Tired of the quarantine and the stay-at-home order? Craving a better lifestyle?
Within just a few weeks, we have gone from an exciting lifestyle to doom and gloom. The Covid 19 is a calamity. We went from not knowing what the corona virus was to finding ourselves in the middle of it. While it is hard for us all to accept and cope with the crisis, some of us respond better than others.
First of all, accepting this terrible situation is the first crucial step. It is very much like raising a child. You can teach a child respect, good manners and good values, but you cannot change the stubbornness (for example) of a child. As a result, you, the parent, have to accept that bad character trait and adjust. Accepting it is the big step. You still have to put up with it for the years to come, but at least the acceptance process is over. Then you “cope” with it… you learn how to “deal” with it.
It is the same with our current calamity. We must accept it first. There is nothing we individually can do given the magnitude of the problem. Once we accept it, we learn how to “deal” with it at a single, self, level. It is up to us to make ourselves and our families comfortable at home. We are in control.
How? That is when the little pleasures in life have a true meaning and can make a big difference.
Read the books that you have been adding to your wish list over the years. Find some more to read! Add to the list!
Sort out the old pictures of the kids or grand-kids that you have kept in a box for two or three decades, and start the long due scrapbook.
Have fun baking with the kids – One great idea: roll some chocolate truffles with them and then eat a couple of those delicious cocoa-powdered treats each day while watching a good movie.
Keep the hot water kettle on the kitchen countertop and drop a zest of lemon, orange or grapefruit in your mug, add some fresh mint or fresh basil - Try different combinations and discover your next favorite infusion.
Play some soft music and enjoy cooking a meal at the same time. Why not try French cooking? French cuisine can actually be much easier than you think. A lot of you are intimidated by it, but some of it, especially French country cuisine is as easy as 1-2-3!
Travel to a different country from the comfort of your home – Introduce your kids to a new language and a new culture through a long series of short videos. Why not France?!! Read a blog on France! Of course, I am partial to France because I was born in France and all my relatives live there! Needless to say, it can be another country.
There is a lot to do at home, and our home is not just a place to sleep. We realize it can be a nest, a cocoon, a great and cozy place to discover some little pleasures, a place of comfort and reassurance that we can start appreciating more while spending less money on dining and parking and going to the movie theater or to the mini golf.
Right now, it is our safe place, and we should be grateful that we have a safe place.
I am not talking about remaining antisocial and sedentary, but now that we have to stay at home, we may be able to take a different perspective on what we used to do until March 2020. We may be able to sort things out for the (hopefully) near future when we come out of this terrible crisis and the coast is clear.
We may come to the conclusion that our post COVID19 can be more simple than our pre COVID 19 lifestyles. Some of us might realize that we were spinning out of control with an unnecessarily overbooked schedule, and we may just learn a new way of living from our forced retreat, away from the hustle and bustle.
It may be time to hit the “reset” button. Some of us will undoubtedly make some changes and set some new guidelines, pledge to be less busy than before and to make more time to smell the roses.
And by the way, if you are looking for some easy cooking ideas, better yet, some easy French cooking ideas - Yes! French cooking can be oh so simple and easy - I invite you to discover how to cook chicken for several meals and how to make fun and delicious soups.