I will be honest with you, these past few weeks I've felt more ready than ever to be DONE with coronavirus/quarantine/social distancing/this season of life. No longer am I enthusiastically making banana bread or scheduling zoom calls every other day. I just miss normal. I miss fun and adventure and connection with people around me.
That being said, I think the more I sink into this mindset, the easier it is to feel enveloped by it. So I decided this week I needed to take some steps to pull myself out of the blues and keep moving forward (I know this is easier said than done, especially if you are struggling with depression of another mental health issue. I don't want to diminish that or add to feelings of guilt if you're unable to "pull yourself up" right now.)
I got to thinking: special places are special for a reason. Yes, it's the people that are there or experiences you can have while being in a meaningful place, but I think buildings themselves and sights and sounds and smells also hold meaning for us and have the power to invigorate.
I've been wanting to just wander around downtown (Chicago) for a while now but have made too many excuses to not do it. Parking is expensive, I have short-ish windows of time in between Lincoln's naps, there's laundry to do, dishes to wash, gifts to buy online, etc . (For context, I'm on the NW side of the city and it takes about a half hour to get downtown mid-day.) But when I was really feeling pretty down at the beginning of this week, I realized I needed to just commit and do something that felt energizing and fun.
So Lincoln and I went downtown for a few hours. We bundled up, stayed outside, and went for a long walk in a happy place. There was no pressure to do or see anything in particular, so we wandered and enjoyed the energy it gave to just be in a new setting.
I know this isn't a novel idea, but I hope this is inspiring or encouraging to just go somewhere that feels special for you. Let's be honest, we all have all the time in the world right now and there's not reason to not do something special for ourselves.
Does where you live have a cute downtown area? Is there a cool hiking path that you've been wanting to get to but the drive is just a little "too far" to randomly go? Is there a spot you love going to in the summer but haven't thought to bundle up and go in the winter? Maybe the next time you're feeling down or frustrated about COVID, you can give it a try. Until then, enjoy Lincoln's and my wanderings:
