21 Days: Day 18

ohmygoshyouguysitisalmostover!!!! I’m pretty excited for day 21 even though today has been filled to the brim with sweet moments. I don’t really plan to change much once it’s over.

1. I got up at 4 a.m. because my baby guest was coming at 5:30 so I wanted to be fully awake and functional. I’m a little rusty with babies but found that it comes back quickly, especially when they are at the super cute cuddling and cooing phase. They don’t require much beyond a bottle, clean diaper and snuggles. But I had plenty of time to count blessings, let the dog in and out 75 times, and get my mind right before she got here.

2. In the area of friends, I have been richly blessed. We have a wonderful circle of peeps, some of our kids’ friends’ parents have become great friends, but one of my greatest treasures is the amazing women in my life. Women who inspire, encourage, teach, love, cry with, fight for and accept me. I watch Super Soul Sunday every week, but I am very fortunate to have my own team of super stars.

I talk a lot about my BFF, which I have been advised is petty and immature. I think criticizing other people is also petty and immature. She is everything you could ask for in a friend, and I would lay down my life for her. The only problem is that she lives about 1100 miles away. The good thing is she lives in a perfect vacation spot so we get to visit her at least once a year. Still … that place is 1100 miles away.

We work it out though. We text constantly. She boycotts Facebook; I don’t blame her … the cons outweigh the pros sometimes on that front. We visit at least once a year and sometimes more. Our hearts are always connected even though we rarely talk on the phone because we both dislike talking on the phone, which brings me–finally, I know, right?–to today. My phone rang and it was my girl. Crazy, wonderful, unexpected surprise chats–or any kind of chats, really, with my forever friend are super soul nourishing.

3. These thank you’s are having some really profound effects in my life. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional roller coaster I was boarding.

I’m really grateful for the encouragement during this endeavor. Your comments, texts, likes and so forth mean so very much to me. It makes my heart happy when out of the blue someone shares that they identify with something I wrote. That’s really why I write. It’s therapeutic, and like my hero Anne Lamott advises, I write what I want to read. When I’m dealing with a trial, my first reaction is to read everything that is written about it. I love to read how other people’s deal with the situations I face. And I relate with people who are honest, flawed and real.
 

You know, people are gonna talk; like RuPaul said, “What other people say about me behind my back is none of my business.” (I had no idea who said that–thanks, Google. I was hoping it would be Eleanor Roosevelt. Whatever; it’s good advice.) Regardless of whether or not people choose to be my friend or read my blog or like me, it’s okay; I’m okay. I’m just meandering along my own path with some crazy amazing sidekicks. Writing helps me work through my stuff. And when you spend the first 20 years of your life smiling and pretending everything is awesome, when NEWSFLASH!!! It’s not, there’s a lot to work through. I never try to hurt anyone with my words. That’s not to say that sometimes the truth doesn’t hurt. As Brene Brown says, “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.” When you tell your stories, you take that power back.

I have made wonderful friends, had great experiences and many moments of grace and healing because I dared to be vulnerable. I’ve shared my heart, my flaws, my experiences–good and bad–and people have bravely reached back. The power of camaraderie. The blessed words, “Me too.” That’s what this is all about. I’m not an attention whore. I’m not self-righteous. I’m certainly not mean and the opposite of miserable. I’m a flawed girl loved by a perfect God trying to make my tiny place in the world a little kinder.

xoxo

21 Days: Day 17

I ate a baguette today at Panera. I contemplated telling them not to include it with my otherwise Fast-friendly meal, but I didn’t, and it was there, and it was delicious. I felt guilty for about 47 seconds, and now I’ve confessed and am moving on.

1. I woke to my alarm, which isn’t my favorite. No snooze. Counted lots of blessings not the least of which being no dog messes. She needed to go out and come back in and go out and come back in about 17 times, which freed my mind to focus on nothing else but being grateful. And, “ooooh, look at all these steps before 6 a.m.!”

2. When you focus so much on gratitude and meaningful experiences, it sometimes makes it hard to narrow it down to just one. That’s a good problem to have. Here was my favorite today.

I absolutely love subscription boxes. I currently get Birchbox and Bulu Box and have gotten Box of Happies, Beauty Army, Fab Fit Fun VIP. Chloe got Birchbox and Bonjour Jolie. And Lily got Kiwi Crate. So when Peyton told me he wanted a Loot Crate for Christmas, I was excited because it’s so much fun to get a surprise in the mail every month.

