CFC Blog #203: Quarantine-Themed Anti Pet Peeves (May 22, 2020)

Given the current state of the world, it's evident that everyone is experiencing a variety of challenges in their own unique situation. I appreciate the saying, "We are not all in the same boat... but we are all weathering the same storm." However, I have seen and heard how being in quarantine has actually brought people happiness and gratitude in different, perhaps unexpected ways.  So I decided to reach out to some community members for quarantine-themed anti pet peeves in effort to spread the little joys amidst these strange, emotional times. I hope they create a little burst of positivity in your day. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

- Amanda

Quarantine-Themed Anti Pet Peeves

In my four-year old's words, it's been really nice to not have to "rush rush rush! in the mornings." (This was also a wakeup call for me to calm down in the mornings when I'm trying to get us out the door...) - Fay Sardjono

Right now I'm really appreciating cooking with my fiance more frequently.  It brings me such joy to partner with her in the kitchen as we take turns being the sous chef.  She normally travels for work and since she's been home we've had such a great time preparing meals together. That and Wii Tennis!  We've been having such fun playing! Some day I'll consistently beat her.  LOL! - Richard Uniacke

My anti-pet peeve is when you see someone's face mask rise up at the corners and even though you can't see the smile you know it's there. - Joe Bruzzese

The chance to be at home with our daughter is such a joy — which is so much more than an anti-pet peeve — but it's the little things she does lately that come to mind, like picking up her toys and handing them to us, or sitting quietly by herself flipping through the pages of a book, or the way she'll shimmy back and forth when she hears music or has a good bite to eat. - Kurt Peloquin

Being able to go outside during the day and not feeling chained to a laptop in an office building. - Candice Peelman

My anti pet peeve is having more time to play with my pet! (picture attached) - Ellen Sirot

My anti-pet peeve during quarantine is being able to have long and peaceful mornings with Gigi that were normally rushed when I had to get into the city. - Danielle Posa

Having more intentional conversations over FaceTime. I’ve come to realize how much our conversations can default to just observations when you are with someone in public, like walking around or in a restaurant, but talking over the phone forces you to catch up and ask more personal questions - Lauren Culbertson

When my 15 month old daughter is in the middle of playing in the kitchen and she hears the stairs creak and starts yelling "Dadda!" and runs over to meet him on the way down from his home office. And then hearing him yell "Baby!" and she yells "Dadda!" again, on and off until she reaches him, reaches her arms up, and he scoops her up. Always makes my heart smile. And then we get a few minutes all together until he goes back to work! - Jaime Posa

Waking up at 7:30 instead of 6:30…

Lunch with usually 3-4 family members instead of by myself…

Finding a bunch of pictures and family memorabilia cleaning out…

Just because I know who wins the game, it does not make the re-run less interesting, it allows me to look at other things I missed during actual live broadcast  - Mo Pickens

In quarantine, as many have remarked, time moves differently. In this period, I have gradually recovered a richer, healthier relationship with time and experience; I can once again conceptualise them in terms other than opportunity-cost. - David Kim

Homemade DIY workout routines with my two teenage sons. - Tim Vogt

The beautiful design at the heart of the Internet - a purposeful inefficiency set down in the 70s that led remarkable growth and flexibility.  It doesn’t matter that parts of it break all the time as the central philosophy is robust.  Many of us have found a collection of good enough applications and services that allow us to function semi-normally. - Steve Crandall 

I’ve had a few family members with milestone birthdays lately. And since we can’t all get together for a party, we’ve instead been putting together video tributes and other heartfelt gifts like a scrapbook or a scavenger hunt of appreciation notes around the house, or even just a compilation of favorite foods on the table which has been so meaningful and fun…  it’s like a new burst of creativity all at once! - Amanda Posa

I’ve finally taken time to clean up and recycle a BUNCH of old papers (the KonMari method’s komono) from our bedroom. In the process, I discovered a wealth of old printed photographs (who prints photos anymore??) that I got to share with Teddy and Gigi. They stared in wonder, realizing their parents had lives before they were here. - Corey Loftus