cartoon carrie
The View From Here – Two Things
Anybody else already tired of this time of year? The cloudy skies. The cold weather. Driving home from work in the dark. Yeah. Me too.
I can’t even tell you how much my mood changes just putting on my winter coat to get out the door in the morning. Trying to get my purse strap up, my lunch bag over that. The more it slips down and falls off, the more frustrated and angry I get. And if it knocks my travel mug and I lose my coffee – watch out. (smile) Then I’m trying to get comfortable in the seat, and get the seatbelt on, feeling trapped in my seat, unable to move comfortably. Uggg. There is nothing fun about layers and big, bulky winter coats.
Anybody else just feel tired and a bit grumpy right now? My youngest would say “I got you.” I feel it. All of it. I’m in it with you. Trying to stay positive and find the “silver lining” people always say to look for. Can’t see it for lack of daylight I guess. (smile) I don’t know if it’s because last fall and winter, I never had to leave my house and I’m totally out of practice? This adjusting to life the way it used to be is proving more difficult than expected. 
I feel irritated at the traffic some days, ALMOST longing for the early days of the pandemic when it felt like you had the road to yourself some days. People are driving so fast and there are so many cars on the road. Was it always like that? I for sure miss those gas prices. Remember when it was fifty nine cents a litre?
Yes, there are some things that I actually MISS about the early days of the pandemic and I hate actually saying that out loud, but it’s true. In some ways it feels so long ago, and other moments you step out the door wondering when that other shoe is going to drop so to speak and you wonder if all that we’ve made it through is going to be taken away again.
And maybe it’s the uncertainty that we are dealing with STILL that has me in a funk right now. Or it’s the fact I’m fifty and my body is changing, and mood swings are just something I have to live with now. (smile) My apologies to anyone in my circle. I’m trying to keep my sanity but I feel it slipping away. (smile) I’ve got reminders in the mail to get myself check for colon cancer and to book a mammogram. You don’t get that invitation until you hit 50 I guess. There’s something that makes you look at life differently. I stared at those cards for weeks before I could get myself to call and make an appointment. I know it’s about prevention, but you’re still looking at your life differently when you start thinking about the “what ifs”. I’ll keep you up to date on how that journey goes.
I can tell you there are two things that have got me through the last ALMOST two years, and get me through every day still. And they might sound silly. But throughout the pandemic, and all that fear and uncertainty, and isolation – I made my bed every morning and I committed to an at home workout. Every single day.
I never used to care about making my bed but somehow it was something I could do every day that gave me the feeling of control. And experts said routine was important. So I made my bed and then I went to the basement to workout. Whether it was cardio, or a dance workout. Those two things got me through the really tough days. No matter how I felt.
And I still need those two things. Maybe more than ever.
Today I put on my workout clothes – the shirt reads “Strong. Powerful. Beautiful.” And even if I didn’t FEEL those things, 30 minutes of giving it 100% in my basement helped me. With all the stuff dragging my mood down. Even if I don’t know why.
Did you create any new habits these last couple of years? What did you do to take care of yourself and help you through the bad days? I don’t think just because we’re on the final stretch of this pandemic that we’re okay and I don’t think we have to be.
I think this is one of those events that is going to impact us for a long time and maybe those small everyday things will irritate you or change your mood and that’s okay.
Find YOUR two things to help you through.
Reach out anytime