Today, after much anticipation, his first shipment arrived. If you’re unfamiliar with Loot Crate, it is a subscription box for gamers. He was so pumped he practically skipped in from the mailbox. Then, he opened it as we ooooohed and ahhhhhed over each treasure inside. So simple. But watching him nearly burst with little-kid giddiness soothed my soul.

3. I may never stop writing thank you notes. Every time I think I’m going to run out of people to thank, a memory jars my heart.

After an amazing lunch with one of my super-hero girlfriends, who always inspires me to dream bigger dreams and expand my vocabulary while simultaneously making me laugh til I nearly pee, I had to go to Wal-Mart. A few months ago, I bought a Rubbermaid mop thing, which I love, but it was faulty, so they gave me a $25 voucher to replace it. Unfortunately when I tried to use the voucher, the mop itself was only $23.97, and I had to have at least $25 worth of Rubbermaid merchandise. It wasn’t a big deal, but the whole determination of this took about 15 minutes, and I was mildly irritated and now running behind to finish my errands and pick up my kids.

So, I’m hustling out, when I hear, “Hey! Hey you! Stop, wait. Stop. Yes, you, come here.” I doubted this was directed at me, as it was coming from one of three old men sitting in front of Subway. Continuing to pay no mind as the pedestrian traffic flow stopped, I hear, “Hey, YOU, with the nice backside.” At this point, pissed off for whomever was being catcalled by these geriatric benchwarmers, I whipped my head around, and he spits out, “NOW I GOT YOUR ATTENTION.”

I was prepared to give him a not-so-nice piece of my mind, but I was fresh from a discussion about when people do stupid, mean things it’s because of something that’s going on in them. And I looked at this old dude in his tattered, dirty clothes leering at me with his few remaining teeth and…sighhhh…I just smiled.

What would you have done? That shit makes me CRAZY. If he had been clean or young or even had a full set of teeth, I probably would have lit into him. But this guy was already so far down…dirty and nearly toothless…I could hear Brad Bell in my head saying, “Babe…that’s like kicking a kitten.”

How was your day? Did you make anything fabulous to eat? Did you cheat on your fast–misery loves company 😉 Did you encounter any dirty old men?

xoxo

21 Days: Day 16

Okay, since I’m being pretty transparent, I have to admit that all of this openness and sharing is starting to freak me out. I’m ready to crawl back into my hermitage and recover. I could quit now, but one of my goals is to quit quitting things. Except bad things. In a minute, I’ll take one hardship as a sign from the universe that I’m supposed to be on a different path. In hindsight, I often realize it was the right path. And I was supposed to climb over those obstacles.

1. I woke up at 3:27, which is baloney. After trying unsuccessfully to fall back to sleep, I got up at 4. I was grateful for extra time, and now I’m grateful that I’m still awake and not miserable.

2. For the past several months, I have been helping a dear friend write a book. We often spend more time drinking coffee and talking and dreaming and having therapy than we do writing, but still, we are working on it. Today, I started reading through the latest bit she wrote and was caught off guard by emotion.

I’ve always felt led to listen to people and give them a safe place to vent, but sometimes I am overcome by how deeply people trust me. I would never betray anyone’s secrets, and most of my friends know I’m a vault but still. This probably amazes me so much because I trust very few (2, to be exact) people with my secrets. That some people are brave and trusting enough to open up to me overwhelms my heart.

In a few short months of writing, our friendship has developed and progressed to the point that I value and trust her as one of my closest friends. Like a person I can count on and tell secrets. It’s inspiring how that works and always very clear when God has placed someone in my life for a reason by how naturally the relationship unfolds and progresses.

If you’ve trusted me with your secrets, you have part of my heart.

3. I think that the thank you notes have been one of the most meaningful parts of this whole challenge. Some of them were very natural and came easily, but some of them have really wrenched my heart. Realizing that some people who have made really huge impacts on my life may not even know it makes it tough to write. Especially to people who aren’t really part of my life anymore and maybe were a reason or season.

I watched Eckhart Tolle on Super Soul Sunday today…wait, let that settle in for a minute. I never watch tv during the day. But, I am watching a sweet little baby two days a week, and that means occasionally, I get to sit down to feed, snuggle and play with her. Today, what do you know, I got to watch 40 minutes of tv. It was crazy.

