A Saturday

 

Yesterday was one of those unremarkable days that was just perfect. Nothing crazy happened, I still did homework and worked a little, but the whole day felt calm, productive, relaxed, and like there was time for everything. 

I got up at 6:30am, let Bear out of his crate, made coffee, and settled in at the kitchen table. I cracked open my laptop, and got through some admin stuff for work I hadn't done on Friday. Then, I checked off a few last minute homework items so I wouldn't have to think about them for the rest of the day. 

Somewhere in the middle of that, Chris got out of bed and started making breakfast. Chris making a fancy breakfast on the weekends has become a sort of quarantine-tradition, and I absolutely love it. He made scrambled egg, cheese, and bacon biscuit sandwiches that were heavenly. We've discovered that the Trader Joe's canned biscuits are the best ones. 

Around 9am, I made myself a cup of post-coffee tea and jumped into the shower. Within the last year, I've become the type of person that never showers without a drink...be it wine, beer, coffee, or seltzer. I always have something propped on the edge of the tub. It's become such a habit that I don't just bring whatever drink I have in with me, I specifically start making one to take into the shower. It's a habit I love. 

After a hot shower, I wrapped my hair in a bun and left for the rink at 9:45am. I'm currently only teaching a quick Learn to Skate session on Saturdays, just a half hour away. I was on the ice at 10:30, and done by 11:10. This particular class has some of the sweetest kids. 

On the way home, I took the backroads and listened to Laura Vanderkam's Off The Clock. I devoured this on audio over the past week, and could really feel her thoughts permeating the way I went about daily life. In the book, she talks about how we all really do have time to feel like happy, whole people. It is possible to have a career, workout, have good family relationships, read, and see friends. She als talks about how a lot of our thoughts about how scarce time is, is really just an attitude. She talked about doing memorable things, and being intentional. I think this book is especially relevant right now, as so many of us are navigating completely new schedules and life situations, and finding it easier to feel sorry ourselves, due to covid. It definitely prompted me to breathe more, call friends, and be grateful for everything this week held. 

I got home around 12pm, and changed. Chris took Bear outside for a quick walk and then at 12:30, we headed downtown for lunch. We sat outside, bundled up in hats and coats, at our favorite local brewery. We split a burger and nachos, people watched, and just chatted. Going out for lunch at a brewery on Saturdays has also been a new quarantine habit. It's fun to not be out late, and to feel like we're avoiding the Saturday night crowd that may be less covid-conscious. We make reservations before we go, so it all feels pretty low contact. I love this tradition, and we've vowed to stay outside as much as possible even as it gets colder. 

After lunch, we headed off to a craft fair. It was so fun to stroll through the vendors. We bought an adorable felt Santa, and a set of clothes pin The Office ornaments. I am so excited to decorate the apartment for Christmas! This fair felt like the beginning of really prepping for the holidays. 

We got home a little after 4pm. Chris took Bear out again (he is totally becoming the primary puppy parent, and I'm so grateful for that). I reviewed some choreography I'm learning for a Christmas show, and cleared some laundry off the floor. After eating a small bowl of soup, I left the house at 6pm. To drive to The Skating Club of Boston, about an hour and a half away, for a rehearsal for that Christmas show. It's a free community show in Boston with Joy Skate Productions, and it's been so much fun to be putting together. On the way, I ended up finishing Off The Clock. The rehearsal was so fun with the rest of the cast, and I started driving home around 9pm. I got home at 10:30, snuggled with Bear, took him for his last walk, and watched some TV with Chris. before heading to bed. 

This Saturday held so many unrushed parts: a fun coaching day, checking homework off my list, going to a craft fair, getting quality time at lunch, and getting to skate with a really inspiring group of peers. It was the rejuvenating mix I needed this weekend. I'm relishing not working all day on Saturdays this season, and preserving pockets of time on the weekend for fun, for work, and for chores. More days like this, please. 

Routines in Quarantine

I don't know why I've never given up this blog. I started it in 2012, for goodness sake. In 2012 I was a sophomore in high school! You'd think that at this point I'd feel like I'd outgrown this space, and during some periods of time, I have. Every time I make a "comeback" to blogging consistently, I think about just starting something new. Throwing all of this out, and creating something fresh. Sometimes I get so far as creating a new website or signing up for a newsletter service, but I never actually write anything for it. I just don't want a new space. I like the idea of years and layers and different seasons and chapters of my life just being dumped here, even it it's sporadic and messy. The messiness is why I choose to follow random, normal people online, instead of glossy celebrities.

So I'm going to keep this mess. And what better time to come back, than a global pandemic!

As I'm writing this, we're closing out Week 2 of self-isolation in the US due to COVID-19. It looks like we'll be in this same sort of situation for at least another month. Like most places in the world, everything is shut down: restaurants are takeout only, all non-essential businesses are closed, and gatherings are limited to less than 10 people.

Like most things, this feels complicated: I'm happy for time at home, and tired of being stuck at home. I'm happy to finally have time to do a few projects, and frustrated that over 3/4 of my work is gone. I'm worried about money, and grateful that I also know I won't starve, or become homeless. I feel useless for being at home while knowing medical professionals are really struggling. I can't wrap my head around the fact that something so challenging, feels so incredibly easy in my day-to-day life.

This entire world is going crazy, people are sick and hurting and broke, and yet I'm here, still getting through work, watching tv, and planning what to make for dinner. We're all still just living hours and days and weeks, and waiting until something happens to change our routines again. Life is absolutely ridiculous, and I don't understand it.

But anyways, right now....

mornings have been cozy & slow. All of my work at the moment is from home, as well as all of the work for Chris' office job. We've been sleeping later than usual, usually getting up around 7:30 and then actually being out of bed by 8. We play the news in the bedroom while we're getting up. We make coffee and eat breakfast together. About half of the time, we watch watch TV with breakfast, too (right now it's always either The Newsroom or Dave).

