Accountability: September 2021

Ahh, September. What a magical month. It’s the beginning of fall foliage (aka lots of tourists in Vermont, but it’s also beautiful), the changing of seasons, and this time around going from pretty close to 24 hours a day with my husband to 111 days apart. Oh, it is the life we lead.

Call it 18 months into a global pandemic frustration. Call it timing in life frustration. Call it whatever you want to call it but as much as I have every intention of making the best out of this time apart (part time job, time with family, settling into our new house, etc.) it sucks. And, while COVID is giving me more time with my family in VT it is stealing time with my husband. And, well, we’re 18 months into this pandemic and my brain is just sick of it.

Now, I know that on the scale of literally everything we have it pretty darn good. We haven’t lost anyone to the virus, my husband didn’t lose his job (thus providing us financial security, COVID completely decimated any chances I had at getting back to the career I want, but you know, somedays you just count your blessings), we don’t have kids (to deal with all of the massive challenges of remote learning and working and trying to figure all of that out in this situation) or work in schools (again, super challenging situation and big props to everyone navigating this) and we don’t work in the medical profession to deal with the absolute onslaught of challenges they’ve had. Yes, yes, yes. I know all these things, I know on the scale of things my life and our life and all of that jazz is pretty great and wonderful. But, it’s still frustrating.

Also, the total just… contradictory nature of so much of it all is frustrating. The first week my husband was onboard he had to be in full quarantine, like not leave the cabin quarantine. He was in a balcony cabin and luckily because he’s vaccinated it was only a week and not two weeks like the last time.

That same week we have a friend that now works for the corporate office that went onboard for work purposes but as a passenger (so on the passenger manifest and not the crew one). She got to just go onboard and sail for a week, and while she was working it isn’t classed as crew so no quarantine. This is not a slight on her at all, she’s following the rules.

And, even though it wouldn’t be for work (although I would probably write about it on here), I could fly to a cruise ship right now and sail for a week, but if I went as a crew member I would have to be in quarantine for a week, first. I’m sure there is supposed to be some COVID logic for this (I’ll have to ask the CDC, haha) but my brain can’t seem to wrap itself around what it is.

Anyways, even though it is a super rainy day here, there is always plenty of good stuff. Technology is (while yes sometimes frustrating) an incredible thing that makes it so we can talk multiple times every day. We’re in the same time zone. I haven’t ruled out going as a passenger in a couple months once his ship starts sailing just to maybe, hopefully, get to see him for a minute or two. (Want to support that adventure? Pop on over to Ko-Fi and feel free to donate to support this blog and in turn support me going on a cruise in a couple months to see the hubby, which I will then write about for the blog).

As I write all of this I realize I must come across as some incredibly needy person. I mean, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that I like to hang out with my husband. I might actually consider that a good thing. Plus, I don’t really mind if I come across as “needy” in the since that I want to spend time with my husband and I think everyone at some level is sick of pandemic-y things.

Well, this accountability post has just turned into a venting session. Thanks for reading.

Goals for September:

• Post one YouTube Video
  • Check. And, it was one helluva video. If you haven’t watched it yet I’m leaving the link in the bottom of this post. This video took me forever to edit but overall I think it came out pretty well. Also, head on over and like and subscribe. Once I get to 1000 subscribers on YouTube I can have a chance to actually earn money from the ads they show at the beginning of my videos. Feel free to leave a comment, too!
• Write a guest post befitting of the awesome-ness of my aunt-in-law’s blog.
  • Didn’t do this because I haven’t written anything that is the right brand of awesomeness for her blog. I will though.
• Four blog posts on my blog.
  • Let’s just call a spade a spade on this one.
• Enjoy and appreciate the next few weeks with my husband without just lamenting the coming time apart.
  • 10,000 percent.
• Spend time with family and friends.
  • Working on it.
• Read more. Dang it. Read more.
  • Doing better with this! Currently distracted reading multiple books but I will maybe finish all of them this month. I’ve also started journaling again and pulled out some old flute music and have been playing a bit. And, I am giving violin lessons to the daughter of a family friend and I really enjoy that. Not sure if she knows that I probably get more out of those lessons than she does.

Goals for October:Going to keep this massively simple.

Going to keep this massively simple.

Just keep moving forward. A YouTube video, a few blog posts. Do things that are good for me like reading and spending time with family and friends. And, just keep going.