Okay, back to Mr. Tolle. He said something that I thought was really important: If we want to change something we need to start by accepting it. Admit there is a problem. Right? It’s the first step in AA, but for those of us who haven’t worked the 12 steps, it’s kind of a revelation. By the way, I recently read a book that was kind of about “working the program” for people’s whose issues aren’t a substance. It’s called Gratitude and Trust. Pretty good read.

So, whatever our problem, whatever we aren’t happy about: our weight, career, marriage…it is indeed where we are, right now. It’s a problem. Accept it. Own your responsibility in it. Acknowledge the choices that led you to where you are. Then accept that you have the power to make different choices to lead you out. One positive choice at a time. Everything you need is already inside you; use it. I wasn’t really talking to you, I was talking to myself. Just in second person. Because talking to yourself in third person is creepy.

Whew, how are you guys doing? I was strangely drawn to the Oreos in the cupboard tonight, and I don’t even like Oreos. So, there’s that.

P.S. I had written part of this earlier, but I hadn’t proofread it. In my haste to pick up the kiddos for a dentist appointment, I accidentally hit publish instead of save. Thanks to my dear friend who commented on it, alerting me of my mistake. That’s why, if you tried to click on it earlier, it wasn’t there. Thanks for still loving me despite my challenges. I’m a work in progress.

xoxo

21 Days: Day 11

Despite how much I talk about it, I rarely seeweight. That sounds silly, I know, but it comes from years of my mother’s narrow focus on it. “Did you see so-and-so? Boy, did she put on weight!” and on and on and on. My brain evolved not to see it. Sometimes, I notice when people lose weight, but because of my neurotic tendency toward catastrophic thought, my immediate reaction is not that they look great or must be working out. No, I fear they have either a drug problem or terminal illness. To be fair, I’ve watched people in my life shrink and disappear from both of those things so it’s not all in my head.

But it isn’t just outsiders, I can’t see it with myself or Brad or the kids. The only way I know is by the scale. I never look different to myself. Sometimes I feel different. Sometimes my clothes–and wedding ring–are tighter. When I was a little bit bigger of a nutbag, I used to get really freaked out about the wedding ring thinking it was an ominous sign. It was actually just a sign that I was 22 and 100 pounds when we got married. I don’t want to be either of those things again. Still sometimes against my better judgment and the voice of reason screaming, “DON’T DO IT! NOTHING GOOD WILL COME OF THIS!” I still get on the scale and think, “Oh boy.”

Thanks for indulging me. I needed to get that off my chest.

1. I was wide awake at 4:46–probably because I fell asleep at 9 p.m.–but the alertness that comes with waking up unaided when your body is fully rested makes for pleasant blessing counting. Of course I stayed in bed and counted until the alarm did go off.

2. Today, I happened upon a person from my past. “By happened upon,” I mean that she came into my consciousness, and I googled her. It wasn’t malicious; I just wondered what became of her. We were either reasons or seasons to each other, but I never figured it out. I think a lot about the reasons and seasons people. Mostly because I want to make sure to learn the lesson the first time so as not to repeat any painful ones.

That rabbit trail led me to forgiveness. I think, talk and write about forgiveness quite a bit. Although I have read and heard this many different times in a variety of ways, for whatever reason it seemed to click in my head today: Forgiveness doesn’t absolve others; it allows you to move on.

Forgiveness is permission to let go of the hurts, slights, offenses, traumas, or whatever is taking up an unnecessary amount your psychic energy without producing anything positive. Forgiveness allows you to be free from ruminating over the pain and the people who caused it. Forgiveness is a gift to ourselves.

Forgiveness is not, however, a free pass. When we forgive a person we love so that we can move closer in a relationship, then we should absolutely forgive and forget. However, I get all idealistic and dreamy and decide to invite the wrong type of person back into my life or heart again. I probably don’t need to tell you this is a bad idea. Guess what happens? They hurt me again, and I have to start forgiving them from scratch. Please learn from my example and spare yourself. Don’t get all spiritually conceited and try to break bread with the jerks of your past. Just leave them in the past.

