Life Lately

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Good morning friends, it is hard to believe that Sunday is Valentine’s Day, it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the new year. How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? They say that by the second week in February 80% of the people who made them have given up. If you’ve let your resolution fall by the wayside but it is still important to you guess what, tomorrow is another day to give it a try, the good news is that every day is a new opportunity to start fresh.

I know that many people are hitting the Covid-19 wall as they say and sometimes I feel as if I am too but I am trying to stay positive and to see the good that has come out of this year . I’ve been writing in my journal all of the things that I am grateful for this past year.

1. According to my computer(as of yesterday) it’s been 340 days since I saw a member of my family, I am grateful that we have the technology to connect and share holidays, family celebrations and of course the little everyday moments.
2. 333 days ago my husband and I were in the process of buying/selling a house. My dream house sold to someone else and in trying to finds its replacement we also lost out on a completely unsuitable house that was too big, too much property and too much work that we got into a bidding war with another couple over. We have thanked God many times over the last year that we didn’t get that house because I am sure that we would have regretted making such a hasty decision.
3. Time. I am so grateful that life and time seem to have slowed down. All of those things that I had on a list to do “when I had time” I have had the time to do. Oddly enough some of them are still unfinished and the reason is that they just were not worth the time or effort.
4. My husband and my pups.  We have been together 25 years and this is the most time we have spent together in all of those years. We’ve taken online classes together, done a few projects around the house, we eat every meal together in our dining room(which has only been used at most 6 times in the last 12 years), and we end every day reading in the lounge with the pups.
5. Yoga. I do yoga five days a week, it is a workout for the mind and soul as well as the body. But more importantly at my studio, I’ve found my tribe.
6. My family and friends.  We are all healthy and safe. My mom and my mother-in-law have gotten their fist vaccination and my dad is on the list.
7. People’s generosity. It has been fun learning how to bake bread and other sweet treats from a favorite bakery in London, how to navigate WordPress, how to paint and many other things, all from strangers who are willing to give their time and expertise.
8. I’ve made new friends virtually, I’ve joined a Mastermind group and a group of women of a “certain age.”
9. I realized that I can do without things and could probably pair down my stuff to a 1/4 of what I have and am actually working on doing just that.
10. Memories of all of the things I’ve done, learned or experienced during these crazy times.

I know that there are many who are suffering, those who have lost jobs(my sister included), their livelihood, companies, loved ones and more, children who are now almost a year without in person learning, people who have missed weddings, trips of a lifetime, proms, dances, and so many other little and big things. We are going to make it, the road ahead is going to be bumpy but we will make it.

Aside from this I have been wishing for snow! We did get about 2-3 inches 10 days ago and it was beautiful. It made me smile to see the kid in the neighborhood so happy having snowball fights and sledding down the tiniest hills on cardboard.

I even went outside and made a tiny snowman, then I set it in a planter so that every time I looked out the window I could see it and its red scarf blowing in the breeze.

Valentine’s day has been keeping me busy, I’ve been making treats and cards to send to family and friends. If you want to make a sweet treat you could try these cupcakes or this popcorn or maybe even these cookies. Or any of these sweet and savory things on my Valentine’s Day Pinterest Board.

Speaking of keeping me busy, Patches my 6 month old dachshund keeps me on my toes from morning til night. She is the happiest, smartest, most curious little pup and she loves to be outside all day long no matter the weather. She is the only dachshund I know that likes the rain and the day it snowed was delightful for me and for her. She is also a little stinker, she is small enough to fit thru the fence and occasionally she will just walk thru the rungs and take a walk around to the front porch. And the other day my husband found her sitting in the middle of the street! Thank God we life on a quiet street.

What have you been up to lately? Are you enjoying the snow and winter or counting the days until Spring? Have you been giving yourself a little downtime and grace after working hard all day? Make sure to take care of yourself as hard as you are taking care of the other people in your life.

Have a wonderful day!