The pandemic sent my workplace to 100% telework for a couple of years.
We all learned together how to get things done with VPNs, email, chat, and Teams.
For a time, we could log in from pretty much anywhere, and some of us did just that. One of my supervisors logged in from Florida, several states away. She and her husband golfed and the course was visible outside the right of my screen.
She worked around her tee times. Quite the flex!
I wouldn't wish the pandemic to return, but this kind of freedom from the office was enjoyable for a time.
“A different set of four walls”
Jason was my supervisor when the pandemic hit and we all took our computers home for a couple of years.
We were also friends on Facebook, so I got to see the occasional post of his. One of his posts had his family at what looked to be a lovely Airbnb. Nothing extravagant, but it was fresh-looking.
Bright walls, uncluttered, lots of natural light.
I asked him about it and he said that his wife was “really good at finding a different set of four walls.”
I don't really dream of vacation destinations. Four different walls does.
That phrase stuck with me, and I saw the pattern in my own activities.
I probably get this from my parents, who were not really big travelers. We'd go for a week here and there for vacations, but otherwise there wasn't this wanderlust to see other places.
My one main travel “bucket list” item was a cruise, and we took that a few years ago. Otherwise, I'm mostly content just to stay at home.
But even now, the desire to get a “different set of four walls” draws me. Even if it's simply going to the Mexican restaurant and eating there, instead of ordering it for take-out and bringing it home.
Or even a day out at a local brewery or winery is good, especially if it's with friends. There are several in our county that we haven't tried yet, and we've lived here over 20 years.
In 2020, at the start of the school year, we went down to the Blue Ridge and rented an Airbnb for a few days. It was a different set of four walls mainly. Our daughter was “home” and had her computer for school. So even though we spent a few hours with school, we still had the evenings to do a few things in a slightly different locale. And that was enjoyable for us.
For now, a good Internet connection is all I need
Given a finite amount of resources — time, money, energy in some weighting — we can only do so much.
Uprooting myself from the familiar on a regular basis doesn't appeal to me. I like to settle into a routine, and a one-week vacation barely allows for that.
For now, as long as I can keep tabs at some level to my online efforts, I'm good with pretty much wherever if we absolutely need to see a different set of four walls.
At some point, I may be able to unplug from my newsletter, YouTube channel, writing, and other things, but for now, a different set of four walls does just fine for a time away.