Working from Home, Why It’s Different this Time
Of the things that have changed, not all are bad.
PHOTO BY RICHARD COOK
This is not the first time I’ve worked from home. In a couple of previous jobs, my home was my permanent office. But this time is different.
Back then, I did not check in every day with my now-adult children, who live in different parts of the country, to make sure they didn’t have symptoms of a virus.
I did not ration my intake of news in order to keep my anxiety level under control.
I did not make a point of trying to get some regular exercise because I knew it would make me feel better mentally as well as physically.
I used to think text messaging was merely a convenience. Now, hearing from others on how they are coping is a form of therapy.
When out for a walk with my wife, I wasn’t mentally calculating the distance between us and another person.
I was not as grateful as I should have been for having a good job with great colleagues and I didn’t empathize nearly enough for those in less fortunate circumstances.
Some things have not changed. T-shirts, sweats and sneakers remain the uniform of the day. As for when I get around to taking a shower … let’s not go there.
Richard Cook is the Director of Digital Media at Pittsburgh Magazine.
