Our Top Post-Quarantine Resolutions For Life In The “New Normal”

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post-quarantine resolutions

As I write this, I’ve been social distancing at home for almost exactly two months. That’s 8 weeks. Or 61 days. Not that I’m counting or anything. But as it looks like there’s a possibility on the horizon of businesses beginning to crack back open as we potentially enter Phase 2 of reopening our county (maybe, possibly, we’ll see how this all unfolds), it got me thinking about what my post-quarantine resolutions about life will be.

You know what I mean by Post-Quarantine Resolutions right?

In between all the time spent trying to help my children with their remote schooling, cooking every single freakin’ meal at home for weeks on end, and generally feeling like just one level away from going full-on GREY GARDENS, I’ve also spent some time thinking.

Thinking about what life will look like in the “new normal” once the initial COVID-19 crisis has passed. Once we begin to return to our lives and start afresh, whatever that means with these new definitions around us.

Let’s be frank: There’s been a lot of darkness during this time.

People I know have died from this Coronavirus. People I love are currently sick with it. People I know have lost their jobs, their feeling of self-worth, their sense of security.

There is no changing that or making it feel anything less than traumatic.

At the same time, I am very grateful for many things in my life that remain. My health. My family. This roof over my head. These are precious gifts that, if you’re reading this, you probably have as well, and we are lucky to still have.

There are also so many things about this crazy and unique time in our lives right now that I have oddly enjoyed and hopefully you have too.

The extra time with our children (when they aren’t driving us crazy of course). The consistent presence of our partners who may be working from home or vice versa. Not having to drive everywhere and rush from place to place every hour of every day. The general slowing down of life. No more FOMO because no one is really doing anything you can’t do right now yourself. There’s so much to be thankful for, even during these intensely emotional and unpredictable times.

We asked our OC Mom Collective Contributors what lessons they have learned and what they hope to take with them once we are able to move out of this isolating phase of the pandemic.

Here are our collective top post-quarantine resolutions!

 

Heather Bailey: “My resolution is to try and stay present.”

Maria Hoey: “Take time to be still, keep cooking from scratch, sit outside as much as possible, read. So many things! Running, lots of movie times….”

Mikaeya Kalantari: “My resolution: Be intentional with what I spend my time on.”

Liz McTan: “My resolution: spend more time outside, split family responsibilities more equally. It IS possible to be closer to 50/50 parenting and housework even when one spouse has a job outside the home and the other is a stay at home parent.”

Allison Melanio: “Resolution is to continue to spend time and money wisely. Now that we don’t have the luxury of spending hours at Target, HomeGoods, or the mall, it’s allowed more time to get things done and kept more money in my bank account.”

Hilary Feldstein Ratner: “I’ve learned from this time the importance of slowing down and really existing in the little moments with your family. Your kids want you present at all times, and it’s hard to do when you’re stressed about making it to school drop off on time, or focused on remembering to bring all their gear to sports practice. I resolve to not try to do all the things, but to do just a fraction of the things, in a way that brings us true happiness. Also, though I’m already an Eco Friendly Mama, I’ve realized that there’s even less in terms of material goods that we really truly need to be happy. My kids don’t need the latest flashiest toys to be happy. They need to feel a personal connection and a cardboard box. Seriously, that’s really like all they need – a person to play with and a thing to play with together. And I can find the same joy from buying a new top as I do spending a few hours alone with a good book and a warm mug of tea. I’ve been able to make do with buying even less stuff during this time than in our already eco-conscious lives before COVID-19. And given how much we’ve seen the earth recover from pollution and human activity in just this relatively brief time of global shut down, that gives me hope that if we stick with our efforts to reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, and refuse post-quarantine, we can really live a greener yet more fulfilling life.”

Erin Rice: “Resolution: I’ve never been a germophobe. I work with kids and have a rocking immune system. However, this quarantine has really made me realize my responsibility in keeping my germs to myself. I hope to keep the revelation in the foreground for a lifetime.”

Tell us in the comments below, what have you learned from this unique time and what are your post-quarantine resolutions?

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Hilary Feldstein Ratner
Follow me on Instagram @EcoFriendlyMama, Twitter @EcoFriendlyMa, and Pinterest @EcoFriendlyMama! Though I was born and raised in New York City, I've lived in SoCal for over ten years now and am proud to call this beautiful and diverse place my home. My husband and I have a son and baby daughter (whom I was 9 months pregnant with when this photo was taken!). Prior to becoming a mommy I spent several years in feature film publicity and acquisitions for Miramax and later as the Creative Executive for Hilary Swank Productions before seguing to the music industry where I did Online Communications for the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares. In my ample pre-parenthood free time, I also freelanced as a script analyst and screenwriter. I am fortunate now to be able to devote all my time to my family, but I still love to write so am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of this blog! I am a foodie, avid traveler, environmentalist, preschool board member, and unabashed Disney nut. I can also be found writing about green parenting and eco-conscious living on my personal website, https://ecofriendlymama.com.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Such good resolutions! I’ve been thinking about this a lot too and I definitely resolve to spend more time outside, more time with my family (as if I can help it!) and more time being thankful for what I have.

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