I am officially unmotivated and trying to figure out how to transition from four days of basic autumn bliss back into my work routine. I even had to force myself to write this today because my creativity and motivation are at an absolute zero.
But I needed to document this, not only because I made a commitment to weekly content, but also for the simple fact that I don’t need to bitch and complain every single week, especially when very little popped up over these past four days that warranted a long, profanity-laced rant about dealing with first-world problems in the midst of a hot flash. It’s a level of unbothered that I haven’t experienced since my younger, carefree days and I want to be able to look back on it when life goes back to sticking it to me dry.
It wasn’t a vacation—it was a staycation. A true reset (short as it was), and honestly, my own unique brand of self-care.
I’m just so grateful for the chance to slow down and enjoy the things I’ve missed about this season without feeling like I have to give every single second of my life to work and adult obligations.
What “Living My Best Life” Looked Like
Aside from keeping up with loading and unloading the dishwasher, grabbing various spills as they happened in the kitchen, and the weekly laundry that just can’t be skipped, very little cleaning or chores were done. The house still looks like shit, but whatever—another day off to deal with that will soon arrive. Instead of scrubbing floors and toilets, my husband and I lived out the exact October days I dream about all year long:
Autumn Magic: We visited a local farm, put up our Halloween decorations, wore favorite hoodies, and watched scary movies with the windows open, letting in the perfect Fall weather.
Giving Myself the Fall Glow: I made time for a long overdue visit my super talented esthetician and I’m thrilled to report I’m back to having two eyebrows instead of just one giant fuzzy caterpillar-looking thing across my brow bone. I also went nuts on exfoliating and hydration thanks to picking up an absolutely heavenly scented set of body care items and my skin looks and feels better than it has for a long time. God bless you, Pumpkin Marshmallow Latte from Bath and Body Works!
Food As My Undeniable Love Language: I leveraged our one rainy day to stay inside making a variety of soups and comfort foods. After we did our usual Walmart pickup, we stopped at the deli/fruit and garden center down the street to grab more fresh, local ingredients to compliment the day’s recipes. We also stocked up on treats at a local chocolate shop (because gourmet apples dipped in caramel and chocolate and topped off with various nuts or chopped up Reese’s cups are 100% my jam right now). And for the first time in three years, we got to attend the opening day of my favorite local ethnic food festival right as it opened instead of having to rush in end at the end after a long day of work and just grabbing whatever’s left over.
Today, the fridge and my heart are equally full.
Making Space for the Heavy Parts, Too.
Were there moments that sucked? Sure. We’re old and we’re fat and even though having our skeleton pushing an old lawnmower in the front yard brings me an odd amount of joy every Spooky Season, the act of actually dragging all the shit from the garage to the front yard feels more like torture with each passing year.
We also received some less-than-ideal news from the vet for one of our dogs, which forced us to add new and expensive medications and supplements along with changing his homemade dog food recipe on the fly. But I’m incredibly grateful we were both home to give our boy extra snuggles when he needed them most.
Despite the bad news from the vet and multiple sweaty, agonizing treks to and from the garage where the seasonal decorations are kept, I experienced multiple bouts of pure seasonal euphoria. As I pack up big bowls of wedding soup and sides of homemade applesauce for today’s lunches, I feel glad that I chose memories over chores. If I’m a little slow to get moving upon today’s return to work, I’m entirely okay with that. The reset was worth it.
Leave a comment