What day is it?
This is my [I have no idea] day of mandatory telework, a.k.a. working from home (WFH). Thanks to sky high COVID-19 rates in this mile high (6,035 feet, actually) city, the big boss sent everyone to their home office for two weeks. Everyone raves about how much they enjoy not having to go in to the office but, to me, living and working in the same space day, after day, after day starts to feel claustrophobic by day—whatever day this is.
Variety is the spice
Staying in the same place all day long, surrounded by the same walls, staring through the same windows at the same view, for several days in a row makes Monday feel pretty much like Friday. And Wednesday. And Tuesday. And… Although I’m not a fan of commuter traffic, going in to the office breaks up the monotony. Though the view from my office window (yes, I’m lucky enough to have one) doesn’t change, the people walking by that window and the people I meet in the hall and the people I pass in the lobby do. I also visit other offices and cubicles where I see a variety of drawings tacked to walls and doodads on desks. When I’m WFH, the only stuff I see is mine.
On/Off
Paradoxically, the variety I encounter in the office imparts a sense of routine to my day. The commute and the co-workers and the meetings demarcate the “day job.” When I get home, I feel as if I’m off-duty. I can enjoy my off-duty “me” time. Being home all day disrupts that sense of being at work/not at work.
What’s an office lover to do?
Hopefully, we’ll be able to return to the office soon, and hopefully, there won’t be another need for teleworking, other than the occasional snow day. Returning to my routine variety will help. But I think I’ve reached the point where I need to take a trip to shake myself out of my torpor. Travel always revives and inspires me. I’m a fan of solo travel so socially distanced adventures are no problem. I need to spend some time surrounded by things I don’t see every day. I’ll probably make a weekend trek downtown because I prefer urban adventures to walks in the woods. Since WFH makes the concept of weekend vs weekday feel meaningless, I’ll probably have to set an alarm or something to remind me. In the meantime, I’ll try some armchair travel with a good book. I just got a few Agatha Christies, so maybe a trip to St. Mary Meade. Or to a haunted inn with M.R. James. Or to Chicago with Cynthia Pelayo or India with R.V. Raman.
Where are your favorite armchair travel, or actual travel, destinations? Comment here, on Facebook, or on Twitter.