This is not going to be a blog about how awful 2020 was. That’s already been done and overdone. This is not going to be a blog saying “We need you more than ever,” because honestly, I’m guilty of overusing that phrase!
Instead, I’m focusing on what I’m keeping from pandemic life – the things that weren’t so bad and maybe, just maybe, were pretty darn good. I’m also making my post-vaccination list and it’s ridiculously simple.
What I’m keeping:
- Grilled and roasting chicken: We started using the grill a whole lot more a year ago! (And by we, I mean my sweet husband.) Mainly because grocery store trips became a mad dash to get everything we needed in the shortest time possible and chicken was an easy thing to grab. Husband, please keep roasting chicken and grilling spicy chicken during the week!
- Working from home: Sorry, friends who are desperate to get back into the office! This introvert in an extroverted work world has embraced working from home. I’ve been more productive, more efficient, more organized, more everything. Working from home made me slow down and I need to keep that. Granted, I look forward to the one or two days a week that I go into the office now and I will hopefully keep that too.
- Bonding with coworkers: In the old days before the pandemic, we had Foodie Fridays at my office once a month. We picked a theme and all brought food related to that theme. I have missed that tremendously! That has been replaced with coffees and lunches outside with coworkers and I hope we keep that. It’s so much more productive than a formal meeting in a conference room.
- Bonding with donors: I’ve had more meaningful conversations with donors in the past year than maybe ever before in my career. It’s been fun and I’ve learned so much about our donors, their families and their passion for philanthropy. Let’s keep that, ok?
- Grace: I’ve learned a lot about grace in the past year. I need grace. I need to give grace. We all need it.
- Handwritten notes: Write more! I’ve loved sending many more notes than usual and I’ve loved receiving them. I’m keeping that!
Post-Vaccination List
- I want a massage. A really good massage.
- Working in a coffee shop is on this list. Maybe it’s a strange thing to miss but I miss it!
- Last week, I heard a group of women laughing at a neighbor’s house, post-vaccine. I might have cried a little. I desperately wanted to walk over and soak up their energy from a distance. I want to hug my girlfriends and sit and talk for hours and hours. I don’t want to be six feet away from the awesome women I am normally surrounded by. I don’t want to see them on Marco Polo or Zoom. I want in-person, no masks, tons of hugs.
- My mom is fully vaccinated and I’ve gotten to spend a weekend with her. Next up, time with my dad!
What are you keeping? What’s on your to-do list? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Erin Hall joined Hopeful Horizons in October 2018 after serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Palmetto Association for Children and Families in Columbia. Prior to that she was executive director of Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter. At Palmetto Place, Erin worked to create a safe and caring environment for youth who faced abuse, neglect and homelessness.
Erin also worked for the March of Dimes and the National Association for Campus Activities in marketing, communications and nonprofit leadership positions.
She is originally from Gainesville, FL. Erin lives in Hilton Head with her husband, Mark.
