Mirror Mirror

Perspective is so important, something I pride myself on having, and yet, from my view point the mirror is showing what looks an awful lot like a spoiled girl. My patience is at an all time low (yeah me and the rest of the planet) and I'm grumpy about everything. My dog whining to go out in the morning(after he heard my alarm go off)...grumpy. My dog whining to come back in....grumpy. My delicious locally blended coffee is running low which means I have to go to a special store (normally a treat!) now I'm grumpy and selfish because I don't want to brew a full pot to share with my husband, he can just have his regular instant brand. And it's garbage day and the renters across the street have left a HUGE pile on their former lawn so the truck is running annoyingly longer then usual in front of my house....how rude. And that's all in the first 20min this morning!!

With the holiday break and lockdown, I have been completely out of routine lately and I know that it has been having a domino effect. Staying up late means not sleeping well which turns into much too long afternoon naps, which means not being able to fall asleep!! The gluttony of Christmas has meant we haven't eaten a healthy, proper meal since Christmas. One can only survive on leftovers, homemade baked goods, stocking candy & chocolate for so long and we reached our limit!

The lockdown has impacted our decisions on getting fresh groceries in with the knowledge that between our pantry and freezers we actually have plenty of food, just nothing we want. Although this motivated Adam and I to take out everything in said freezers and make an inventory while also purging the mystery freezer-burnt relics. The beginning of the new year had me joining the 'Declutter Like a Mother Challenge' by Allie Cazzaza, like the last three years, and I find it a lovely way to hit refresh. 30 mintes a day following her room schedule makes a huge difference and builds momentum if you want to tackle things further. This year my kitchen pantry and 'junk' drawers is going to take much more than 30min but I'm actually looking forward to it.

I know 2020 was shitty for pretty much everyone in their own ways. Nobody likes shutdown for inventory days (or in our case, months!) but I can't help but think that it afforded some real perspective in what we thought was necessary

and what we actually want to focus on. For a society that seems to loves the attention on themselves actual introspection can be painful and I'm sure many are still processing that. But 2020 did highlight areas of need for many, it put a neon light on those who are in most need, on those who require a bit more assistance, and if we're being really honest, on those who don't have as much to complain about as we thought. 2020 highlighted the immense privilege of my life, sure there was some inconvenience and minor worry but on a scale on 1-10 it doesn't rank any higher than a 5.

Time to get my grateful on!! That delicious coffee for one, not only is it local to my town but I have the means to drink it on the regular, brewed in my fancy machine, and enjoyed in the quiet of my kitchen. Check.

How about the dogs, they are beautiful, loving and oftentimes hilarious, like when Ellie tries to hump Adam (I understand the urge girl!) Check!

And Finally garbage, I can still be grateful for that 1) my husband and kids gathered our household garbage and recycling up and put it out last night, check one for inclusive parenting, 2) our city has a pretty decent system including green bin pickup, check two, and for a third check, that garbage service employs my brother which offers his family a good income and benefits!

Now the rest of the house is starting to stir and I should get myself ready for the day. The boys started up their virtual schooling again yesterday so I need to get them organized before I go for my chemo treatment this afternoon, fingers crossed my blood work shows I'm ready for it. There are only a few of these left thank goodness! I'll put chilli in the crockpot so I won't have to worry about dinner and use up some of the freezer/pantry finds, bonus win!

Take care my friends,

much love, Katie