Crowded versus Full

Life is easier when we adjust our perspective. When the pandemic first started, our two grown sons and their girlfriends came to live with us in our new empty-nester house. The house felt very crowded and things like the messy mudroom and kitchen, the constantly full and running dishwasher, and the never-ending meal planning became tiresome and annoying.

Then everyone left and the house was quiet and clean again. Two returned to college and the other two drove cross-country for a road trip while they worked remotely. Life felt almost normal again — but I noticed that the house was too quiet. There was no one to play games with; I started to crave our nightly round of cards. The one upside was my return to a more disciplined eating approach and the loss of the weight I gained since the pandemic began.

As Thanksgiving approached, I had to control my excitement at having the family back together. I couldn’t wait for the laughs, the energy, the cooking camaraderie, the family dinners, and the paddle tennis and card partners.

I made a commitment to myself to approach this second phase of Covid family togetherness with a newly positive attitude. I decided to just close the door to the messy mudroom. I would let the young adults know that they would sometimes be on the hook for making dinner. I created spaces for everyone to put their belongings in lieu of leaving them all over the house — and I let everyone know how they could do their part to contribute to our ‘communal’ living.

I have awoken each day since Thanksgiving with excitement for what the day with a full house will bring. I have realized that I no longer feel like our house is crowded — it’s full. Full of energy, joy, laughter, interesting conversation, work out buddies, and people to share stories and life experiences with.

I will really miss everyone when they resume their ‘normal’ lives in mid-January. The house will feel so quiet again, but not in the way that I used to cherish. Covid has brought some blessings that we could never have anticipated -- It’s helped me change my perspective on what’s important in life.