Going Back to Work

When I get back from my vacation, I'm going to be actually going into work for my work day for the first time since March. I'm both looking forward to it and a bit anxious. On the one hand, it will be nice to get out of the house again, and I like riding my bike to and from work. I might even do some running home from work as it gets cooler outside and it makes sense to run at 5 in the evening instead of 5 in the morning. On the other hand, I'll be going to work... 

My work place has definitely been proactive about precautions. I'll be issued a couple of masks, and there are expectations that they will be worn indoors when out of a private office area, and outdoors whenever distance cannot be maintained. But no one is perfect, and whenever you have an environment with large numbers of people moving through it, risks of viral exposure increases. 

And I've been asked to retain some of my work equipment at home so that I can easily flex back if I feel a bit ill, but not ill enough to call in sick. Or if the workplace gets shut down in any way. Which could happen pretty easily; it is a school that intends to open in the fall after all. 

Everything feels a little bit crazy. A little bit off. I work without going to work, and I hardly leave the apartment except for proscribed shopping trips and neighborhood runs. Will riding my bike to work each day help me feel more normal? Or will wearing a mask at work make things feel different? Not to mention no socializing at lunch, and the fact that most of my co-workers will be working remotely. And those of us who will be in the office are not supposed to get too close. 

My meetings will still be virtual, but I might be isolated enough in my office to forgo the headphones for some meetings at least. And my ears will be very happy to get a break from wearing them - especially with some of these marathon 4 hour meetings that I've been in to prepare to implement a new software system. Based on the density of people who will be in my office, I'm anticipating that I'll be able to do some singing, or at least listen to music without headphones as well. 

I quite enjoy singing while I work, and my poor husband has had to endure quite a bit of that over the last few months. It's not that I'm a bad singer, but he prefers to listen to non-vocal music. And soon, he'll be able to listen to what he wants all day while I'm at work and I'll be able to listen to whatever I want while I'm at work - except during meetings!