 

3. Today, in my Jesus journal, the devotion was about listening. I know that I talk a lot sometimes, but more often in real life, I listen. Actually, I am drawn to people who want to tell me their life stories and vice versa. It’s a tiny defense mechanism, but it works out. People need a listener, and I often like to be anonymous since I’m so open and transparent here. Tangent. When I pray and then listen, I know who is getting thank you note. Today, I got a thank you for a thank you. How ’bout that little circle of love?

 

How are you guys doing? How are your fasts? I made some really good soup today. Here’s my Daniel Fast board with all the recipes I have been yammering about. Did you make anything good today? What was your meaningful experience?

 

P.S. I wrote this at about 10 a.m., then when I started editing at 7:30, I messed up and deleted the whole darn thing and had to rewrite. I wasn’t particularly grateful for that.

 

xoxo

21 Days: Day 10

Mmmmm, two digits. Almost halfway. We are moving a sister this weekend, which reminded me that we moved another sister last year during the Daniel Fast, which reminded me that the best part of moving is the beer and pizza after. There’s not gonna be any beer and pizza, folks.

Today was a pretty normal day–a blessing as “normal” days have been the exception lately. Brad went to work, both kids went to school, and I did 47 loads of laundry and ran the errands I don’t like to think about when Brad and the kids are here.

1. A good night’s sleep makes for a good morning. I hit the snooze button and counted blessings for the whole snooze period. Bed, Brad, kids, friends, a whole day by myself … so many.

2. The extra time home pretty much depleted the kids’ snack cupboard, so after a meeting I headed to ALDI to fill it back up. If you didn’t already know, ALDI has their buggies chained together, so you need to deposit a quarter to get a buggy, then return and re-chain it to get your quarter back. You also have to bring your own bags or boxes. I’m often scatter-brained and have more than a few times found myself there with no quarter and no bags. It’s a great way to save money since you can only buy what you can carry. Unfortunately, if you were planning to do several weeks’ worth of shopping, it’s a downer.

Once, I got the bright idea of paying it forward by leaving my quarter in buggy in case someone came along and didn’t have one. I imagined how thrilled I would have been on one of those quarter-less trips to find an available buggy. So, I’ve been running this shopping buggy ministry for years. Only a few times have I spoken to anyone about it. A person would say, “Hey you forgot your quarter!” And I explained. Usually they smile. Some say it’s a good idea and leave their own quarter. Once, a lady pointed out my mistake. When I told her it was intentional, she looked at me like I had three heads. Then she took her quarter. And mine. I stared dumbfounded as she smugly walked to her car. I said some bad words. If I could have willed a comet to crash to earth right at that moment…

But I told you all this so that it would make sense why I was so ecstatic when I went to ALDI today, and there were FOUR buggies with quarters already in them! People are being kind and thoughtful even if it is in a small seemingly insignificant way. It’s important. That little bitty ripple of kindness you sent out into the world is meaningful. You might never know who you touched or how you impacted them, but if you are sending goodness and love out into the universe, it matters.

3. Well, I mailed the stack of Thank You notes that were on my microwave. Also, I bought some groovy Janis Joplin stamps which made me super happy because I love that little raspy-voiced legend.

Janis is also a member of the 27 Club — famous musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and more who died at 27 — which is significant today because it’s my brother Chris’ birthday. He died just a few weeks after his 27th birthday, and he was a rock star to me. So those stamps made me happy even though writing about it now makes me cry. Even after almost 26 years.

Time doesn’t heal wounds, but it affords you space, perspective and opportunity for growth. Life isn’t always fair. It rarely works out how we plan it. Sometimes you have to carry all your groceries in your arms, but sometimes someone leaves a quarter in the buggy. Whatever we do, no matter how small, when we do it with love, it matters.

How are you guys doing today? What are you especially grateful for? Did you make anything remarkable to eat? I bought some cauliflower that I’m gonna try to make into something fabulous. Maybe tomorrow. I’m not feeling it today so I’m subsisting on apples and almonds. Speaking of: Where on earth were honey crisp apples for the first 30-something years of my life? No bother. They are here now. Thank Goodness!

