We’ve already been separated for the past several weeks (besides our spontaneous grocery run-in last week), so Brandon and I planned a socially distant picnic for today where we could chat and eat our favorite foods, as usual (we had the ultimate charcuterie picnic last October). While I’m incredibly thankful and lucky that I’m quarantining at home with most of my family, not seeing my friends as often as I used to has been quite difficult and detrimental on my mental health, which I’m sure is the case for most people across the world. To keep myself going and maintain some sense of normality, it’s important for me to see my people whenever I can (at a six foot distance of course), so Brandon and I have been planning mini picnics in our yards where we can talk in person instead of having long text conversations, and still eat all of our favorite foods. Today I cut up thin apple slices and plated them (am I on Chopped?) with my dearly loved olive tapenade and wheat thins. Brandon contributed homemade cookies (the best I’ve ever had!!) and raspberry lemonade mixed with white wine. Our little picnic turned into a 5 hour nonstop banter as the sun set behind my house. We started with the normal current state of mind and being conversations and somehow spent two hours talking about our friend/couple costume for Halloween (we’ve been planning one specific paired costume, but have decided on one that made us cry laugh) before a heated argument about whether Laurie should have ended up with Jo or Amy in Little Women. I obviously am in favor of the Laurie and Amy pair and convinced Brandon to abandon (at least for now) his support for Laurie and Jo. More picnics are to come and I think those are what will keep me going throughout the rest of the quarantine period!
