Sunday on a Thursday

The perfect meme to start this post.....

Last night's sleep was crap. That said, today I gave myself permission to take a day of rest. I'm giving you permission too. We all need it. The past few weeks-- unless you are living in your own private universe-- have been a bit harrowing. Do I need to go into it? No? Thank you so much for understanding. We don't need a rehash of current events, we just need a freaking day off from it. Just a day to catch our breath before getting back into all of the learning and growing, petition-signing and worrying.

Let's take the day off. Right now, I've got the cool beats and bright brass of The Specials coming from the kitchen cd player. Sunshine is glowing up the garden out back, and the air smells of the chicken I'm braising for tonight's burritos. The original plan was this recipe (seriously, check it out) but I have a tomato on the edge, cilantro needing harvesting and an avocado which is just at that perfect point of ripeness. Fresh tortillas are in the fridge, so it's an easy pivot and I'll use the mushrooms from the original plan  for a zucchini, mushroom and chevre frittata for lunch later today. Once the chicken is done, I'll shred it up and save the liquid to mix in with the refried beans later. All the good eats.

The breeze is cool in here, which is what I'd hoped for, getting the house ready for an 80 degree day later. I'm housebound today, waiting on a call back from the vet about Sally's medication, but I will head out to the garden in a bit, after the cooking is done.

We who consider ourselves allies need a break. I want to share a graphic someone posted this morning; I found it reassuring.




It's a lot to take in, but so encouraging. Holding multiple truths at once is challenging and essential to  making progress. Just like any form of intense exercise, it's good to make sure to flex those muscles, work them hard, and then let them rest.

Today, I'm going to do some things to help me have the energy to get back into things tomorrow. Refill the hummingbird feeder, because those dazzling jeweled birds make me happy. Prep ingredients for other meals over the next few days, because I want to keep on losing weight through this pandemic and having something easier to grab than bread and crackers is a good strategy. I'm going to invite J to play a game with me this afternoon, maybe get on the exercise bike and go for a ride to get my heart rate up. Quarantine fun. We all have to find our own, don't we?

How are you taking care of yourself today, or this week, or just in general? Chime in, let us know. Maybe you will be working or you are up to your eyeballs in family concerns or your children's needs.... maybe you really need a hug right now and no one is around to give you that. Close your eyes, know that you are loved, needed and that your community of family and friends all want to embrace you because you matter to them. If you have been focused on others, don't feel bad to take a moment for yourself. Maybe it's putting on a movie for the kids and taking a nap or reading a trashy magazine or just sitting and staring at something and emptying your mind, finding stillness. Maybe it's taking the kids out for a walk and counting how many Black Lives Matter signs you see. We did that the other day and it was fun. Maybe it's making a cup of coffee or buying a cup of coffee and going out for a walk and feeling yourself breathe.

We have a lot of days of work ahead of us, so take a day of rest, friend. And a big hug to you.