Balance...

Heading into the weekend, I felt this overwhelming sense of how far behind I am in testing and posting recipes for the holidays. My anxiety levels were rising. I was exhausted from not sleeping well. I had to decide – hustle through the weekend to try and get everything done or re-evaluate my goals and make adjustments.

I made adjustments. I took the weekend off. Sure, I did a little bit of stuff here and there…when I felt like it. But I mostly stayed in my pjs, did some laundry, and watched reruns on Netflix.

I even read a book. An entire book. In one sitting. While in bed. It felt decadent.

I need more days like that. Days where I just rest and allow my body to do what it needs to do. The constant pushing and pulling of the expectations I place on myself only goes so far until it starts to do damage. I end up making stupid mistakes or getting dangerously clumsy. Like falling out of bed yesterday morning because I misjudged how far from the edge my hand was when I went to pivot my legs over the side. I even took a side table down with me. I'm sporting a nice black and blue look today. It'll pass.

Balance. Balance is important. Schedule time to recharge if necessary. Your body will thank you later. And maybe your side table, too.

Next week is Thanksgiving. It looks like we will have a small crew at the family farm this year, and I’m okay with that. This week’s focus is going to be putting crap away. My living room is littered with half-started projects and mail I have no intention of opening along with whoozits and whatzits galore. My plan is to start putting some of the whoozits away, finding homes for the whatzits and making peace with the mail, which means I will likely just stuff it in the box labeled 2017 paperwork and move on. I need to find a home for the Christmas tree so that can get put up after Thanksgiving.

This holiday season decide how much you are willing to do yourself, how much of the work you are willing to share with others, and what really isn't important in the end. I could make turkey broth from scratch for the gravy, but this year, I've decided that there are perfectly good brands on the market that I can buy and save myself the time and stress. I've got a simple green bean recipe coming to the blog soon that is easy and delicious. I'm hoping to finish up the lemon curd pie recipe that I shared on Instagram awhile back and get that out soon as well. I bought some Legit Bread mix to make having bread at the table a little easier.

The rest is just gravy. If it gets done, it gets done. If it doesn't, it won't be the end of the world. I'm not making Thanksgiving for royalty, here. It's just my family, and they love me even when I catch their oven on fire. Accidentally, of course.

#selfcare