on day 3 of a nasty head cold today, so i finally stayed home from school. took a homeopathic cough remedy containing melatonin and finally slept ... nearly 12 hours altogether (with two brief wake-ups where i needed to make tea, try to neti-pot, try to blow my nose, etc). today is the first day i don't feel achy and like i can't get comfortable. hoping to be back at it, gently, tomorrow.
isn't it funny how our perspective tends to shift when we are laid down by illness? we are kinder to our partners, their simple thoughtfulness shines and is appreciated more, and we are reminded of the things that we truly want to focus on in our lives.
while walking the dog this morning to give John a break, I found $4 scattered on the beach. I'm going to save it. saving is a theme I've been trying to succeed with for some time now. unfortunately, just when we got our wedding fund in place my car decided to let everything go at once. i've now spent a bit over $2,000 on getting it repaired over the last two months. just prior to that, I had some traveling expenses that ate up a large chunk of what i'd started to save. in light of these things, and John being currently unemployed, we are deciding to scale back the number of guests we invite to our special day, making it much more intimate but still an event to recall very fondly.
at times like these, i always return to a menu plan and try to pack a cooler with food for outings (we are planning a trip to historic williamsburg va, 2 hours away, on saturday, to just explore and get out of the house, depending how i feel by then). i remember that i have plenty of books and yarn and watercolors, and a jigsaw puzzle, on hand. i have a gym membership that's auto-debited each month. we have shows we watch from time to time on john's netflix account. i have relatively healthy ways to keep busy and enjoy my downtime.
when i don't menu plan and remember that i already have plenty, that's when stress tries to dictate what i will do, whether it's eating out or "needing" new clothes/books/what have you. one of my intentions for the month of may (and beyond, of course) is to cut out any non-essential spending and to take full advantage of the things that comprise how i spend my downtime.
i think that when setbacks like what we've been going through occur, the positive they bring is an opportunity to reaffirm intentions, refocus on making them happen, and embracing the moments as they occur and enjoying them for what they are. the savings will get built up again.
thanks for listening. xo
So sorry you're feeling so sick! I hope you get well soon!
ReplyDeleteWe really are on the same page. Such great activities you're cultivating! No-cost watercolors, meal planning, always busy on the knitting needles. Talk about taking advantage of downtime. Sigh, i've had to get really creative about activities. We almost never go out, except to free things / natural areas. I go to art galleries and parks. Free. I nearly trick myself not to spend money when i feel listless by having other 'to-dos' like listening to music, reading, catching up on PBS documentaries, walking someplace or other. I noticed that the local rag I liked to read made me want to go out places, try new things, go to this event or other. I tried to pick the cheaper / educational ones. It's been tough, fortunately Oscar doesn't feel like he's able to spend anything and is resolute about how we need to live.. tho sometimes I just want to say 'screw it' and have a treat. All I know is that there is a phase coming soon where it will feel like less suffering and more getting those things short and long-term we want. In the meanwhile, you & I are developing frugal habits. Love ya!