RAIN. Rain is saving my life. The smoke had gotten really bad and hazardous, and ohmyword, children + pandemic + worst air quality in the world = BAD. It got where we finally let them play in the backyard a little bit because that seemed less dangerous than keeping them inside where we might hurt them. <.< WE ARE SO GLAD to be able to go for walks again. And to let them play in the yard for extended periods of time. Particularly the one who would have been starting preschool this year, if only. Teaching her to do jumping jacks only goes so far.
One Step at a Time
I loved and needed this reminder from Lisa-Jo Baker that life is hard right now, take one day at a time, one step at a time.
“If we make progress one small shuffle forward at a time. It still counts as progress. We don’t measure life in months anymore over here. We're just making our way forward, from one trash can to another, and that, well, it feels like victory.
Pick a trash can friends. Tell yourself you only have to get that far. I think this is what courage looks like these days. Whether you're 9 or 49.
#pandemicparenting”
There have been some really heavy days around here. Grieving-for-friends-who-lost-their-oldest-son hard. It’s discouraging, and, I think in one sense, it should be. Carrying on like nothing’s wrong dishonors friendship, grief, parenthood. Even when we can’t be physically together, we still impact each other.
On the other hand… when it feels like I’m drowning and suffocating under the weight of it all, my family needs me, and I missed a day of my antidepressant, well, a reminder to shuffle forward instead of giving up is helpful!
Color by Number
This is one thing that’s helped me to keep shuffling forward, lately.
I got this book and a set of fine-line markers at the dollar store. Woo! Sometimes I get a little obsessed (understatement) and stay up too late in my impatience to do just a little more, then a little more, and so on, but it also calms me down and takes my mind off all the heavy. Whew! And I get to watch things like a butterfly materialize off the blank(ish) page, so that’s cool, too.
I haven’t quite finished this one yet, but I’m close. I enjoyed it more than I expected when I got a glimpse of what it was going to look like at the back of the book. Not a huge baseball or pixelated art fan, but this was still fun and satisfying! :D Oh, except for the part where one of the green shades ran dry and to reproduce something like it I had to use a different green and then scribble some orange over it! Ha! Oh well.
Your Turn
What’s keeping you going in these heavy days? Are you celebrating anything, enjoying anything? Have any weights been lifted? Please share!
Love in Christ,
Marcy
Rain, One Step at a Time, and Color by Number
I have never been so happy to see rain... And blue sky! Now I'm sure praying we can get back to full time school soon!