Can you believe that it’s ONLY (already) been 100 days?
It feels like we’ve aged way more than a few months from the beginning of March to now. A quick reminder that we’re wrapping up the month of June—meaning we are halfway through 2020. Just let that sink in for a sec.
To commemorate our entering phase 3—and by phase 3, we’re actually referring to having reached triple digits on the day count—we thought we’d take a moment to reflect on this strange, sometimes beautiful, but mostly nebulous experience. As we reach the halfway mark of 2020 (yikes) and realize we’ve spent most of it confined in the comfort of our own homes, we thought it was time to take inventory on all the things we miss, and the things we’re more than ready to leave behind.
Which do you want first, the good news, or the bad news? Trick question! Both are actually pretty good—reflecting on what we miss gives us something to look forward to while things slowly start to reopen. Emphasis on slowly. Knock on wood, just for good measure.
In the same way, reflecting on the things we’re ready to leave behind signals growth—without warning, we found ourselves forced into a cocoon for 3.5 months (and counting), we’ll be damned if we don’t burst out of it as beautiful butterflies having learned at least SOMETHING.
Alright, onto the good stuff—a brief look at what we desperately miss, and are so eager to reunite with:
- Working from Coffee Shops. Need I say more? Remember putting on real clothes, and joining a group of strangers in a public place? Remember coffee that wasn’t made by you? Remember going somewhere that had the best playlist—not too distracting, but just enough to keep you going? Yeah, we remember, too.
- Farmers Markets. We’re not talking about the covid rendition of famer’s markets, although we’re always rooting for small biz and can appreciate the gesture. We’re talking CAREFREE farmer’s markets! You know what we’re talking about, the sort where you’re strutting around maskless, maybe you pet a dog or two, and can pick up produce and examine it without having to worry about sanitizing your hands every 5 seconds. Those were the days.
- Dog Parks. Joy in its purest form. Nuff said.
- A Good Ole Smoke Sesh. Remember going out somewhere, and there was always one person who came prepared with a nicely rolled joint, ready to share with everyone? We all love that person! Some of the greatest friendships are formed in smoke circles. Today, it feels unimaginable to shake hands with someone, let alone pass a joint.
- The Subway. We know, we never thought we’d see the day either. Yet here we are, missing the subway cars, packed way beyond their human capacity.
- Movie Theaters. Remember getting dressed just to go watch something, in a completely dark room, in the company of 50+ others? Remember munching on popcorn and movie snacks, and it was totally fine because at least we weren’t in our pajamas doing it? Yeah, us too.
- Hugs. Remember seeing your friend and hugging them without any hesitation? (big sigh) Us too.
Of course we know how silly some of these sound, and the list is definitely not all encompassing, but these are just a handful of the little things all of us took for granted in our everyday lives.
Now onto the things we’ve outgrown, hopefully for good:
- Doing. The. Most. Remember filling your weeks with social obligations, to-do lists, workout classes, side hustles, brunch, and then some more social obligations stacked on top? Remember thinking to yourself, ‘where did the weekend go?’ because you hardly had a chance to catch your breath after the week, jampacking an entire week’s worth of fun because when else were you going to do those things? No thank you! Whether consciously or not, the art of slowing down is something that was forced upon us, and we hope she’s here to stay.
- Office Culture. Hello, WFH culture! GOODBYE OFFICE CULTURE. Desk days are obsolete, and we’re here for it. The RB team is big on the comfort of working from home. The flexibility it offers is enough to change your life. We love WFH culture so much, our founder Alexis Rosenbaum wrote a whole piece on it.
- A Lack of Balance. Working from home means cutting down on the amount of running around we’re doing—even if it’s just saving one hour a day on the commute, that time is valuable. The last few months have given us a chance to look at the ways in which we were spending our time, and the opportunity to examine what was adding to us, and let go of what was not.
- Quantity Over Quality. Before the world hit pause, we. were. all. so. BUSY. Too busy, one might argue. Having a busy schedule leaves so little room for quality time with the people we care about most. Although challenging in many ways, this time has given us a once in a lifetime opportunity to slow down and really enjoy the company of the ones we love.
- A Lack of Empathy. Before the epidemic, empathy was talked about but so rarely put into practice. Take NYC for instance, a city where we’re told time and time again that nobody cares why you’re late, or that you had a terrible day, or that you lost your wallet—get over it, this is New York! Cities like this will always require grit, and force us to be resilient in ways we didn’t think possible, but there’s been a palpable shift in the way people are treating each other. The epidemic has forced us to be understanding of things like anxiety, depression, economic struggle, and just general wellbeing. We’re on board, and ready to let go of our old ways.
We could probably go on and on about this, but these are just some of the major things we miss and have hopefully outgrown. This time period has brought about change in more ways than we could have ever imagined.
For a country that has felt so divided, there’s finally some sense of unity. Together, we’re fighting to bring change that is long overdue—the most important part is that we not abandon the lessons we’ve learned during this time, or the things we’ve begun to put into practice. It needs to be continuous, or else what was the point?
Kat Frey is a Brooklyn based writer, who originally hails from The Wing. Kat has historically worked with women-lead brands, and her writing spans from culture and cannabis, to overall health and wellness. When she’s not busy writing for Rosebud CBD, she spends her time thumbing through The Cut, Man Repeller, and T Magazine, or listening to Las Culturistas. Her favorite form of self care is adding our 350mg tincture to homemade face and hair masks!