21 Days: Day 8 — LET’S GO BUCKS!

I have to write early because there’s a pretty important football game tonight, and preparing physically and mentally takes a lot of energy. Additionally, my husband is home and bouncing around the house like a little kid on Christmas, and that makes it hard to write. And finally, I have to take my mom to the doctor, which also requires preparation…

Apparently, the snow plow drivers are Buckeyes fans and were already preparing this morning; at least they weren’t plowing the snowy, slushy roads. It was a crappy drive to school so I used the time to give Peyton lots of useful tips about driving in the snow. It sounded a lot like, “See how close this a-hole behind me is? Don’t do that.” He won’t drive for another year, was half asleep and not a bit interested in my monologue, but it soothed me.

1. After three lazy snow days and a weekend, when that alarm sang out at 5 a.m., gratitude wasn’t my initial reaction. Ugh. Bed, Brad, kids, house, car with good tires and 4-wheel drive. I realize, as I’ve been writing about the blessings that my bed is nearly always first. It’s a good bed. Everyone who sleeps in it agrees. The kids love it. Our Florida besties love it. Brad does too. Once, after an extended out-of-town stay for work, as we snuggled in, he whispered “I missed you so much…”

“Me or the bed?” I giggled.

“Both of you.”

2. The good thing about having a husband who travels a lot is that you learn to do lots of things by yourself. That is also the bad thing. You have to because if you don’t do those things no one else will. I used to complain more, but I have a friend whose husband travels a lot as well, and she never complains. She just does stuff, asks someone else to do it, or doesn’t do it. She is one of my many role models. This morning, I dragged 3 garbage cans through 4 inches of heavy, wet snow and then drove P to school without thinking twice about it. I’m not bragging, just stating the facts. When I came home and told Brad that the roads were bad, he said, “Why didn’t you wake me up to take him?” I didn’t think of it because it isn’t usually an option.

I’ve always wanted Brad to take charge of some certain traditional gender role tasks. Take the garbage out. Handle car maintenance. Clean the gutters. You know. But, a funny thing happens sometimes when you’re waiting for someone to take care of you: You learn to take care of yourself. But today, watching my husband who is a) home and b) not only fixing my leaky sink but also replacing the faucet which has been leaking for years, I am almost overwhelmed with glee. When he was home every day, I probably would have been worn out from asking him to fix that sink. My reaction would have been more, “It’s about damn time,” and less, “Look at him! He’s fixing the sink AND the faucet. He’s an angel boy!” Changing circumstances sure can shift your perspective; I see that today with amazing clarity. 

3. Writing daily Thank You notes is teaching me that there are always people to thank. The smallest act of kindness can shift your mood and change your whole outlook. It’s a good reminder that we can and do make a difference.

In Small Victories, Anne Lamott, in a quandary over political and military situations questions her friend, a Jesuit priest, how to help, and he advises: “You take care of the suffering,” reminding her that there are people suffering everywhere. Sometimes we get so caught up in our helplessness on a grand scale that we miss a million little opportunities right in front of us. We forget to smile and hold the door because we’re focused on our destination. We walk past a person picking up their dropped groceries caught up in fussing about what great things we could do instead of grocery shopping. (Or maybe it’s because we’re worried it’s a ploy to rob us because of that email we just read.) We can’t be bothered to pick up a frazzled mom’s change clanging on the dirty Walmart floor as she wrestles her wriggling toddler into the cart because we are waiting for our big break. We’re waiting for God to show us our purpose. That’s the thing though: These little things are our purpose. Slow down, look up, pay attention, love, serve…

Don’t miss out on the beauty of the life you have because you’re waiting for the life you want.

This is gonna be a rough Daniel Fast day. Buckeye parties mean beer, more beer and delicious food that is not fast-approved. I’m going to eat sweet potato and black bean soup, which is delicious even if it’s not pizza or 7-layer Mexican dip. I think I’ll also wear blinders and a nose plug. But I’m already telling you: I’m gonna drink beer.

How’s your Monday? Two of my fellow fasters text me to celebrate their 3 and 1 pound weight losses. I blocked their numbers. I’m kidding… I’ll celebrate with you when you rub my nose in your weight loss, you beeyotches. I’m currently +2. Wooo Hoo.

xoxo

21 Days: Day 7

The first week is almost over, and as far as the Daniel fast goes, I feel bloated, defeated, dissatisfied and tired of cooking. As far as the 21 days of gratitude challenge goes, I feel encouraged, satisfied, inspired and well, grateful. I’ve also enjoyed the consistent writing. Anne Lamott, my idol and secret soul sister (it’s a secret because she doesn’t know we’re soul sisters) says that if you want to be a writer you have to show up at the same time every day and write. So, this has been a great exercise in showing up and writing–not necessarily at the same time, but in the same place. I’m a work in progress.

