What’s Saving My Life Right Now?
It’s a question that floats through the internet several times a year. A question that helps ground me and helps me put a little perspective around what’s happening in our life (especially when things are feeling a little too hectic.) This weekend, inspired by latest episode of The Next Right Thing, I sat down and made my own list of what’s saving my life right now.
1—Fall in New England
When we first moved to New England, it was Summer that had me smitten; but the longer we live here, the more I fall in love with Fall. Fall in New England is more vibrant than I ever remember fall being in the south. I suspect it’s all the maple trees—the sugar maples really know how to show off.
The colors are just starting to change, but they always take my breath away. Here’s a close up of that beautiful tree:
In a week or so it will look as though it’s on fire.
2—The Farm
Every Friday, I get in my car and drive 40 miles to Springdell Farm to pick up our farm share for the week. It seems like a long drive, but every time I pull in the drive, I find a smile on my face. Farmer Jamie grows the best food we’ve ever eaten, but my love for Springdell is about more than just the food. The farm feels like home. I love talking to the men and women that work on the farm, hearing their stories and sharing recipes. They know I use every scrap of food I can and that I appreciate every single minute of their hard work. And I never leave without feeling loved and cared for.
3—Laughing at mistakes
I was ecstatic to make the first pumpkin pie of the season with our super sweet honeynut squash a few weeks ago. It was so late by the time I made it, that we had to save it for breakfast the next morning. My kids were giddy to find pumpkin pie on their breakfast plate. Until they took the first bite.
I knew right away something was off, but it took me a few bites to realize that I forgot the sugar. Oops. I could have gotten mad at myself. Someone could have cried that their breakfast was ruined. But thankfully, we just started laughing out loud. “Well, if there’s no sugar, that means Leo can eat it, right?” one of the kids said. So the dog got the first pumpkin pie of the season, and I made the youngest help me with the second (so as to not forget the sugar once again.)
4—Soup
My youngest has gymnastics three nights a week this year right during the dinner hour, so we’re eating a lot of dinners on the go. As soon as the weather turned cool, I swapped my salad for soups and am loving the variety filling my thermos each night. We’ve had Taco Soup, Minestrone Soup, Corn Chowder, Snowcap Bean & Sweet Potato Soup, and tomorrow we’ll have Broccoli Cheese Soup. There once was a time when I hated soup, but now it is a true life-saving grace.
5—Nail Polish
Painting my nails is one of my favorite ways to make time stop for an hour or so each week. When my nails are wet, I have an excuse to not do what someone asks of me. It’s my self-care secret weapon. About four times a year, I splurge on a new color. It’s always seasonal, and it’s almost always Essie. This weekend, David picked up the new Fall 2022 color “Off the Grid” and I am already in love. It reminds me a little of mud, which I know sounds weird, but is really the very best Fall color.
6—Yoga twice a week at the YMCA
Because my youngest goes to gymnastics 20+ minutes from our house, I try to stay in the area until she’s done rather than drive back and forth from our house. When I discovered the YMCA near her gym had yoga twice a week, I was thrilled. The classes I’ve been going to are slow and meditative, and I’m noticing a huge shift in not only my physical ability, but my mental health as well.
7—Hot Tea
The cooler weather brings a shift from iced cold brew coffee to endless cups of hot tea. I’ve been making a huge pot of hot tea each morning and sipping on it as the day goes by. I find making tea to be a more sensual experience than coffee—the smells are so different, depending on what type of tea is in your mug. I am loving anything with cinnamon right now.
8—Clever Fox Planner
I discovered Clever Fox Planners this year and it has been life changing. I know you’re probably thinking “but that planner is empty - how is it doing you any good?” This picture is from last week, when I neglected to do any goal setting until Thursday. But I usually do it on Sundays, and when I do, my week feels so productive. I love the chance to separate my writing to-dos from my personal ones, and I really like sitting down to think about how to balance all of the important things in my life each week. At the end of every week, there’s a wrap sheet, where I can reflect on what went well and what didn’t go so well. When I don’t do my weekly planning, I feel like I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Sitting down to make a plan for the week helps me prioritize, and helps me juggle all the balls just a tiny bit better.
9—Leonardo Dawg Vinci Rowe (aka Leo)
There was a time a couple of months ago when I thought getting the puppy was the biggest mistake we have ever made. When we got back from our hectic summer, his constant neediness caused a lot of strife in family relationships. None of us really knew what we were getting into when we got a brand new puppy. Like my children, he needs a lot of attention. Also like my children, he needs to use his brain a lot. And—also like my children (when they were younger)—he throws tantrums when he has to be away from his people. Unfortunately, unlike with my children, the world is not setup for you to take your puppy wherever you go.
So when we were all at our wit’s end (aka I told David something had to change), he found an online training program and began Homeschooling the Dog. And in the last 6 weeks, this dog has become the puppy we all wanted from the very beginning. But I don’t think it’s all because the puppy is different. I think the training program has changed all of us. We are better puppy parents (the kids too) when we realize he’s just a puppy and puppies have needs. The puppy, like our children, needs boundaries. The puppy, like our children, needs to be told what to do. The puppy, like our children, is so much better behaved when his brain has been exercised just as much as his body.
There’s probably a deeper essay here just waiting to be written, but today I’m simply giving thanks for this adorable little pup of ours.
10—Audiobooks
Between driving to gymnastics, taking the girls to their nature class, and driving to the farm, I’m spending quite a few hours in the car each week. My Audible App is getting used like never before. We’re listening to The Vanderbeekers Make A Wish on the way to gymnastics, The Chronicles of Narnia on the way to nature class, and I’m alternating between The Odyssey and Come As You Are when I’m in the car alone. If I can’t sit on the couch and read, at least I can listen to someone reading to me.
Now it’s your turn. Tell me in the comments below: what’s saving your life right now?
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