04.26.21 Ch.ch.ch...changes

After an inauspicious start to the vaccine rollout...which included the Governor lifting statewide mask mandates and indoor capacity limits back in March, before most of us were getting shots...the state of Texas managed to get its act together, and as of now all adults (over the age of 16) are eligible.

I was 1B, so I got my first dose in late February. In mid-March, the process was opened to anyone over 50, so my husband got his first shot.  As of today, we are both vaccinated and are past the two week mark that represents maximum immunity - and we are grateful.

Over the next few weeks and months, we'll be venturing out again, to some of our favorite restaurants (although still dining outdoors), small gatherings with vaccinated friends, and hopefully by the end of the year, seeing our children again.

But, there are things I did before, without giving them any thought, that I won't be returning to. 

The yoga studio...

I have been taking yoga classes online with some of my favorite teachers three or four times a week.  It has been one of the most important things I do for myself, mentally and physically...and I'm going to keep doing it, but virtually.

I cleared out my office to make room, and have acquired a full set of mats and props so there's no need to return to the studio.  I haven't missed rushing to get to class on time, trying to find a parking place and being squeezed into a room with 20 other people.

At first it surprised me, how much more I seemed to be getting out yoga by doing it at home...but then I realized I was practicing with teachers who are friends, who know me, and my body's quirks and limitations. 

For those times when I can't attend class in real time, I'm taking advantage of recorded sessions with my instructors, and bought a set of yoga dice, if I want to squeeze in a quick practice on my own.

Finally, if I want to stay in savasana for 30 minutes at the end of my practice, no one is forcing me to roll up my mat and move along.

The nail salon...

One thing that did annoy me as I practiced was bending over in forward fold or downward dog and seeing naked nails on my hands and feet.

I bought an Olive & June nail polish set last summer, because it was clear to me that I wasn't going to get a salon mani/pedi again soon, maybe ever. I'd read lots of good reviews, but honestly, what sold me on their kit was the tools...because (as I have written about before, in previous posts) having the right ones can make all the difference.

Olive & June mani vs
memory of a Shellac mani

I've actually become quite proficient at manicures, and at making them last several days to a week.  It's not like the before times, when I had a UV cured Shellac mani - in the salon - that would last at least two weeks...but I could do it safely, at home.

My toes were a very different story...

Nearly 20 years ago I was in a truly horrible automobile wreck.  A woman ran a red light and broadsided me.  She broke the axle on her car, totalled mine, and as my car was spinning around, my spine twisted...and one of the disks in my low back ruptured like a Christmas cracker.  Within a matter of hours, my entire left leg had gone numb.

I needed back surgery and 18 months of physical therapy - which were some of the longest, hardest months of my life. I am fortunate to have made a virtually full recovery...due in very large part to an amazing medical and rehabilitation team as well as my regular yoga practice. 

But I have residual nerve damage on my left side, and painting the toenails on my left foot is a difficult process that usually ended with a less than satisfactory result (with as much polish on my toes as my nails).  In the before times, it wasn't an issue...during the winter, it didn't really matter and during the summer I had a pedicure once a month.

Enter Olive & June again, this time with a pedicure kit.  It really is all about the tools, and in this case, erognomics. The kit comes in a container that becomes an angled foot rest...which means I don't have to contort myself to reach my left foot.  

The result is that instead of swearing and making a mess of my feet...I can polish my toenails - and look down at them on my yoga mat - with a pretty significant sense of satisfaction, feeling no need to return to the salon.  Not to mention, the pedi kit costs less than two appointments!

The grocery store...

In the before times, I had pretty much quit cooking.  We were busy, sometimes my husband and I had different schedules, so we weren't home at the same time or dinner was late.  Covid changed all that.  I've returned to cooking, and baking, and because I wasn't able to go to the jewelry studio - my kitchen became my happy and creative place.

We will eat out again, but not the same way...and I won't shop like I did in the before times, either.  I've come to love my Sunday trips to the farmers market, and incredible the fresh meat, produce and specialty baked goods I am able to purchase from vendors I have come to know.  

What I can't get at the market, I will continue to buy at HEB or Target (when HEB is occasionally out of something I want that week)...but I am a curbside convert! Before the pandemic it never occured to me, an able bodied person with a flexible schedule, not to go into the store and do my own shopping...but I have been so impressed with the process and the consistent quality of items that are picked for me (even when there are substitutions), I see no reason to return to the old way.

The jewelry studio, on the other hand, is someplace I hope to return to soon...and when I do, I'll share with you here.

Until next time.