Back to the office as a different person

It has been two and a half years since I’ve worked in the office. I’m returning as part of a hybrid program where I work part of the week there and the rest at home. My feelings about this are mixed. I miss interacting face-to-face with my colleagues. Some of my projects require me to work with equipment that must be in the office. During the pandemic, I felt isolated at times and worried my social skills were atrophying. Spending time with other adults is good for me.

But I’ve also become productive working at home. Many of the people I work with aren’t even on the same continent. I can take those Teams calls just as easily at home (especially when some of them start at 6:00 am). It has also been nice not wasting 40 minutes a day commuting. I’ve valued sending our granddaughter off to school in the morning and taking a break to welcome her home when she returns.

What makes returning to the office challenging for me is that I’m not the same person I was two and a half years ago.

On my last day at the office, I weighed 211 pounds (95.7 kg). Today, I’m 180 (81.6 kg). The office clothes I wore in March 2020 are too big. I’m not sure the slacks and polo shirts I stocked up in anticipation of a return to the office will fit either. I’ve spent two and a half years going from shorts season to sweatpants season. I’ll have to get…