Social Distancing as a Work from Home Mom | Whitney Beth Photography | SLC Family Photographer
 

Social Distancing. That's where we are these days. And let me tell you, we are living in strange times. In the matter of a week, nearly everything has been shut down. I found myself scrolling social media and post after post reads about how different their day to days are. That people are going to use this time to DIY all the things and organize their whole house. The thought of all the potential that could come of this is inspiring, until I remember that I'm a work from home mom with a 3 year old, 10 month old and two big dogs... ha. Honestly, the way we deal with time in our household hasn't drastically changed - minus the fact that we don't go anywhere anymore and I find myself yearning to wander the aisles of Home Depot. Danny being a pharmacist still goes to work, and I work from home with the boys. I'm grateful for that - I know we are blessed to be able to have income (from one of us at least) when so many have lost jobs. 

With everything that has been going on, it seemed insensitive of me to write about what not to wear for pictures, or what my favorite thing about going to art school was. Looking at my empty calendar sent me spiraling. I took a week off. I didn't sit at my computer, I didn't plan out shoots, or write content. Instead I spent time with my family. I worked out from home with the boys and their tinker toy weights. I cooked dinner, kept the house up, played games. When we had our earthquake I snuggled my babies and prayed. I gave them all of me. I didn't worry about how much my google listing would go down - being in the luxury business, I'm not banking on many booking shoots. 

On Sunday, after having our second week of home church we packed a picnic lunch and went to a local park to eat and enjoy each other's company. (From a safe distance from everyone else who had the same idea.) We picked a quiet spot, away from the world. It was nice, and it was the perfect jumpstart I needed. I am realizing now that I crave normalcy. After that week of no plans, no deadlines, no obligations, I'm finding that with all the news out there in the world and with the infected count rising, I want to read about what makes people happy. I want to see what they're building, or how they pulled together an outfit from what they already owned. Yes we all must do our part and social distance, but that does not mean we have to suffer through isolation. We have been given an incredible gift to be able to stream, communicate, and interact all from our own homes and away from people. 

I'll be honest. When I started writing this, I had no idea where it would take me. Sometimes, it's best just to start and see where you go. So this is me, starting up my normal routine. Yes, I'm going to have to get creative with very, very few shoots planned, and yes, I will have to rearrange my content calendar. But giving routine and life back to myself is the best thing for me and my family right now. As terrible as this virus is, look at the good that has come - the canals in Venice are clear, pollution is down, families are learning how to be together and neighborhoods are establishing a community. This will end, and we will all come out stronger for it.