Just a Few Teensy Grievances…
I know. What do I really have to complain about? I’m not living in a war zone or having my house destroyed in a fire. But… there’s always something, right? I’m just going to quickly get this over with and move on. As I mentioned, we’re in Tampa! My daughter is playing in the All-State band. In addition to the student groups, it’s a huge convention for music educators. My husband has been coming for years and years, so he knows all the ins and outs- for example, the best hotels to stay in. Last year we were SO LUCKY. We were able to get a room in the hotel where my daughter had all her rehearsals. She could just walk down to her rehearsal, and back up to the room when she was finished. We liked that, because this gave us all a lot of independence. I could do my own thing without having to chaperone her much. This year, we tried to get a room in the same hotel but couldn’t for some reason (FORESHADOWING…) My husband got a room in a hotel very close, though. It’s in the heart of downtown, just around the corner from the rehearsal venue, also around the corner from our favorite sushi place, and there’s a STARBUCKS IN THE LOBBY. This is going to be the best year ever! Then… a couple weeks ago we got an email. The hotel where my daughter’s band was supposed to rehearse was damaged in the hurricane, and wouldn’t be able to host the band this year. Instead her rehearsal venue was moved…. to a hotel near the airport. NO! No! No! No! No! No! This means that, instead of her walking around the corner to her rehearsal, I have to drive her. Driving her involves getting the car out of valet parking (there’s no other way to park the car) and driving on the expressway. Because the hotel is busy, it could take five minutes to get the car, or twenty. Because some of the driving is during rush hour, it could take ten minutes to get there, or forty. There’s no way to judge if we’ll be insanely early, or late. And there’s NOTHING else to do near this hotel- it’s literally on the side of the highway. Yesterday, I drove her there three times. In the morning for seating auditions, then back in the afternoon for a rehearsal, and then back in the evening for another rehearsal. It took up… a nice chunk of my day. Let’s talk about the seating auditions! The kids audition to get to All-State, and then audition again when they get there to see what chair they are. My daughter got second chair! Objectively, that is GREAT! I mean, this is supposedly the best in the state, and she got second. The problem is, she wanted to be first chair, so she’s upset. I think it’s the “Olympic medal” phenomenon, where people who win the silver feel like they lost the gold. And I get it. “I was second chair at All-State.” Wow, that’s pretty great! “I was first chair at All-State.” WOW. That’s incredible. In spite of this disappointment, I think she’s still having a good time. I say I “think” because she’s not really speaking to us at the moment. I guess it’s a little too much together-ness. When I was sixteen I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed sharing a hotel room with my entire family either, and she’s also probably tired out after rehearsing all day. Whatever- she’s made it clear that she would like to eat her dinners alone, and speak to us as little as possible. Okay, those are my grievances. But you know what- I’m still in Tampa. I’m not at work. I still have time to myself, and I’ve spent some great time with my son. We will all survive this family vacation, and I’m enjoying myself in spite of everything. It’s not quite like it was in years past, but it’s still pretty great. Have you ever been to Tampa? Did you play in band in high school? Did you go to All-State?
It’s That Time…
SIGH. Starbucks is back to their plain old cups. No more holiday! Sob. But- I did get The Last Gift of Christmas. Every year we do a Secret Santa gift exchange at work, and every year it gets messed up in some way. This year we didn’t draw names until the 23rd (???) and as a result, I FINALLY got my gift yesterday… I’m SO EXCITED! We’re already planning a fancy charcuterie board for next week, after our trip to Tampa. Let’s talk about that trip! Yesterday our pet sitter (a friend of my daughter’s) came over to get the key, and go over the care of all the critters. This is a big job! In addition to the two cats, we have two guinea pigs, and- look away, rodent-haters- three rats, and a mouse. The mouse is new. The house has become a pit of despair- I just haven’t had time to clean, the Christmas things are half- put away, and the animal cages were getting, ahem, fragrant (I put off cleaning them because I want to do it right before we go.) I felt the need to apologize to our pet sitter, and she said “Oh, it doesn’t bother me! I used to work in a barn.” Ahem. I’m glad she’s not bothered by the state of our house, but I really don’t think I want to compare our house- even favorably- to a barn. Tonight I had a private massage client scheduled, which meant a two-hour commitment (I go to her house) but she canceled, HALLELUJAH. I can use that unexpected time to clean up- and I might just achieve my lifelong goal- still unrealized- of leaving for a vacation with a perfectly clean house. Back to the trip! We’ll be in Tampa for several days. My daughter will be rehearsing and then playing a concert on Saturday night; my husband will be attending music education seminars and clinics; my son will be doing his own thing. I have a fun blogger meetup planned (ooooh! who could it be…?) and we’ll also be seeing some friends on Saturday afternoon. Other than that, I plan to have a nice chunk of downtime to do my own thing. I want to read my book, and also work on a list of 2025 goals. Everyone has been posting their “25 for 25” lists, or goals for the New Year, and I’m having FOMO. I want to make my own list, but I just can’t seem to focus on it. Saying I need to “get more sleep” or “strength train more consistently” isn’t going to cut it. I need to be more specific, otherwise nothing is going to change. I also want to have a list of fun things, or mini-adventures for the year. My own “25 for 25” list will be coming soon! Did you make a list of goals (or fun things) for the new year?
