A few weekends ago, I visited one of my favorite restaurants, Juniper, for the first time since before the pandemic.
For about an hour, it felt like old times. I used to go there almost every weekend. When I said I wished they did their brunch every Sunday like they used to, my dad disagreed. He said he felt their current, randomly selected schedule, was better—for both his belly and his wallet. (He went back to the buffet for a second plate, after all.) I thought that was a healthy way to look at things, and it reminded me how much has changed in the last few years.
Even though I’ve been working remotely full-time since 2020, adjusting to work-from-home life has been difficult. As recently as this year, I still felt like I was struggling to adapt. I’ve ping-ponged back and forth between my preference for working from home and at times desperately missing my office, the routine I had before the world broke down. I know that things will probably never be the same for me as they were then, but this has proven harder to accept than I thought.
A month ago, I even tried to go back into the office on a hybrid schedule. Luckily, my manager doesn’t care one way or another, because I totally failed at this endeavor. I thought I could recapture some of my old routine: socializing with officemates, taking lunchtime strolls down Main Street, hitting up the gym after hours. But none of these things felt the same, and by the third day, I couldn’t even make it until 5:00. I took a late lunch and hopped in my car to finish my work day in the comfort of my own home.
Times have changed, and when I couldn’t work up the motivation to go back into the office again, that seemed to solidify things for me. Working from home can be its own kind of struggle, but I seem to be an unwavering convert in the lifestyle. Not only is it more convenient, but it saves on gas and therefore saves me money. I’m also a horrible sleeper and unapologetic night owl, so not having to worry about waking up early is a considerable weight off my shoulders. I cannot tell you the migraines I used to get from lack of sleep back in pre-pandemic times. The horrible fluorescent office lighting didn’t help, either.
I now work in a home office with one lamp and two windows, which provide most of my lighting. I am a HUGE fan of natural lighting. It’s so strange the difference this can make in my mood, but also it’s not surprising. I used to work in a cubicle with absolutely no view under harsh lights. Now, I can look out the window and watch cars drive by, birds flit about in the yard, people walking their dogs or riding their bikes or going on runs. It’s nice getting to see other people living their lives, doing these mundane daily activities. It reminds me a bit of when I was a drive-thru teller at a bank during and after college. I loved it—the sound of the highway reminded me of the ocean. It was much less interesting having to stare into a bland lobby all day.
While I continue to struggle adapting to life working from home, I often imagine finding my way with the remote lifestyle in the future. I suppose in the grand scheme of it, I’ve only worked from home for a few years. Compared to, like, the rest of my life, that really hasn’t been a long time. Maybe one day I’ll find myself in a hybrid or fully onsite job again, but progress isn’t linear, and I’m not sure how much I’d thrive back in an office every day anyhow.
There are good days and bad days when it comes to working remotely, just as there were good days and bad days when working in an office full-time. Visiting Juniper again reminded me that while some things may stand still, time doesn’t. Life happens, circumstances change. Places like Juniper act as a totem to the before-times, but even their operations have had to adapt. Perhaps I’ve impaired myself in resisting for so long, in trying to hold on to the past. Going forward, I’d like to change that, as best I can anyway. I know it won’t be easy, but one day—whether that’s working from home or back in an office—I hope to curate the kind of life that doesn’t only live in my head.
Lauren Michelle Brock 