A call came down the pipeline, and now our friend in the state office is uprooting her life and heading back to the bustling chaos of the workplace—five years of cozy pajama-clad Zoom meetings are about to be traded in for a daily parade in business casual. What was once a glorious existence of rolling out of bed, slapping on some deodorant (maybe), and jamming to her favorite tunes while cooking breakfast has now morphed into the dreaded “get up and go to work like a normal person” routine. Oh, the horror!

Now, sure, her concerns about the long commute and the juggling act she has to perform as a single mom are valid. An hour and a half one way? That’s like a mini road trip every morning! But let’s be honest, the rest of America has been doing this commute dance forever. Picture it: the masses packed like sardines in their cars, sipping coffee, listening to the same news reports on repeat, counting down the minutes until they can finally break free at 5 PM. Our office-loving friend may need to take a page out of their book because, surprise, surprise, this is life!

But let’s talk about the emotional baggage here. She expressed feelings of vulnerability like she was sharing a deeply personal diary entry with the world, which is a little amusing when you think about it. The lady has a job (thank goodness for that), her health, kids who presumably love her, and the opportunity to be part of society again! Yet, she’s framing this life update like it’s the end of an era. The sun isn’t going to rise just for her; the grind continues, my friend!

And she’s not alone on this front. Many folks out there didn’t get the option to work from home at all during the pandemic, and they’ve been clocking in and out like usual—masks on and hand sanitizers in pocket. So, here’s a novel idea for our friend: what if she approached this opportunity with a splash of optimism? Maybe this is a chance to connect with colleagues, change her scenery, and discover a fresh routine that might just boost her productivity and satisfaction in the long run.

It’s funny how social media has turned everyone into an authority on workplace woes, isn’t it? People flood the internet with their struggles as though they’re auditioning for a role in a dramatic low-budget soap opera. News flash: the world isn’t waiting to offer sympathy just because your coffee machine broke, and you have to wear pants instead of sweatpants. Life is not all about scrolling and complaining; it’s about rolling with the punches, even if some punches feel like full-on uppercuts.

So here’s a tip for our state employee: embrace the chaos. Meal prep like a pro, swap out breakfast in bed for breakfast on the go, chat up some coworkers, and find joy in the little interactions that office life offers. A little adversity might be precisely what she needs to shake things up—after all, everyone could use a little reminding that life happens beyond the confines of their laptops. Here’s hoping she takes this transition in stride, finds her groove, and, who knows, maybe even discovers that chatting it up at the water cooler isn’t the worst thing in the world (well, unless that water cooler talk has turned into the dreaded Zoom meeting again).