Epiphany
I’m writing this on Sunday, the 12th Day of Christmas! Tonight is Twelfth Night, and tomorrow (Monday) is Epiphany. Did you know it’s bad luck to leave your Christmas decorations up past Epiphany? I guess I’ll be testing that out, because while I’m working on it, I won’t have them all put away. Let’s just tempt fate and see what happens! On this 12th Day of Christmas, I’m going into a deeper dive on my word of 2025, “Engage.” When I did a review of 2024, I realized that so many of the highlights of my year were things I initially didn’t want to do, but made myself do anyway. For example… At the beginning of the high school football season, I really didn’t feel like going to the games, especially since the first two were on Thursday nights. But I convinced myself to go, and ended up really enjoying them. As the season went on, I started to look forward to every game, and was sad on the weeks where the team was away. Well- our team went on to win the State Championship this year. It would have been exciting no matter what (since my daughter is in the band) but the fact that I had been at every single home game really elevated the experience for me. It wasn’t just getting myself off the couch to go places that made the year special- it even played out in my choice of books. It’s hard for me to commit to a really long book, but this year I read Stephen King’s 11/22/63, and the three books in Ken Follett’s The Century Trilogy. All these books were around 1000 pages, and I absolutely LOVED them. They were the reading highlights of my year. I realize these examples sound pretty tame. I mean, there are people hiking in New Zealand, visiting Antarctica, taking horseback riding lessons and learning to surf. And my version of “engaging” with the world is to read longer books and go to high school football games? Well… yes. But I also want to be aware of all the times I don’t want to do something, reexamine that, and push myself to do it anyway. My other way of engaging this year will be to immerse myself more fully in the things I’m doing. This idea came about one day at work. It was the beginning of the day, I was tired, had a headache, and had a full day of clients ahead of me. I thought “Well, the only way through is through” and began the day. As I was working, I started to really think about that phrase. Sometimes I’ll think I’m going through something, while really trying to go around it. Like, I’ll go through the motions but won’t be putting my full attention on it. As I started every massage that day, I repeated “the only way through is through” and thought about what “through” really means; in other words, to go right through the middle of it, fully immersed and focused. It turns out, doing it that way produces a much more pleasurable experience for everyone involved. So… “Engage.” Engage with the world, with the people and experiences around me, and also engage more fully in my activities and work. Put my full attention on the things I’m doing and go right through the middle of them. Do you see yourself as an adventurous person? – I’m MUCH too happy at home, reading with a cat snuggled on my lap. Top photo by Rob Wicks on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Between the Years
Why is the week between Christmas and New Year’s so confusing? I worked my normal schedule- had Christmas Day and New Year’s Day off, but Wednesday is my day off anyway- and I STILL couldn’t remember what day it was! We’re definitely still in “holiday mode” around here, as you’ll, ahem, be able to see from my workouts. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown! Monday 4 mile run! And, it was my daughter’s 16th birthday! She had a sleepover with her two best friends. There was a cake of course, and presents (because who doesn’t need MORE presents on December 30th???) Tuesday I did the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout and hip stability exercises. Then… New Year’s Eve celebration! It was just me and the kids. We had a nice, quiet evening. Wednesday 10 mile long run! I was worried this run would be hot, but it was okay. I felt pretty great from start to finish. Thursday Upper body strength, and core. This was a harder upper body workout than I’ve had in a long time because I got out the dreaded pull up bar. Let’s see. Last time i did (assisted) pull ups, I hurt my arm and vowed never to do them again. That was a year ago, and apparently I’ve changed my mind (or, forgotten how much that hurt.) Friday 3 mile run! Our cold front is coming through, and it was in the 50s. Hooray! Saturday 4 mile run, and brr! It was 49 degrees! When it starts with a “4” I get out my hat and gloves. Except I couldn’t find mine, so I’m wearing a weird assortment of random items. Sunday On tap- well, I usually take Sundays off. But my lower body strength training was almost nonexistent this week, so I have to do SOMETHING. Sheesh. Nest week, the kids go back to school on Tuesday. But we leave Wednesday afternoon for Tampa, so it will be another unusual week. I’m looking forward to a break though! How was your week? Could you remember what day it was? Top photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash