Post-Coronavirus Bucket List

 

 

As my family of five has been cooped up in our house the past few weeks, I’ve started dreaming of all the things I’m going to do when this is over, when we can all go where we want, with whomever we want. I know a bucket list is usually something you put together intending to do the things before a certain date, but I’ve begun thinking of my list as a “Post-Coronavirus Bucket List.”

  1. Go out to eat

I do enjoy cooking, and we have been getting takeout or delivery a couple of times a week to preserve my sanity and to help support the businesses that are still open, but I am SO looking forward to going to a restaurant, sitting in their space, ordering my food, waiting in my chair as the food is prepared, eating it at my leisure, and then leaving the dirty dishes for someone else to wash (ha!)

  1. Go to church

Our church has been hosting online services for weeks now. This allows our congregation to sing songs and listen to sermons together, but it is just different. The first Sunday when churches are cleared for large gatherings again, I believe the pews will be packed, and even introverts like me will be happy to greet my neighbor during the welcome time. I will hold hands in prayer and hug all the necks. And I’m sure communion will taste just a little sweeter than usual.

  1. Have people over for dinner

In the real world (not this alternate reality we are currently living in), my husband and I host a dinner each Wednesday night. I miss this weekly rhythm – the cleaning up of the house, the preparation of food, the noise of the evening, the quiet of the cleanup and aftermath, and I look forward to welcoming it all back again soon.

  1. Meet the babies

Several of my friends have given birth over these past few weeks, and others are coming due very soon. I’ve seen their precious pictures and sent delivery dinners, but part of the beauty of being in the tribe of a new mom is getting to snuggle the baby, to smell their hair, to squish their little squishy parts and listen to them coo. Giving birth in the middle of this pandemic feels like a lonely experience, and I look forward to smothering the new mommas and new babies with all the love.

  1. Go on a playdate

My kids are desperate to interact with their friends (or really anyone other than us and each other!). I’m already planning at least three playdates so that my kids can run free with their friends while I sit on a park bench with their friends’ parents and manage the chaos from afar.

  1. Go to a festival

French Quarter Fest is my family’s favorite festival. Not as big as jazz fest, in the Quarter,  and FREE, is the perfect combination for us. We were so sad to miss it this year. But I am imagining what a glorious day it will be to be outside in the sunshine, listening to live music and dancing. October’s not that far away, right?

  1. Have a crawfish boil

Or attend one. I’m not picky here. I just want to be in a backyard somewhere with hot crawfish and a cold drink and people and laughter and a New Orleans afternoon.

  1. Visit family

All of our extended family lives in Tennessee, so we are somewhat used to not seeing them regularly. But COVID-19 has made the physical distance feel farther. At this point, I just want to be able to hug my parents, our siblings and aunt and uncles, and cousins –  to feel close to them again, even if we turn around two days later to come back home.

  1. Go to the office

I’ll admit there are some nice things about working from home, like wearing sweatpants and having the thirty-second commute to my desk. But I actually really like the office I work in. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of working downtown. And I also really like my coworkers. The Zoom check-ins are starting to get old. What I want are the office kitchen chats, the monthly birthday celebrations, and the random deskside conversations with my work bestie. These are some of the things that make the hard parts of my job the most worth it.

  1. Get a haircut

I was supposed to get a haircut on March 17. So were my kids. My four-year-old can barely see through his mop top, and I am NOT one of those industrious moms who can just give a quick trim. Nope. If I try, my kids will either end up bald or with a bowl cut. And my hair has just grown into one lifeless blob. I need layers, and a few inches off the bottom to bring the volume back. I also need to catch up with Erin, to find out about the newest spots we both want to check out and to have someone pamper me for half an hour. What a dream!

One day, hopefully, sooner rather than later, this season of staying at home will be behind us. What are you most looking forward to doing?

Sarah Brichetto
Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sarah moved to New Orleans in 2009 after graduating from the University of Tennessee (Go Vols!) and is proud to call New Orleans home. She is a CPA and the Finance Director at a local real estate development company. Sarah lives in the Freret neighborhood with her husband, Matt, and their three kids: Elizabeth, Paul and Isaac. You can often find them roaming the neighborhood streets, taking streetcar rides, or enjoying one of the many local parks. In her non-existent free time, Sarah loves to try the newest local restaurants, cook, read, and write.

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