Today has been draining.
On top of numerous things forever circulating inside my brain about my family, my business and life in general, I have been feeling especially disconnected to… something. I will admit it, I have been feeling kind of lost lately. It’s not as if I don’t have a purpose… I’m a mother for God’s sake, I will ALWAYS have a purpose. I suppose it is just a rut, and I’m ok with that, because I’m strong enough to pull myself out of a rut. And IF I’m not, I know I have people surrounding me that are waiting in the wings to lift me out.
But on top of just feeling “blah” today, our dog Bentley hasn’t been eating and thankfully Abasi noticed 2 large lumps on his throat quick enough that we were able to take action. Just walking into the vet’s office I cried at the sadly familiar surroundings. Hopefully, we caught what we now know to be Tick Fever in time, because I simply cannot lose Bentley. Preferably not ever, but knowing that that is impossible, I beg God not to let us lose him a mere 2 months after losing his mother, Gemini.
So, like I said, today has been draining.
But, with that being said, today I sang, I’ve smiled, and at a certain point I even laughed. It is at moments when we feel the lowest that we sometimes, or at least I do, notice the highs of life caused by the smallest of things.
First I drove down a highway by myself… and fast. NOT DANGEROUSLY FAST, but faster than the small roads in Puerto Viejo allow for, but I wasn’t in Puerto Viejo anymore so I let it rip! There is something in this world about driving with a purpose, sun and wind on my face, music blasting and singing out loud that makes my heart flutter and my spirits soar. And so, despite it all, I sang.
Then I indulged in milk and cookies. Hell yea, I did. And I might have more later because I wanted to and because it made me feel comfort when I needed it. Do I eat cookies every day? No, I am conscious of what I put into my body, but I’ll be damned if I deprive myself a simple avenue towards feeling better. Take what you can get when you get it. And so, despite it all, I smiled.
And finally, I surrounded myself with my biggest high in life of them all… my kids. Techinically I only have one, but my nephew Makai is such a beautiful part of my life that I love him like my own. Kennedy and Kai are an extension of one another in every gorgeous way and being around them together is better than any prescription in the world. I picked them up from school and drove slowly through the back roads listening to their conversations in Spanish and in English about butterflies, birds and how their daddies were taking their Auntie Cecily back to the airport today. When I asked what they ate at school, they replied in unison “RICE AND BEANS” which for whatever reason cracked me up. The energy, youth, love and humor that these two children possess individually and especially together is invigorating. And so, despite it all, I laughed… a lot.
The Best “Happy Pill” in the WORLD: Being Around These Two Together ❤
My point is this: life for the most part is beautiful and on most days I have an insatiable appetite for it. However, certain days can seem down right tough, tough, tough. There are always curveballs to handle, unexpected expenses to pay, hurdles to get over, but enjoying the little things eases so much of that tension. It won’t be the same thing for everyone, but whatever it is, use it, embrace it, enjoy it. Mine just happens to be singing loudly and poorly, cookies and child Spanglish banter… and because of it, despite it all today, I sang, I smiled and I laughed.
What are your stress relievers? Go to happy makers? Let’s hear it!
Do You Have a Jungle Princess? 