Uh, it’s the middle of November? When did that happen? How did we actually make it to November?

Back when I wrote this post in March as COVID was first hitting the US, it didn’t seem like we’d make it to April. And when we did, it lasted about a year. Then the rest of the months over the summer went by so quickly? And now it’s almost winter?

It’s just really hard to believe that this year is almost over. I mean, thank GOD it’s almost over, but back in March and April, this time of year seemed so far away. And it seems like we’re back to the beginning in regards to COVID as numbers are beginning to spike again across the country. It’s devastating to watch the news and hear that hospitals are struggling again to handle patients and that the country is seeing at least 1,000 deaths per day.

My family and I are staying safe and doing what we can. My mom has made us all a bunch of masks, and we limit our trips out of the house. Back in the spring, I didn’t leave my house for like a month, and over the summer, I began to leave the house more; now I don’t get freaked out when I go to the library or Dunkin’ or into a grocery store or other normal things.

These past few months feel more like regular months, like time isn’t going by too quickly or too slow, but that could just be me. I am taking things just a day at a time, especially because I think things are going to be changing quickly like they were in the beginning of the pandemic.

I’m still working from home—about eight months now—and I’m not sure when I’m going back into the office full-time. I do go in every other week for an on-campus meeting, which is fine and it’s nice to see other people in person, but I am grateful I’m able to do my job from my bedroom.

I’m also using up the rest of my PTO. It seemed weird when I first started working from home to take a day off because I couldn’t go anywhere, but now I look forward to my days off. I’m able to sleep in, watch Netflix, or read. I have 10 days off coming up around Thanksgiving, and then I have some more time off in December, including December 23 to January 3; the campus is closed between Christmas and New Year’s. My plans for my Thanksgiving break include lots of Netflix and reading Barack Obama’s new book—it’s over 700 pages!

I’ll be taking it easy this month and next month, and we’ll see what January has in store for us. I fear that this winter will be bad for COVID, and I know myself and my family will continue being safe and doing what’s best for us. I don’t regret buying a 2021 planner, and hopefully it will help me keep some sense of time.