I've been making really good to-do lists. Not aspirational "today is the day I fix my life" lists, but real, actionable to-do lists. The night before, I've been setting 3 essential things that must happen the next day: at least one is a workout, and the other two are for work. The rest of the day is organized around making sure those three things happen. On top of that, I've been chunking out blocks of hours and being specific from what I expect from each hour. For instance: from 10-1:30, I need to finish that list of cold calls, plan out a week's worth of Instagram posts, and create a list of interview questions. The day seldom actually looks exactly like my list, but it's at least a start, and some way to check in with how productive and focused I'm actually being. Plus, if I completely loose myself along the way, I can just come back to the day's 3 essential things and get them done.

I'm attempting yoga every day, and running every other day. The yoga is sorta happening, but is probably still hovering around 4-5 days a week like the beginning of the year. Running is getting better though! I'm trying to not overthink it and just get out every other day and run. I've never been a fantastic runner, but the times in my life where I've felt the best about it have always been when I was really consistent.

I've been taking my plants on field trips outside.  I planted a container veggie garden this week (no I'm not a doomsday-er....yet), and that's led to me being much better at remembering to water the houseplants, too. Since it's been sunny and warm during the day, I've also been taking them outside to soak up the sun! It's been extremely enjoyable to set them up outside on the porch, and then bring them all in, like I'm calling for pets at the end of the night or something.

we've been making the bed together. I'm a really clean person, but I'm not a neat person. I have to make a really concerted effort to not just throw my clothes around, and leave piles of notes and books and pens on every surface. We've been making a point to make the bed together every single day, and that's definitely been motivating to keep the rest of the house clean, too. Here are some other habits I'd like to work on making second nature right now: sweeping the floor every night, vacuuming at least once a week, not leaving clothes on the floor, and wiping down the bathroom every weekend.

I've been making lots of sourdough. We haven't bought a loaf of bread since late February, and I'm excited to keep that streak going. I've been making a quick, cheater-version of sourdough that I'm really liking, but I'm excited to try the real version soon.

Work Stuff Happening: Lots of zoom meetings for TOI Boston, creating curriculum for running our practices virtually, creating content and running the Instagram for Floquiya.

Listening to: Tedeschi trucks band. It's the only music I can have on in the background while I work, and I love it.
Reading: The Return of the King, The Hobbit (we're reading this together!), and You Are A Badass At Making Money. Just finished Untamed on audio.
Eating: Out of the freezer, and lots of sweet potatoes.

Looking forward to: Watching all my new plant babies grow (hopefully)!

A blog post on essential oils I wrote for Floquiya, and what life looked like this past October.

September Saturday

From Saturday, September 12th. This was actually the first day back to the regular Saturday skating schedule, so it was a bit rocky!

6:35 AM
Wake up to a chilly morning (fall is coming!).

6:40 AM
Stumble downstairs. First thing, drink a whole glass of water. Then pour coffee and feed the cat (Bangles).

6:42 AM
Realize the sausage I need for breakfast is still frozen in the downstairs freezer, since I was too lazy to get it out the night before. Go downstairs to get it. Leave the basement door open, so Bangles comes too. Chase Bangles and bring him upstairs.

6:45 AM
Start getting ready...wash face, brush teeth, vitamins, makeup, brush hair. Search for hair clips.

7:07 AM
Make breakfast: Three scrambled eggs and sausage. Refill coffee and sit down to eat.

7:22 AM
Get dressed. Pull my coaching coat out of the closet. Pack skate bag.

7:35 AM
Head to the rink. Drive without the radio, because I really, really need quiet mornings.

8:00 AM
First one to the rink! Take my inhaler, jump rope, stretch, and off-ice jump before lacing up.

8:25 AM
Step on the ice! About 10 minutes of warm up, and then my lesson starts and we work on moves in the field. I have a half hour lesson, so I use the remaining bit of the hour-session to do freestyle.

9:25 AM
Learn to skate starts! I pull on two extra jackets and start coaching.

10:20 AM
Get off, pull off skates to stretch feet. Lace up again.

10:25 AM
Get on the ice for my second session. Focus on freestyle, run my routine twice.

11:20 AM
Get off the ice, unlace, and stretch out for a bit. Walk out to my car, intending to buy a coffee and then head home.

11:45 AM
Spend way too much time jiggling my key because I somehow locked my ignition. Ask hockey dad for help. He gets it first try. Drive straight home, do not buy coffee because I'm worried I'll lock it again if I turn the car off.

12:03 PM
Get home, make coffee. Also make lunch: nut granola with almond milk and raisins. Sit and talk to Mom.

1:10 PM
Decide that I should probably be getting ready for work. Change, wash my bangs out and style them, grab a new pen for my smock pocket, pack food.

1:35 PM
Leave for work. Eat a banana on the way.

2:00 PM 
Punch in. It's busy, so in the first hour I bag for several people, give a lot of voids, make change, jump on my own register to get the lines down, ring for someone so they can use the bathroom, and collect baskets.

5:10 PM
Head to lunch. Carrots dipped in almond butter. Go through the smocks, and discover that the new ones came in! With a size small! So I ditch the XL I've been wearing and put on my new one.

8:00 PM
Punch out. Buy almond butter and Larabars.

8:20 PM
Get home. Chill on the coach with meatballs and Netflix. Eat a yogurt. Read some blogs.

11:00 PM
Head upstairs. Get ready for bed. Clean off my bed. Journal a bit.

11:21 PM 
Lights out!

What are your September Saturdays like?

Happy Tuesday! xoxo