For Today...
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Outside my window...
It is snowy. It is deep winter in New Hampshire. And I do not hate it. We chip off our car windshields in the morning, feel the whip of icy wind when going between the car and the grocery store, trod through slush in the parking lots, and walk precariously on icy sidewalks while looking up to see black night and snow gently falling, illuminated in the streetlights. It's the North. And some of us love it.
I am thinking...
about my upcoming vacation which my friend has so graciously invited me to attend. In the sunshine. On the beach. Cooking my flesh little by little, like a slow-roasting chicken. Ahhhhhh. Sounds FABULOUS.
I am thankful...
for my friend Rachel. She came into my life at a time when I needed a friend more than ever. I didn't realize she would become a weekly part of my life, someone I looked forward to and counted on. I didn't realize we would be so compatible, even though we are very different in personality and circumstance. She is a balm of comfort to me, and provides me the TLC I so desperately need right now. I love her very much and learn from her every day.
I am wearing...
grey on black. Because it's New England. And winter. 'Nuff said.
I am creating...
a manuscript of poetry.I am going...
to continue working and reworking three things: my bucket list, my 2017 Resolutions/Goals, and my garden plan for this coming spring and summer. All three of these things give me great joy.
I am wondering...
as always, how to reconcile the strenuous balance of work, motherhood, and taking care of self. Single mother at 43, with two young children, who works full-time and shares parenting. It's a real challenge and that equation is always shifting and changing.
I am reading...
(oh I can hardly even admit it) large print books from the library on my trip this weekend. Because it has been so long since I got a new glasses prescription - and it was wrong in the first place - that I can barely see to read. My eyes are killing me but I have had no time or money to fix this ridiculous problem. Hoping to accomplish that in February. In the meantime, I will be the one on the beach towel reading the book that even my grandma could read from across the room.I am hoping...
to get laid. [hahahahaha - that was from 5/2016.......still true.]
I am learning...
to take the long view in many areas of my life. It takes practice. But seems beneficial to mental health.
In my garden...
there are precious strawberry plants - six of them - waiting out winter. I gave them scarves of mulch and straw, but meant to put 3-4 inches of straw over top of them before the first snow - but missed the window. I hope they survive. Those plants represent GREAT hope in my heart. I absolutely LONG for my garden. Every single thing about it was transformative in my life last summer and provided blessings beyond compare. I had no idea how incredible gardening could be for me. I long to dig the weeds, turn the soil, continue working on amending what was the dustbowl I inherited. I am anxious to see what's cooking in my composter, to make sure the yellow jackets don't nest there in the spring, to feed it the coffee grounds and veggie scraps I have been saving. Will the Japanese grass come back? Will the lavender ever thrive? Were those things Jerusalem Artichokes after all, and not just yellow weeds? I think so! Should I plant catmint or try again with a different variety of lavender so I can accomplish that purple swath we dream about.... Am pawing through endless seed catalogs now (dangerous endeavor). I keep redrawing and reconfiguring my garden plan. Companion plantings. Butterfly and bee attractors. Does baking soda really work on crabgrass? Oh........I LONG for my garden so.
In my kitchen...
are the remains of the Christmas cookies. They didn't fit in my suitcase to Nebraska. Then we had to cancel the post-Christmas holiday party with Laurel's family. So now I am stuck with boxes of treats. Ugh.
A favorite quote for today...
"Don't accept that others know better than you." (fortune cookie) (right on!) Also, "Get on board or get outta the way."
A peek into one of my days...
no, not today.
One of my favorite things...
is to keep envisioning my life until I feel stronger and stronger. Dreaming saves the soul.
Post Script
~Ally
1 comment:
Great to hear you feeling more positive, Ally, and wonderful that you are going to get this beach-time vacation with your good friend. It is definitely a challenge to balance work, motherhood, and taking care of self -- but you're doing it! I'm totally impressed with your poetry manuscript, and thrilled with the joy you get from your garden -- not only because of your successes but also because I receive joy from seeing these qualities pass down through our family's generations. Remember, I'm always here for you if you need some feedback, or support, or plain old love. Let's talk about how we can get you some new glasses, and don't throw out those old Xmas cookies -- I didn't get enough this year! Love your final comment: Dreaming saves the soul.
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