Coming Out of Isolation

 I will be honest half way through 2020 and the pandemic I was not into writing anymore. I was done. I was spent. I had nothing I wanted to share. I felt like for the first half of 2020 I put on a brave face and tried to keep up with writing but my heart was no longer in it anymore. I took time off and lately I have the itch to start sharing again. It really started last week when I made Mississippi Roast. I thought to myself this is new I have never made this before and it was so good I thought about sharing the recipe. Then I thought to myself that I really did not have a platform for that anymore. I post daily all day on Instagram but that is not a writing platform. At this point I started debating starting back on my blog again but it had been so long since I really sat down to write anything. Writing for me is personal and it is a good way for me to refocus on what matters and share some good in the world. 

Here we are coming out of isolation and I mean ISOLATION for me. I went weeks during the pandemic not leaving my house. At first it was more like self-distancing but the more I learned about COVID-19 to became more of a isolation because I knew I had to protect myself at all costs with this disease. Now that I am on the other side of it after losing friends, family and colleagues this past year... I am ready to move forward with positivity and light. I am setting up boundaries with the types of events I am comfortable with and I have been pretty good and sticking to that. Some things I am learning to apply. 

1. Boundaries are healthy and if people do not respect them then you should not have those people in your life. I have been blessed to have friends/family as I come out of the pandemic isolation that are extremely respectful of my space. I even attended a wedding this weekend. I was extremely stressed about it but my friend Jared who was getting married was respectful of my concerns and really told me to take everything at my own pace which helped me not be an anxiety mess. I think telling others what I am comfortable with and not being embarrassed about it at all has been good for me and worked well. 

Ryan & I at the wedding this past weekend.

2. You do not need to say yes to everything now. I used to say yes to everything I was invited to. During the pandemic slowing down a bit with my social calendar was not always a bad thing. Say yes to the things you want and no to anything else. You also do not need an excuse to say no to something. People should respect you enough to understand that you do not want to attend. 

3. It's okay to not go back to all the things you were doing before the pandemic. I mean I used to be at the gym like 2-3 times a week. I now have a home gym that I love and it is so much more convenient to my life style. Will I never go back to the gym? Nah-- I miss my zumba gals so I may snag a class here or there but it is okay to not go back to all the things you did before.  

Those are just some of my basic thoughts on coming out of isolation. Let's be kind to each other and patient as we all come out of this a little more worn and torn. 

Here is a picture of that Mississippi roast I was talking about. Look forward to more recipes soon....

Mississippi Roast

I hope you are all stay healthy and safe!

-Emily