1. I love Sunday mornings, so it is super easy to be grateful for: sweet sleeping children, a warm safe home, a wonderful husband who will bring me a cup of coffee in bed as soon as he hears me roll over. I cherish these quiet minutes of gratitude in the morning.

2. Again, I feel as if paying closer attention and trying to be present has made every interaction more special and meaningful. Right now, I’m surrounded by 3 of my 4 people, and our house is filled with the amazing aroma of sweet potato and black bean soup. We spent a fun-filled evening surrounded by great friends, and I came home to a sweet surprise gift from another lovely friend. My whole day was sprinkled with the most endearing little interactions. This morning, at church, we served in Mini Movement (little ones up to 4), and usually this wears me out, tries my patience and gives me a headache, but this morning, each little one seemed to offer some sweet blessing. From my friend’s tiny towhead who leaped into my arms repeatedly giggling, “Tickle, tickle, tickle,” to another little peanut who shyly climbed into my lap and sweetly whispered, “I really want my daddy,” these tinies touched my heart. Honestly, even the little boy whom I had to wrestle to keep him from crawling under the divider into the other side of the room made me smile later as he drove a matchbox car up and down my arm. Then his little brother took the same matchbox car and junk punched Brad Bell, and I might have rolled around laughing on the floor. He was fine, you guys, it was just a little boy, and I think boys/men instinctively flinch and protect that area if they sense something is headed that way. Besides, we’re from Warren; the baby thugs are our people.

3. I don’t know why I always forget to do this. Max Lucado says in a webcast promoting his latest book, Before Amen, that we could avoid so much worry and anguish if we would just remember to take our problems to God before our problems get to us. So I’m praying for God to bring me a person to thank. Amen.

With one week almost done, I feel a renewed commitment to see this through. I have seen small miracles taking place all around me, and I’m not sure if it’s due to the prayer and fasting or simply the increased mindfulness and attention to grace and goodness. It doesn’t matter either way. It just matters that there is good, so much good, so many people to love and so many people who love you back. So many opportunities to offer kindness, compassion and love. I’m grateful for the ever-increasing awareness.

Thank you so much for your comments, texts, emails and calls. You guys have encouraged me so much. This is just a 21 day journey, but isn’t this really what our every day journey is about? Sharing with others, reaching out to offer a kind word, a helping hand or just to pat a fellow traveler on the arm and say, “Me too.”

What are you cooking this week? I gotta get off the rice and quinoa, or my ass is gonna have its own zip code. For. Real.

xoxo

21 Days: Day 5

Well, my friends, I might in fact be addicted to coffee. I had two cups this morning. But, I’m okay with that. Sick of me talking about coffee? I know, right? But I’m all freaking jacked up on the caffeine, man! This is a lot like when I quit smoking and then talked ad nauseum about quitting smoking. I was gonna link one post, but when I searched “quitting smoking” on my blog about 10 posts came up. Like I said, AD NAUSEUM. Interested in quitting smoking or reading about someone who quit/started/quit/started/quit…here you go. It has been almost 2 1/2 years since I quit the last time, by the way, so I consider myself an official ex-smoker, not that I’d ever get complacent with that.

1. Shockingly, school was canceled again today. My sweet fasting sister text me this morning and said, “How the heck are we supposed to make it through three snow days without coffee?” I took a deep inhalation of the creamy delicious cup of salvation in my hand and fessed up that I had raised my white flag. But I was up and at ’em today, counted the heck out of some blessings, did yoga, showered and dressed (WITH makeup on) by 9:30 a.m. I mention this simply because it is a huge feat for me to exercise, shower, and put real clothes on in the morning. Normally I rock gym clothes–whether or not I exercise–and no makeup til mid afternoon. This is a lot. I was super caffeinated–and grateful.

