It’s May 2020 and our lives have been turned on their heads in some form or another since March of this year. Sheltering-in-place in our homes; unable to visit our elderly parents; separated from friends; and concerned about the well-being of those we love. As strange as it may seem, these have all become something of a “norm” lately.
But what happens as this norm starts to shift and we edge closer to the “other side”?
Will some of the lessons we have learned change us in some way forever?
Will we find new beauty in the things we took for granted before…discovering a fresh gratitude for what we thought was the mundane?
These are the kind of questions that have been running through our minds over here at LonoLife, so we decided to ask the team who they thought they would be “On The Other Side.” Here are some of their musings below.
JILL HOLLAND, HEAD OF MARKETING
What you are most looking forward to doing once restrictions get lifted?
Running on the beach, happy hour with girlfriends, dinner with my husband at our favorite Mexican restaurant (margaritas included!), hugging my 87 year old mom, and going to watch a movie at my favorite local movie theatre, La Paloma in Encinitas
What do you hope your life/the planet/society looks like on the other side of this?
I hope for more gratitude for the simple things in life, to not take freedoms of any kind for granted, and that we all gain more compassion for our neighbors
What lessons have you learned during this time?
I’ve learnt how important it is to appreciate the simple things all the time. Grand plans are exciting, but in reality, it’s friends and family that bring true happiness
KAYLI FRASER, SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER
What you are most looking forward to doing once restrictions get lifted?
I can’t wait to go to the beach and hug people again, and I’m definitely excited about being able to go out to eat!
What do you hope your life/the planet/society looks like on the other side of this?
I’m hoping everyone comes out of this with a greater appreciation for each other. Also, I hope people continue to show their appreciation for all our front line workers. I hope we all recognize how much impact we have on our environment and realize now how important it is to take care of our planet.
What lessons have you learned during this time?
I appreciate how lucky I am to have so many people in my support system and to never take for granted the little things like watching the sunset and petting dogs again.
CRAIG LESLIE, VP of eCommerce
What you are most looking forward to doing once restrictions get lifted?
I can’t wait to have date nights out with my wife, and celebrate Happy Hour and enjoy dinners with friends. I also am looking forward to being able to spend time (dinners and beach days) with my brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces. Finally, it will be good to be able to travel again, even if it’s just to drivable destinations for a while.
What do you hope your life/the planet/society looks like on the other side of this?
I hope people are more grateful and understand how fragile we are as humans and how fragile our planet is. I hope people respect other people’s space in a new way and social distance to whatever extent is necessary. And I hope we all can look at the opportunities we have in life, cherish them, and understand how fortunate we are to wake up each day.
What lessons have you learned during this time?
I’ll probably be a germaphobe! But I’ll also stop and smell the roses and appreciate the small things in life, and be more grateful in general. I’ll appreciate and remember all of the people who helped get us through the pandemic, and I’ll say thank you more.
PAUL TAPARAUSKAS, LONOLIFE FOUNDER
What you are most looking forward to doing once restrictions get lifted?
I’m looking forward to seeing my family and friends and going to an upscale restaurant where we can share a great meal and bottle of wine with close friends.
What do you hope your life/the planet/society looks like on the other side of this?
Getting back to normalcy!
What lessons have you learned during this time?
I learned I love my wife a lot more than when this all started! She gets through everything with smiles and grace.
JESSE KOLTES, COO
What you are most looking forward to doing once restrictions get lifted?
I have worked with barbells a few times a week for nearly 20 years now. I NEVER imagined I would take this much time off and it’s making me absolutely crazy. I even bought my own barbell (which is not going to fit very well in my NYC studio) but I can’t find any weights, so it’s kind of pointless!
What do you hope your life/the planet/society looks like on the other side of this?
I hope we learn to take more seriously that the small risks we take can have bigger consequences. Preparing for the worst case scenario always looks wasteful if the “bad thing” never happens, but it still makes sense to prepare just in case. I hope that idea sinks in more deeply to our culture.
What lessons have you learned during this time?
Sometimes when bad things happen, the “backup” plan gets washed away for the same reason your first plan didn’t work. I never thought I would have to leave NYC, and so all the stuff I stocked up on in New York was useless because I couldn’t fit it in my car. Lesson learned: know where you’re going to run when sh*t hits the fan!
How about you, our LonoLife family? Will you be different in some way on the other side? Will you think differently about certain aspects of life or find a new gratitude for what you took for granted before? Take a minute to ask yourselves the same questions: you might be surprised at your own responses!
