Standing Up
Now that many of us have been working at home over the past few months, like myself, you may have developed some pretty bad habits when it comes to taking a "stand". And, I'm not talking about the "fighting for your rights" kind of stand, but rather the physical act of standing up on a regular basis to stretch your legs, rotate your neck, and possibly be entertained by hearing a little snap, crackle and pop if you are a "mature"...aka "seasoned" adult like myself. But of course, by now, we've all heard the phrase that "sitting" is the new smoking. And from personal experience of watching my dad suffer from cancer due to his cigarette addiction, let's just say that I want nothing to do with "cancer sticks" as I habitually call them. However, I do want EVERYTHING to do with being healthy and growing old gracefully now more than ever.
Hence, I order a Standing Desk from Ikea back in July 2020. I was so excited to order a new office toy so that I could crank up the desk when I felt like taking a much needed break. I mean after all, nothing was stopping me from working all day for over 12 hours now that my creative juices are working overtime... like nobody's business. And, I'm not complaining about that either, but I knew in my heart of hearts and achy knees of knees that it was time to take a stand. I anxiously awaited my new beautiful clean white table top beauty that was scheduled to arrive back on Saturday, Aug 8, 2020. I knew I had a 30 plus day wait ahead of me, but my new toy was going to be worth its wait as measured by every Fitbit step I was ready to take. And then came the message. That dreadful message about three days before my delivery date that left me hanging like a teenage girl waiting for her crush to call... that never calls back. I figured that it would only be a few days late, so I didn't even call customer service as I wanted to prove that I totally understood that deliveries may be running a little late these days. But then, days turned into weeks and when I attempted to call, no human being was anywhere to be found. The company was simply overwhelmed and I was still a sitting duck.
My husband asked me a few times over the next month if I wanted to cancel the order, but I just couldn't bring myself to the thought of not being able to stand up. Standing up meant more to me than ever, and I prepared myself for the long, long wait ahead. And then...I got an email. The email that started making me happy on the inside with renewed hope in Ikea and my ability to finally take my stand. I believed that the new delivery date was real. I believed it was really going to happen this time. So when the morning of Sep 14, 2020 came, I was so elated when my family started to yell upstairs that my desk was on the loud sounding delivery truck outside. But like the sound of no other truck on earth, this truck had the motorized sound of music which held my new favorite thing! I watched it drive away from the upstairs window with nothing but glee and happiness ringing from head to toe.
So today, I finally made room for my new desk, and let me tell you, I've been cranking all day long! I got the manual crank handle so that it wouldn't have any motor issues down the line. And I am so loving it. When all the smoke clears from this pandemic, we'll all be glad we made it through and I'll be able to tell my future grandchildren, who are now but a mere thought, that I survived the great 2020 Covid-19 pandemic by choosing to make healthier lifestyle choices while intentionally standing up...especially for what is right!
Catherine Gail Turner
#I'mstillJoyfullyAlive
#It'sthelittlethingsthatcount