2. Mmmmm…so much today. So. Much. Stuff. I was happy, productive, so “Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day! I’ve got a beautiful feeeeeeeling Everything’s going my way!” You know, from Oklahoma? Show tunes. Caffeine. Rehab, might be next. Anyhooooo, I have this awesome angel friend who just happens to be a psychiatrist–and a pretty good one according to my gut and also his freaking world-class credentials. We don’t know each other except through one meeting, some mutual friend/relatives and correspondence via writing–by hand and email. He is a very dear kind person. Also probably a good guy to have on your side should you need an expert witness… not that I would. This morning he sent me an article about the benefits of coffee with a sweet note; the subject line read: “Be Kind to Yourself.” You know, in a great big world of people and places and random inner-connectedness, the universe brought me this kind person, who happens to be a mental health professional. Add to that: In two days, two different friends shared with me some pretty freaking soul-crushing shit that was going on in their lives. I love these women like they’re part of me, so to listen to them, hear the aching and questioning in their quavering voices. And you know what I do? Nothing. Listen. Love them. Cry with them. Hold their hands. But that’s enough. That helps. But I feel like, What More Can I Do??? And today, in the midst of my secretly kinda beating myself up for drinking coffee … I mean, a little bit, in a trying-too-hard-to-seem-okay way that trained mental health professionals see through and send you a little note that says, “Be Kind to Yourself.” Phew. Okay. Thank. YOU. That’s really it though; isn’t it? Be kind to yourself. Be kind to other people.  Namaste.

3. I have a really perfect note to write today. To a person I have never ever thanked for how much a person she gave birth to changed my life.

Today was my absolute best day this week. Being around people who really love you…being encouraged by people who really love you…being able to encourage and love people…it’s just so amazing. How are you guys doing? If you need encouraged, email me, call me, text me. Thanks for being with me on this journey!! I love you all.

xoxo

21 Days: Day 4

Well, it’s official. I’m addicted to coffee. Addiction might too strong a word to describe my relationship with coffee. Maybe in love would be more fitting. I remember from one of my grad school classes some nugget about addicts needing ever-increasing amounts of their substance of choice to achieve the desired effect. Numbness. Euphoria. High. I’ve heard from heroin addicts that they never reach that same first-time euphoria, and that is what they are always trying to replicate. Chasing the dragon. One night, Brad and I were listening to 70’s hits on Pandora, and I kept googling what the songs were about. Almost all of them were about heroin. Even James Taylor (Fire and Rain). I know, right? He seemed like the boy next door with that sweet voice. I’m way off topic. This isn’t about heroin. It’s just about my one delightful cup of coffee. No more. And I feel like myself again not some evil-spirit-possessed-vile-mean-nasty version of myself. Phew…

1. Another snow day. I didn’t even set my alarm, but I did wake up at a reasonable hour grateful for the usual warm bed, happy healthy kids, amazingly wonderful husband (I really miss him on Thursdays), and great friends who love and support me and are always ready and willing to offer an encouraging word, or a beer, or coffee or all three.

2. My back was really super-achy the last two days, so I spent a lot of time sitting up against a heating pad. I think that may also have been the universe’s way of reminding me to be more compassionate to my bony little mom. Today, I decided that I wasn’t going to let my back dictate my day. Okay, so I’m reading Anne Lamott’s Small Victories–I told you that already–but there is an essay about her dying dog. I also have a dying dog, and I’m not nearly as nice to her as Annie is to her dying dog. I mostly get really irritated with my dying dog. She can barely walk. She has limited control of her…uh…functions anymore, so I’m always cleaning up messes. She bites me really hard if I forget and try to give her a treat out of my hand. She wants to go outside 57 times a day, which means I have to go outside 57 times a day, and she doesn’t seem to care that it’s really effing cold.

I promise I’m getting to the meaningful part.

Reading this essay today about how Anne refused to euthanize her dog and tried to make the end of her life as comfortable as possible by maximizing the things she, the dog, enjoyed softened my heart. Our dog fumbles and stumbles around in the house, but outside–especially in the snow–she runs and bounds like a gazelle. So, Lily and I bundled up and took her outside so she could race around and bury her snout in the snow and nearly rip my arm off because I wasn’t going fast enough to keep up with her. She sniffed out where the groundhogs live. She trailed after some random scent like a bloodhound. She was happy. She was young. She was energetic. For about 10 minutes. Then she was exhausted, and I practically had to carry her back into the house, where she has been sleeping for the last several hours. It was 10 minutes of putting another’s happiness above my own, and that felt really good after having been so angry the last few days. Lily had a good time too because little kids never seem to get cold even though one trip down the slide into a snow drift sent snow up both legs of her snow pants.

