A year ago, the feeling of home held a very different presence in our minds.
Home was the place we would come to at the end of a tiring day of school or work to unwind. You would walk through that front door and feel a weight being picked up off your shoulders. Relaxation. Peace. Rest.
The places we would go to fill out our daily life gave us a sort of purpose. Drive to school for class and to have lunch with friends or get on the train to go to work and stop at the gym on the way home to get a workout in. No matter how or what we did during the day, home was the place we always came back to and felt relaxed again. Away from the stress and the fear.
Things have since changed.
Home has now become the hub of everything we do. Some have brand new setups to do work or school from home. A new desk, new chair, a webcam, maybe even a new computer. Some of us have had to adapt to our limitations to keep up with our old lifestyles with home gyms, doorstep delivery groceries, and online social gatherings.
The truth is that home isn’t the same anymore now that we spend the majority of our everyday lives in it. No longer can we come through that door and feel at ease from the other stressors of life. Home is not just home. It’s work, school, a virtual gathering spot, somewhere to workout– it’s everything.
Although the past year has been unfair, difficult, and confusing, we have shown resilience, if nothing else. We’ve managed to wrestle with and adapt to one of the most difficult times in recent memory.
The best part is, we can finally see the light ahead. After so much time of not knowing when this would end, there is finally a medical solution to this after almost a full year. If we can just hang on, wear masks, follow health guidelines, and stay inside for a little longer we can make it through to the end of this.
We can make our homes feel like home again.
