Like you, I’m trying to find things to occupy my time during our COVID-19 quarantine days. Years ago, I took a Myers- Briggs personality test and my results came back as ESTP, which stands for Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceptive. In a nutshell, I’m a doer. I’m a Type A. So, going from a packed schedule starting at 7am and ending at 7pm to having a lot of free time has definitely been an adjustment. Considering all the variables, I’ve actually transitioned quite well- what choice do I have? Now, to the original point of this blog. I’m trying to use the time to get everything done that I’ve always said I’m going to get done but never do. I started with pressure washing. HUGE MISTAKE!
I happen to be quarantined at my mother’s beach house in Gulf Shores, Alabama..I know, poor me. I am social distancing from the rest of the world with my son, my mother, and my Aunt Ann. My 19 year old bonus baby, Emily, a freshman at LSU, is currently gracing us with her sweet presence, constant snapchat selfie updates, and conversations about “flying to Amsterdam because flights are just so cheap right now”. Yes, I know… she doesn’t get it. I didn’t get it at 19. Nor did you. Pipe down. She isn’t going anywhere.
Back to pressure washing. Salt air, sea mist, and spring pollen always brings a surface of junk that needs to be washed away. With that said, I’d never used a power washer before that moment, but I figured it was the perfect time to start. I dug through the downstairs junk room and pulled out this little electrical machine that I figured would get the job done. It’s now 9:30am. My grand idea of having the carport, outdoor shower, porch, stairs, pier, and back porch done by 4pm would be followed up with a shower, hammock, glass of wine and that beautiful Gulf of Mexico sunset. By 3pm, I had finished half of the carport, outdoor shower and THAT’S IT! For a woman who prides herself on efficiency, time management, and just getting stuff done, I had been defeated. I had a four minute pity party for myself of how my entire world is crumbling around me, my business is going to take a margin line hit that will take years to recover from, my child has been uprooted from structure, security, and sanity, and I can’t even pressure wash a dang carport correctly.
I don’t do pity parties very well, or very often, so I didn’t stay in that moment long. Turns out, my inexperience in pressure washing was only part of the problem. Thank God for my tribe. Thanks to Big Mike and Joe Joe (I’m from South Louisiana so, unfortunately, I am not changing names to protect to the innocent), the very next day I had an ACTUAL pressure washer that made my poor excuse of the one I was using look like the Vanderbilt football team if they were playing LSU for the national championship. They also sent this big, round scrub brush thingy that connects to a power washer for all your flat surface needs. Talk about something that changed my life, and my attitude. Don’t get me wrong, you will never be paying me to pressure wash your stuff. The work I did looks better, but it’s not anything a professional could have done. Furthermore, I did NOT form this “addiction” to power washing that some women on my social media page wrote about having. BUT, it made the task I was trying to accomplish so much easier, manageable, and effective. And, it made me far less frustrated. The latter being the most important in my life, especially in these stressful days we are all experiencing.
As I was sitting on the pier last night watching the sun go down, my mind racing about all the variables in my life I currently have no control over and recapping my day, I thought about how much easier tasks and projects are when we have the right tools to carry them out. I have the right laptop, the right washing machine, the right hairdryer, the right set of pots, the right CPA, attorney, and investor. But, for me, the most important “right tools” have always been the people I surround myself with. I’m a doer. I’m a big picture person. I’m an ultimate, never ending optimist. I jump in the deep end of the pool and figure out how to swim once I’m in. I live in the moment and rarely look in the rearview mirror. I am not a detail oriented person. I am not a wait and see if they call me back person. I am not make a list, weigh all the pros and cons, and contemplate it for the next 27 days type person. I am not a realist. And while I have very big dreams, I am not a big dreamer. Therefore, I purposefully seek people in my tribe who are the opposite.
I’m so incredibly thankful I have the right “tools” in my life considering our current situation of isolation. During COVID-19, I’m thankful I have a friend who helped me focus my professional “doing” towards my personal “doing”. I have NEVER had the opportunity to spend this much uninterrupted time with my son. I run a business and travel a good bit. I was back in the office nine days after my son was born via c-section. I love making up for lost time with him. I’m thankful I have a friend who reminded me how much I love to write and how I haven’t written in forever. Now’s the time. I read over half a book yesterday. I haven’t read that many pages in one sitting since I was a student. I’m thankful for a colleague, who in the midst of my tears and worry about how will we financially survive if this lasts more than a few weeks, reminded me that this is a real and dangerous threat, but we can only control the things we can control and we can’t control the timeline of this. So, when I get nervous and anxious, I need to go for a walk on the beach, go for a bike ride, watch a movie with my son, or hop in the water and kayak or swim until my arms literally fall off. Focus my attention elsewhere. I’m thankful for Aunt Ann who reminded me that if my father were here he would smile and remind me about all the things we have overcome in the past and how we will not only overcome this battle, but walk victoriously home. I’m thankful for one of my son’s teachers that reminded me that my home is not a school. I don’t have to run it like one. My home is a place of safety, security, and joy for John Michael; however, we are constantly learning in that space. She reminded me that I get to go back to basics. I can make our walks on the beach, cooking breakfast in the morning, our morning news briefings (I only update myself in the morning. I’d go crazy if I listened to the news 16 hours a day like my best friend), our projects around the house, our evenings playing board games and dominoes, and our relaxing time are all moments of learning, appreciation, and growing. I’m thankful to my friend that reminded me how lucky we are. We have to care for our children and parents and keep them safe. We do not have to drive to a hospital, police station, national guard building, or other profession that are on the front line of this virus. I’m thankful for the friend that reminded me of the best “tool” of all, praying to God about it all and giving thanks that, while we are in the midst of the storm, joy, peace, and lives will someday return. Be covered in faith, not fear. In the meantime, my other tool is Pinot Noir. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay strong.
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