Show of Progress
On the floor of my closet sits a stack of clothes, a remnant of the long list of goals I wrote out after about a month of working from home:
1. Purge closet
2. Make air plant holders
3. Redo bathroom
4. Plant garden
Nearly one year later, that leaning, dusty tower of clothes is a reminder of the large number of things on that list still without a check mark. Instead of getting rid of clothes, I bought more to accommodate my new loungey lifestyle. I managed to kill the air plants by overwatering them. My bathroom is now awash in three contrasting paint colors and the shiplap boards sit stacked in the garage.
At least I managed to pull off a vegetable garden that yielded a few crops and a lot of lessons.
That stack of clothes is also a totem of all that I did accomplish. I spent more time volunteering. I hung out with family and friends on a more regular basis. I tackled other home improvement projects.
In our first story below, you’ll hear from other locals about the projects they took on during quarantine – often not the ones they set out to accomplish – and what they learned in the process.
My big takeaway? It’s never too late so long as you’re still here. And there are things that are way more satisfying than a check mark.
– Jennifer Bardoner, editor
P.S. Did you tackle (and complete) home projects during lockdown? Submit before-and-after photos at https://www.timesfreepress.com/DIY by the end of the month for the chance to win a gift card and be featured in the magazine.