Personal Space

I didn’t know how important it was for me to go to work every day until I had to work from home.

I live in a small house, with five not small people. Our friends lovingly call us ice giants. My three teenage and adult sons have shared a single room their whole lives. Space is definitely at a premium, and almost no one has any privacy.

My husband is the only one with a room to himself, with a door to close out the rest of the house, and that is because he has worked from home for years.

My computer desk is in my living room, right next to the desk two of my boys share. It’s also very close to the kitchen. If I turn my camera on for teaching a class or participating in a conference call, you can see down the hallway to the other end of the house with ease. Anyone walking through the living room, or into the kitchen, becomes part of my call.

Over the past couple of weeks, the house has become smaller.

I got to go into work on Friday for the fires time in two weeks. And yes, I mean I *got* to go in to work. It was a blissful reprieve, going to my office, that I don’t have to share with anyone, with nobody able to peer over my shoulder at my computer or butt in with the person I am communicating with. It was a glorious oasis of solitude.

Yes, it was a bit odd to stand half way down the hall from my coworker while we chatted, and to have him walk away from me when I needed to go to the office at the other end of the hall – we maintained good physical distancing! It was odd that only a couple of us were there, and not the usual crew. And it was especially odd to obsessively wipe down everything I touched with Lysol wipes – a small price to pay for personal space.

My whole family is having to set some new boundaries. On a normal day, only my husband is home while my younger sons are at school, and my oldest and myself are at work. We’re not used to bumping shoulders with each other 24/7. I’m exceptionally grateful that we are healthy, though, and not having to deal with actual illness quarantine.

I am acutely aware of my privilege in having a vehicle to be able to go out for the odd errand, the ability to work from home, a yard that we can go out to, and computers for everyone in my family. And I am grateful for all of those things. I am also more grateful than ever for my personal space, wherever I can squeeze it out.

I hope you are all staying healthy, safe, and sane!

Blessings,
Mary