Christmas in July. Woo hoo. Things at Colina de Welsh have been, you know, quarantine consistent. We’re healthy, we’re working (oh lord are we working), and we’re kinda fearing the fall that is to come.

We had a vacation planned for the Outer Banks the last full week of August. Key word: “Had.” Just yesterday, we had to put that bad boy on hold. Pennsylvania is asking its residents to quarantine for two weeks after returning from certain states, North Carolina among them. We were due to return from the vacation on a Saturday, and our daughter’s school year was to start just two days later, the following Monday. I’m not great at math, but I’m pretty sure that meant that if we went away and then followed the quarantine instruction, she’d have to miss the first two weeks of school, or at least the first two weeks of class in the physical school.

Considering that she’s been stuck at home with us for months and months and months, well, there’s no way we were going to ask that of her.

Of course, the state can’t really enforce the quarantine. There’s no way for them to. But if the state is asking us to stay home for two weeks because we traveled to a state with a high level of infections, I’m sure as hell not going to skate around it. The last thing I would want is her to go to school and get a bunch of kids she’s in class with sick—and then they go home and get their family sick and, worst case scenario, someone gets seriously sick and dies.

Nope, nope, and nope. Vacation isn’t that important. For as much as I need to get out of the house, to escape, to be somewhere else and be off screens and to not work and to just enjoy life, there’s just no way I’m going to risk the health of her classmates and their families.

I can’t be that person. I won’t be that person. So vacation will wait.

Lesson learned: Don’t schedule a vacation in another state during a pandemic for the week before your kid heads back to school. Just don’t do it.

In other news, I’ve converted the garage to a full gym. Over quarantine I’ve bought a barbell, bumper plates, a squat rack, kettlebells, dumbbells, rings, a fan to keep the air moving, and stall mats so that I don’t crack the concrete when deadlifting or dropping weights. And for Father’s Day, Beth got me a rower cause she’s awesome.

What does this mean for CrossFit? Well, I’m still Functional Fitnessing…but I did give up my membership at the local CrossFit affiliate. With being worried about parents and really trying to social distance as much as possible, it didn’t make sense to go back—especially now that the garage is fully kitted out.  As long as I continue to work out, the garage will pay for itself in less than two years.

I miss my friends, I miss the coaching, and right now I miss the fuck out of the air conditioning in the box, but there’s a lot to be said for working out on your own. For one, my time is my own. I don’t worry about getting into the box “early” or wondering how late the coach wants to stay. I’m not comparing myself to people I shouldn’t be comparing myself to. My ego isn’t forcing me to try things that I know I shouldn’t, and because of that I’m feeling healthier than I have I quite a while.

Plus, I’ve found great programming. Despite having gone to CrossFit for the last three years, I’m still one of the guys who has no idea what he’s doing at the gym unless someone tells him exactly what to do. I’ll just walk around aimlessly, move some weights around, and really not get anything done.

Enter Street Parking.

Street Parking is programming for people who want to do CrossFit style training but are working out at home (though, of course, if you have access to a CrossFit style gym, you can do the programming there, too). They provide daily workouts six days a week with full video overviews, plus a ton of accessory workouts programmed on a weekly basis. They recommend when to fit in these accessory workouts, and they also run friendly competitions and every six months they program once-a-week repeat workouts so that you can check your progress. They also offer maintenance videos (think yoga, from what I’ve seen so far), and offer a nutrition plan for an extra cost. (I can’t comment cause I haven’t looked into it.)

Overall, I’m shocked with all that the platform offers. It’s an amazing resource for someone like me who has nearly everything but the knowledge to program for myself. And, oh yeah, it’s only $20 a month. (And if you’re a veteran like me, $15 a month!)

If you’re into working out, I highly recommend it. Even if you have minimal equipment, as they offer a few different alternatives for their daily programing.

It’s been so valuable for me, because I swear that working out has been a key to keeping me sane. My days have been interesting. I’ll have VERY high days, followed by VERY low days. I’m worried about so many different things, and I’ve never been busier with work. Some days I’m shiny and happy, and other days I just want to cry—and sometimes I do.

Highs and lows. Highs and lows.

At least sports are back. I have the Union-Revolution game on as I write this, and I’ve actually watched the Phillies the past two days. It almost feels normal

Almost.

I want to get back to writing regularly, but at the same time I’m doing my best to stay off screens. After working out in the mornings, I take 15 to 30 minutes of straight screen-free time. I sit out front with my coffee and just listen to and watch the birds flit from tree to tree. Then, when I wrap up the work day, I head to a little meditation nook I’ve created and sit for about 15 minutes and then journal right after.

It makes for a nice bookend.

I’m ready for this pandemic to be over. I know the vast majority of us are. Unfortunately, I think it’s going to still be with us for a while,  and many of us are going to be experiencing a holiday season unlike any other. So strap in, folks.

Strap in, and stay healthy.