during the pandemic?

Have you found creative ways to create “newness” in your space, your routine or your work?  

What are you craving right now?

Oh, and yes: I’ll for sure share pictures once everything arrives!