Photography by Lori Wilson
THE CHARLES FAMILY
Lori Wilson, Wes Charles and Hattie Charles
HOW IT STARTED: Lori is a small-business owner providing portraits, wedding and event photography. Suddenly out of work, she started doing porch portraits in early April. Her husband, a manager at Ryan LLC, was working from home. “We live in a three-bedroom house, and the third room is my office,” she says. “So he took the dining room, which was clearly a challenge for calls and concentration.”
HOW IT’S GOING: “One of my clients said this to me, and I felt it was so true: ‘Working at home with kids during the pandemic is basically you and your spouse choosing whose job is more important,’” Lori says. “I think that also applies to mental health. Whose mental health is more important and do they need a break?” Slowing down has helped them re- evaluate what’s most important in life and take a reset. “There’s nothing that glamorous in being insanely busy,” she says. “Slowing down and being more present in your life is a blessing.”
THE FUTURE: “Like many families who have had time to really see the flaws or what could be changed at their house, we are now looking into adding a garage apartment so that we can have another office area,” Lori says.
