As I was slipping into my comfiest flannel pajamas at 5 p.m. the other night I realized that I was no longer “cool.” I mean, I had suspected as much for quite some time now, but this really cemented it.
I don’t mean to be in bed before dinner, of course. I just want to be comfy. When you leave in the morning and it’s dark, and you come home on a winter evening and it’s dark, it’s hard not to feel like your winter household attire should obviously be loungewear and some cozy slippers. Am I supposed to wear a ballgown? Pants with a zipper? Please.
In 2021 the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled “How Being More Productive Starts With Doing Nothing.” Who am I to argue with EXPERTS?
It’s no secret that I once felt a weekend spent at home was WASTED. If we did not have plans Friday-Sunday I was bereft. Now, I’m thrilled. I love hanging out with family and friends, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I can also really get down with staying home and staying in. Enjoying the mortgage, so to speak. We spent years making this house a home — I am not going to apologize for wanting to stay in it pretty much all of the time.
Battery
It seems like many of us monitor the batteries in our laptops or mobile phones more than we do on ourselves. Don’t let yourself get too drained. Self care and doing nothing is important too.
Treat yourself the way you would a child. Feed yourself healthy food, spend time outside, allow yourself to take a nap if you need one. Don’t say mean things to yourself or anyone else. Put yourself to bed nice and early.
It turns out that legions of grandparents were right about baking, crafts, gardening, puzzles and reading. Not to mention watching deer in the yard. I’m more of a bird person myself. We have a bird feeder right outside the kitchen window “for the cat.” I am possibly far more enamored of it than the cat is. On a record breaking cold day Mr. Wonderful ventured out to purchase a larger bag of bird feed — lest they run out. I am channeling my great grandmother and uncle. I worry about those birds. They always had a bird feeder, also right outside the kitchen window. I used to always tease about bird watching. Now I’m like “A hummingbird? Really? At this time of year?” I have added a suet feeder — they need their fat in winter.
Lounge
I sometimes feel like we spend too much time worrying about the next part of our lives without realizing that we are right in the middle of something you once looked forward to. I’m trying to lean into winter these days. Cozy, chili, cookies, and snuggles? What’s not to love? That is not to say I can’t enjoy looking forward to summer. I plan to have my chair and a little table for my coffee so I can look at deer, birds, and squirrels. In my pjs, naturally. GirlWonder gifted me some lovely flannel pajamas. I like to think the wildlife enjoys looking at ME too. “Oh look she’s sporting the blue ones with the dog faces! Nice! We usually don’t see those this late in the year.”
My whole life people have been asking me why I get so excited “over every little thing”
And I’m always like why doesn’t everyone? Isn’t the whole point of living to enjoy it?
If I didn’t find so much joy in little stuff I wouldn’t enjoy life even half as much as I do.
The truth is even simpler. We don’t have to chase extraordinary moments all of the time. If we just pay attention, they’re often right in our own backyard on a summer evening giving the birds something to talk about.
