That #WFH Life (Work from Home)
I’ve been working from home since March. I’ll be honest, it was not easy at first, and not just because this country was seriously bungling the response to the pandemic while other countries around the world were going into lockdown to protect their citizens and the US President didn’t appear in public with a mask until July. (Whew...that’s a lot of feels…)
Working from home was initially hard for me because I liked the compartmentalizing of work being at work and home being for family and friends. As a pastor, it can be a challenge to create (and keep) work/home boundaries because our ministry is so tied up in who we are and how we see ourselves and how we live in the world. Since the beginning of my current ministry, I’ve tried to establish healthy boundaries between my work and home life to maintain my own health, my family’s well being and look out for the health of my congregation. Of course, sometimes there are situations where you need to take work home at the end of the day, or need to be on call for a hospitalized congregant...and that’s ok, because it’s part of the calling! But what I’m talking about is setting boundaries for myself like not checking email on my day off and taking vacation (that’s still a work in progress, tbh) and setting a time each night when I put my computer down and do things unrelated to my ministry.
And so work from home was intimidating for me! I never have really had examples of working from home either, as both of my parents worked outside the home with a 30 minute commute each way. The physical separation of work and home spaces was helpful for my parents and it has been helpful to me...until March, that is. Then suddenly, the spare room in our apartment, which had been used mostly for storage and housing guests who come to visit, turned into a combination office-gym-sewing room-craft room-socializing-dance party-ministry recording space.
I’ll be honest. It was a hard transition. The first few weeks, I absolutely let my boundaries fall. Maybe this was just because the COVID situation was changing every day and my church had to adapt to doing our worship service and ministries online in a matter of days. But also, to me it felt like I had to keep up on every new idea for online worship and every new strategy for managing youth group online and every thinkpiece that came out about what the pandemic means to USAmerican Christianity. I needed to keep up with each ministry group on Facebook to make sure I was doing worship “the right way” and make sure I was leading my church well. (Not to mention, wise people tell me that it’s rarely possible to process trauma in the middle of ongoing trauma.)
Hellooooooo, stress. Goooooooodbye, boundaries.
But after a few months, my outlook on work-from-home changed. I realized that there were some nice things about being at home more: my office at church doesn’t have good lighting, so I enjoyed writing next to the windows at home; my partner and I got to have lunch together every day; my cat became a co-worker, keeping my feet warm as I typed away at my desk. I began to accept the long term nature of this way of doing ministry, and set about making my physical environment work for me.
I sewed rainbow flags from leftover quilting cotton to brighten up the bare walls.
Thanks to Janet at my church for the cotton! The art on the left I received as a gift (thanks, C!) and the art on the right is by my friend Lauren!
I bought a new cover for the futon, and then hung the sun and moon ceramics I’ve been trying to find a place for!
Obviously the cat approves of the futon cover.
We hung shelves (one of the more harrowing tasks for relationships, especially since the wall studs weren’t even). And then I found these corner shelves from Amazon that easy to mount!
My houseplants! Pothos from PrettyInGreenPlants and Maranta from HomePlantInspiration. Monsterra from my friend H.
Also, did you know you can buy houseplants on Etsy? I didn’t know that until the pandemic! But these plants on my sweet corner shelves are from PrettyInGreenPlants and HomePlantInspiration. They ship the plants quickly, and are clearly packed with care. I’ve ordered this pothos and this maranta from these shops and they came in great condition.
I (finally) put up framed artwork! My friend Lauren is an amazing human who does important justice work in the world, and she also makes gorgeous prints like the ones featured in this post! Check out her Etsy shop, LPlumPrintshop, to find these prints and keep up to date on her new artworks (check out her advent cards!) I found these simple barnwood picture frames on Amazon and think they set the artwork well.
And, of course, I adore candles, so I make sure to burn candles that enhance the coziness of my new-ish office space. While I have a soft spot for Bath & Body Works candles, I have transitioned to buying candles from small batch artisans on Etsy. DorothyBCo makes this Vanilla & Amber candle that I can’t get enough of and I just absolutely love it! It’s warm with a hint of musk and isn’t sickly sweet--perfect for autumn!
I know work from home isn’t for everyone, but I am proud of myself for adapting. It hasn’t been easy (just ask my partner and my cat!) but I have learned to make the best of my situation and adjust my corner of the world to be just a wee bit cozier as I continue to care for myself and others.
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