I am all over the place, well in my house, like the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen/dining room, the other bathroom, the powder room (which is technically the other other bathroom). All of a sudden, ‘open-concept’ living is a nightmare. There are only two of us here, but I recall at Christmastime when there were seven people living here that there was nowhere to hide. I can’t imagine what all the open-concept families are doing right now.

Remember when there was an adequate living room, with a wall. Then a dining room, with a wall. Then a family room with a wall. We thought that was a bad idea. Who knew pandemic living would make us yearn for the small, divided spaces of yesteryear? I know you are thinking the same thing I am. How do I go to my separate corner when we took all the dividers and corners away? I mean, I was wondering this for my dear Millennials when they made picnic tables de rigueur  (I’m practicing my French!) for office space. What happened to privacy in business? How does one give or take a verbal whoopin’ if everyone is listening? Perhaps verbal whoopins are no longer de rigueur in an office., What do I know, I work from home?

I’m certain I am on to something. Being in the same room with everyone, all the time, which in my case is just one other person, is embarrassing. I mean, how does one quietly open the bag of chocolate chips or even the cupboard to the chocolate chips without hearing: “wacha’ doin’ in there?” How does one make secret phone calls to their mom, sister, grown child, granddaughter, girlfriends, or the liquor store? Okay, I’ll say it, how does one fart for goodness sake, when there is nowhere to hide?

It’s worse than that. It’s the feeling of being watched 24-7. Or being the watcher. Did I hear a cough? Did someone go outside? And a new favorite phrase from everyone’s lips: You’re doing it wrong! You know you’ve thought it a hundred thousand times in the last three weeks, but now you’re actually saying it out loud. Mostly because you don’t know what you’re saying out loud, except for hearing the echo in the lovely open-concept cathedral ceiling room which we all now regret with every fiber of our being.

I have taken the liberty to sit in the privacy of my powder room and come up with a few suggestions:

1. Find a flashlight and use it in a laundry room, garage, interior powder room or interior bedroom with the door closed and all lights off to create the appearance of unused space to take care of any private business you may have.
2. Embrace the open concept living for you and lock some people outside to play. That’s what my mom and Nana used to do and it seemed effective at the time. Who knows maybe Nana remembered it from 1918-1919 or thereabouts.
3. Be open-minded enough to realize that others could be doing it right, or just differently. This is where you may learn new skills.
4. Treat every single day as a time and a place for laughter. It’s there, boy oh boy is it. As I’m typing this my electricity went out with a 30-second wind storm that ran through Pennsylvania. See? Pretty sure my Nana is guffawing up there in heaven right now!

Just know, you’re not doing it wrong. None of us are. We have no idea what we’re doing.  You’re doing it fine. If you are staying kind, fed, watered, entertained and as sane as possible, you are doing it right. We are all doing it right. Every day. And congratulations for that!

And don’t forget. Please, never forget…

You Just have to Laugh………………and find privacy, lots of privacy.

©2020 Cathy Sikorski