3. I haven’t the foggiest idea who I’m going to write to yet. I have prayed that God will bring someone to mind soon.

On a Daniel Fast note, I made these awesome little energy balls today minus the orange zest and cardamom and plus vanilla, chia, and sesame seeds. I was contemplating getting out my food processor–which I really didn’t want to do because it takes forever to drag down, assemble, and then clean up–when I thought, well, maybe this will work in the blender. Voila. Seriously. In about 15 seconds everything was perfectly blended to the most amazing consistency, and I did a big happy dance the kind that makes my kids come in the kitchen and say, “What the…” before joining in (Lily) or rolling their eyes and retreating to their bedroom (P). And it was okay because I was in my kitchen not the library. Rock on, you amazing little Kitchen-Aid blender. You’re a shining star.

How are you guys? Did you make anything fabulous today? Or do you have a super meaningful story to tell? Gosh, I’m so much happier with coffee.

xoxo

21 Days: Day 3

Today started out wonderfully. Last night, we prayed that school would be canceled today, and lo and behold at 5:45 a.m. it was. We (or I) were super excited for a day of doing nothing but watching movies and snuggling. That is a pipe dream because my little dynamo girl wants an itinerary and a social director, not her actual mom who prefers to sit curled up in a chair trying to cajole her into watching a movie or reading or just snuggling. Anyway, this morning my own mom quickly snapped me out of that daydream by sending me on a drug store errand. I won’t go into detail about said errand, but suffice it to say: It was unsavory. The kind of purchase that might send someone to Walgreens incognito. Fortunately, in my advancing age, I’ve reached a level of self-awareness that no longer lets my self-image get wrapped up in cashiers’ opinions of me and my purchases. Still. The only snuggling was with the cat.

1. I woke up easily because I was anticipating that I’d be able to go back to bed as soon as the superintendent called. So, I drank my hot water with lemon and ginger, counted lots of blessings and was supremely grateful to crawl back into bed at 6:15 a.m. and count a few more.

2. My goal is always to be real and genuine and truthful, so describing today’s meaningful experience also involves divulging that I was nasty today. I was short-tempered with my mom, impatient with Lily, irritated with the geriatric dog and just an all-around bitch. P was wise enough to stay in his room so he didn’t face my wrath. Then, this afternoon, I spent a blissful hour and a half talking to one of my dearest friends on the phone. We laughed until my sides ached and then talked about some serious stuff too. It was like a therapy session and coffee date combined. She is also my best coffee friend. When we worked together, we hit every Starbucks in northeast Ohio and western PA. Although we live states apart now, we still manage to have coffee dates a couple times a year, even if they are only on the phone. So, while I was talking to her, I had a cup of coffee. Yes, I cheated on the fast. I put cream in it too. I’m not feeling horrible about it though as my little perfectionist self would have in the past because you know what? I have been a lot nicer since then. I’m not sure if it was the delicious caffeinated delight or just laughing and chatting with a dear friend, but my soul got some much-needed nourishing.

3. I did better today with my Thank You note. It’s the coffee. I am admittedly smarter when I drink coffee.

Last year, “cheating” on the fast would have filled me with guilt and shame. This year, I realize: There’s no shame in knowing and admitting that I chose to drink a cup of coffee. I didn’t smoke a cigarette or use any illegal drugs. It’s coffee. And God still loves me. And it was soooooo good. I’m not sure if I’ll drink it tomorrow or not. School’s already been cancelled so I might. I’ll be a way better social director if I do; That. Is. For. Sure.

Oh, I forgot to mention: I gained 2.5 pounds. Isn’t that awesome? Not even sure how that happens? I stayed away from nuts today. Stupid. Freaking. Scale.

Despite some shortcomings, it was a pretty good day. I made spaghetti squash with peanut sauce that was absolutely phenomenal–I don’t know how I could be gaining weight :). How are you guys doing? I have talked to several friends who are doing way better than I am. Good for you, you bunch of overachieving show-offs 😉 I still love you. And thankfully, I’ve also heard from some people who, like me, are struggling. I’m praying for you, my sisters. And by the way, I’m super grateful for all of you who are with me on this fast, cheering from the sidelines, and even those of you who are reading this simply to fuel your loathing. Keep on keeping on, my lovelies!

xoxo