In a few days time, it will have been a month that I have been WFH & keeping to self isolation. This has by far been one of my biggest challenges, with having no ability to see friends or family in person. Simon still travels to & from work, so he gets to hear all about my exciting times inside & all exciting questions I have about his commute to & from work. With us now officially in Autumn I think the days that it has rained or felt chilly has made it easier to stay in the house & just look out the window; but most days rain, hail or shine I try to get out of the house for a wee walk around & breathe the fresh air!
I guess the bonus is I have the ability to WFH & work has been keeping my routine busy, but being street level you are always able to see the different people out & I'm pretty nosey. Luckily between the patiently waiting for the curve to flatten, there has been a few things around the house & on weekends that we've been trying to do to normalise the current situation. On weekdays, I start my day still in bed for another 10-15mins, I hop back in after making myself a cuppa & either tackle a That's Life! magazine, a few more pages of a book on my reading list, listen to the radio or generally dick about on my phone & endlessly scroll.
Once I have jumped out of bed & entered the living room, I attempt to do a couple of stretches to get everything moving, as it releases any tension in my neck & lower back. Before I start work, I'll shower, get dressed comfy & make myself breakfast. I've either been eating breakfast on the couch or at the dining table & eat it without any phone distraction. Currently with WFH I've been utilising Simon's computer desk, so I ensure to keep my workspace clean & not cluttered. I try to sort my space out before I start work for the day i.e.. wipe my desk down, refilling my water bottle, putting aside snacks to ensure I take proper rest breaks & most likely making myself another cuppa or coffee.
Maybe your'e all not as OCD as me, but I have started setting an alarm for when I'd like to take lunch for the day, ensuring that when that time is coming up, I can wrap up what task I'm currently in the middle of & actually fully log off my computer to take the break. Then when I'm finishing work for the day & I'm certain that no more queries will pop up I turn off my email notifications on my mobile so if any new incoming queries come through I will deal with them fresh faced the next day. In times like these we are in charge of how we work during the day, so you have to remember to take rest breaks & sort your time accordingly.
On the weekends it's close to the same, we wake up at a reasonable hour early in the morning to make the most of a day, burn some incense, make a lovely breakfast (which last weekend we attempted to make pancakes from scratch!), listen to some music, play Animal Crossing & pick a good time to break up the day with a decent sized walk. Simon & I's cocktail of choice last weekend was a Margarita, which was like buying it at a bar! We treat ourselves to a good amount of grog as well as a cheeky take away on the weekend & try to keep sensible as we stay indoors.
Last weekend was a little different, a few weeks back my mate Grace celebrated her birthday in April & for her 30th decided to conduct a 30 hour Dance Party, from the beginning it was such a hit that now for 4hours every Saturday night till isolation is lifted they've been holding an Online Dance Party. Nothing better to get the endorphins into the body, so I joined for the final two hours & it was great! The chat window on the side is for song requests, there's a sound system in the call so Grace's partner Blair becomes Ginge Spins & chucks them together in an epic playlist. You enter the chat albeit a bit nervous that you're up sharing the big ol screen in front of you, but you quickly shake those thoughts away & just dance! I felt like I was in a nightclub, I worked up a good sweat from dancing & I laughed/enjoyed the company of everyone else in that moment dancing! A wee silver lining in all this isolation is that there are people out there trying to make a difference & trying to look out for others. We have to work as a community during this time & still have to try to connect with others through isolation! & Music is totally the answer!
This week's song is tied to the current state that I believe we are all mostly likely in; DREAM. There's always that silver lining that if we all do the right thing with social distancing that one day soon we will be able to see our loved ones & friends in person again. It may feel & seem like a DREAM now but we have to remain positive, by staying home & avoiding public places we are helping to flatten the curve & keep everyone on the frontline safe. What's helping us all get through this is the DREAM of what the world will be like when it's all over. The pubs/bars & cafes will hopefully be bustling full of laughter & chatter, family will be able to visit relatives & instead of staying in the house for a catch up will hopefully go outside & enjoy that time with their family in the fresh air. But for just a wee while longer it is still to all of us a DREAM.
Now let's check out BISHOP BRIGGS!
Sarah Grace McLaughlin, better known as Bishop Briggs is a British musician, singer & songwriter. She is a daughter of Scottish parents from a wee town called Bishopbriggs that later inspired her stage name.
After highschool she moved to Los Angeles, Briggs wrote & played all over the city in any venue that she could & then eventually in 2015 she recorded her first single "Wild Horses". Many listeners found Briggs via Shazam when seeing an Acura commercial which features the song. In late 2015, "Wild Horses" began climbing the charts again, where it then entered the top 30 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart & top 13 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artist charts.
Dream was one of the first songs that was premiered before her debut album Church of Scars came out in 2018. I've been obsessed with it for the past couple of weeks & the more I listen to it the more it gives me hope for the future outside of social distancing. Dream is about having fears & doing your best to embrace them no matter how strenuous the grip is.
I wanna wake up where your love is 'Cause your love is always waking mine I wanna break down where your heart gets So torn it's almost breaking mine I wanna lay here, lost and bitter So long, I feel like I could die I wanna tell you what my truth is But it's buried down inside
It's haunting, but that voice just captures you from the get go. Gives you hope & reminds you that everyone has dreams & that currently there are moments in life that we have to put our dreams on hold. We can only do the best we can, as were only human but things will one day get better!
I hope you love this song as much as I do! Any songs currently that have been keeping you sane through lockdown? Feel free to email me or message me & I'd love to share it!
Have a wonderful week & remember to keep smiling & keep dancing!
Cheers
Amy