I don’t remember how long we have all been living in quarantine and socially distancing ourselves from our friends and family. It feels a bit like a lifetime that we have had to adjust to this new normal. It’s like a bad dream that we keep trying to wake up from and yet I know I am trying my best to make the most out of a terrible situation.
When we first went into quarantine, I was so excited to take long showers and wear sweatpants and sweatshirts around the house. I didn’t have to wear makeup or even dry my hair! I then took action and went through all of my photos to digitize. I then started cleaning out my closets- that took some time! I found bags of soaps and travel lotions and plenty of slippers that I had hoarded over the years from hotels but no toilet paper or paper towel! Then I started scouring the web for healthy recipes that involved baking because it felt like the thing to do (I already love to make dinners so I needed something to do that wasn’t the norm- because this new life of ours wasn’t normal!). We made breads, coffee cakes, cupcakes and more! Then to counteract the amount of “healthy sugar” I was consuming, I tried multiple online exercise classes!
Ok, so now, as I write this to you all, I can not pretend, I need my life back, but just parts of it. I need the people who I care about and see on a regular basis back in my life, to see them in person, with hugs! And, sadly, not even my new love, Andrew Cuomo (who incidentally we all believe should be President!) can tell me when we will go back to “normal”.
So I give myself a swift kick in the butt and as I prepare to start this new week I will be preparing for the Passover holiday. I am with my husband and kids and we will share in breaking of the matzo (which by the way has been as difficult to find as toilet paper!) and we will set the table with familiar holiday foods. Click here for my delicious healthy macaroons. On Passover we ask a question “why is this night different from all other nites?”. We spend part of the meal thinking about this question but this year while “zooming” with my family and friends who can’t physically be at our table in person (as a result of “stay home”) this will indeed be a different night. However, it is no less filled with anything but love and healthy wishes. Like the cups of wine we drink on Passover, my family and friends sweeten my life and I am so very fortunate.
The same order that the sedar brings to our family year after year, this holiday allows me to develop a new order, a new daily structure- a healthy balance to my days. And I invite you to my table, as I will continue to experiment with healthy cooking and different versions of exercise and balance in mind and body. And I may even start wearing something other than my daytime sweats (although they are super comfy!).