On Second Thought

A return to pants

After working mostly from home the past three months, I have officially returned to the Leader office full-ish time this week.

Who knew an extrovert like myself would really enjoy meeting my introverted side? Come to think of it, variations of the word “social” were used often on my report cards growing up in the conduct commentary section on my report cards, but I don’t see it so often these days..

This work from home thing was virgin territory for me, but wouldn’t you know it was love at first sight, as well as the second and each subsequent glance.

I got a lot more work done, that is for sure, and I’m far more disciplined than my Magic Eight Ball ever has revealed.

I found out a lot about myself, but all good things must end.

I can’t do loads of laundry between tasks anymore. I can no longer take an afternoon siesta and then begin my writing for the night - when I’m at my writing peak - for the week’s stories. Just not having to wear pants, makeup or do my hair added a couple hours to my every day. It was glorious.

And I dare say, my dogs will miss me. Erma will most certainly miss my screams as she eats the post it notes I rely on to live my life as close to the margin as is expected of me. Maggie will just miss her lunchtime belly rubs because she is mostly a very good girl. In reality, though, Erma is the one who kind of gets me.

One of the cooler things that will come of this is that I am planning a cross country trip again this summer - God willing - and take my work computer with me, now that I know I can.

If my plan works, it will be the very first Iowa Park Leader partially published in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is kind of historic and right in line with this year’s theme “ Whoda thunk it?” I won’t be publishing from a Craps table, though. I’ll spend all my days with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson, gloriously aware I can be almost all things to all people, at least for a little while.

But I always have to return to the office, and pants, eventually.