How to Wear Hard Pants. . .

This is a self-portrait of me today. Except for the hair and the tattoo - that's artistic flourish. I went shopping for the first time in 14 months and the pants in the store did not fit my post-pandemic stress-addled body. But no worries, we are all having a bit of trouble re-entering real life.

I've talked to lots of people who over the moon grateful for being vaccinated, but are also a bit overwhelmed by the whole transition back into society. Not everyone widened, but many feel tired out by things they did easily back in 2019. It's normal. We had to get kinda boring to manage pandemic stillness, and we have to rebuild our muscle memory for busy life again. Multitasking. Socializing. Walking. None of this is brain science, but you don't need to feel alone. If you feel inefficient as you re-enter the world, wear it as a badge of honor. If you feel ready to sit quietly instead of socialize, take it as evidence that you effectively adapted to pandemic life. If fitting two significant events into one day makes your chest tighten, then take it easy bro you're out of practice. And if hard pants don't fit you yet, there's plenty of time to eat salad later. For now, reframe your newfound limitations as successful pandemic adaptations, because they were, and you are awesome. And size up in hard pants so you're not extra uncomfortable as you ease back into life.