Memories for the days of 3/14 to 3/20.
The ones that are italicized represent what was happening a year ago this week, interspersed with the things favorite people on social media were saying.
I tend to do this with a lot things–I remember what happened a year ago on seemingly random days. This week in 2021 was a good week, healthy mentally and emotionally, spiritually and physically. We’re able to see people and hang out and it feels normal. This time last year wasn’t like that and I don’t want to forget what last year looked like in comparison, what we went through to get to where we are today.
These are the days…
…of a new cycle starting on a Sunday morning and staying home on the couch for the first time in a long time…
…of screen time being down to under three hours a day last week…
…of dreaming about going to school again, this time for physical therapy (it comes in waves guys)…
…of what we didn’t know would be our last potluck and worshipping in person for several months…
…of listening to the pull of words in my head and heart and writing them on the blog…
…of rereading the first book in a two-book series to be able to finally read the second book and finish the series…
…of Devo night and Devo songs and talking about child-like wonder and then 24 hours later watching a two-year old exclaim, “Whoa!” at the sight of her Kristoff doll…
…of it being one year since Agabus left the party with me (human Tracy) intending to visit family more often…
…instead, it ended up being the year we didn’t play Dungeons and Dragons in person…
“…Fear is a feeling, afraid is a choice. When fear shows up, I feel it fully. But then, I have the choice to stay in it or choose hope. Some days, I have to choose it 1,000 times a day.”
– Jon Acuff on Twitter one year ago this week
…of counseling and feeling good and talking about not waiting for the other shoe to drop…
…of being relaxed and looking up and noticing the rubber chickens on the ceiling…
…of coffee in the Vex’ahlia mug at 9:20 at night…
…of celebrating my favorite humans and staying up until midnight on a Tuesday…
…of Chinese food, diner food, and trying a new flatbread…
…of studying Deuteronomy on Wednesday nights and loving Moses…
…of having a key to the church building and being able to turn the lights on and make the coffee…
“We can do this. We ARE doing it. Stay strong. Also cry. That’s still strong because emotions help you know you’re human and care. And the same is true if you don’t cry. You’re strong, and when you don’t feel it, let someone else be strong for you.”
– Kendra, aka @thelazygenius on her Insta-stories last year
…of winning a new-to-me game #beginnersluck haha…
…one year ago Ant and I went to A-1 Comics and brought home four new games, one of which we we’d already played. We didn’t know we would need them in the days ahead…
…of powdered sugar in a bowl instead of a shaker…
…of going to dinner with my parents…
…of it being one year since California’s shelter-in-places going into effect…
…of one year ago starting to learn the production side of the Auburn office due to job coaching being slow…
…of Azzie getting ready for t-ball…
…of dreams and talks of the future, for the number logic that Ant has somehow given me…
…of our cats in the windows looking at the birds…
…of Chai Day Fridays, even though it wasn’t good…
…of these circle reminders still being on the floors of businesses…
“Smile at the garbage man. Call your family. Check on your friends who work part-time. Only buy what you need. Send long emails to people you love. Help people feel less lonely. Share positive posts on social media.”
– @goodgoodgoodco on Instagram
…of small black coffees from Flour Garden…
…of Monica nights, Harry Potter battle game. Beef stew, and laughing while singing Disney songs, Backstreet Boys, and Jackie Chan’s songs…
…of reading and journaling and feeling more like myself…
…of slow Saturday mornings, where we can stay in bed until 8:30 and then the need to pee and coffee brewing gets me up…
…where the word “precious” shows up twice in relation to me with God. There’s no shame in those tears <3…
…of the light that I find around our home…
“There’s a thin line between being ‘informed’ and ‘obsessed.’ It’s different for each person, but when you find the constant stream of Coronavirus information fueling your fear instead of equipping you with facts, take a short break.”
– Jon Acuff on Twitter last year
…of loving Taylor Swift’s Red and Lover albums more and more with each listen. For talking with Laurisa about her music at work. For Ant misremembering “Starlight” lyrics as: “We can get married, have a million kids, and teach them how to scream” haha…
…and of Drew and Ellie Holcomb the second half of the week, listening in as chronological order as much as possible. I still love the entire Dragons album but also falling in love with “Fire and Dynamite” (ALL versions) and the Souvenir album. I’m listening to them right now. I love them…
…for books about board games and fight song essays…
…of the word “for” being auto-corrected to DoR because I type it out often enough in texts #jobcoachlife…
…of this peaceful easy feeling that my heart and soul and mind feel…
…physical therapy potentially coming to an end, but it doesn’t mean the work is over…
…of stretches and trying to get back into a routine…
…of talking about houses and new-to-us cars while we drive to Placerville…
“Some stretches of time in your life are going to feel more meaningful than others. The mistake gets made when we belittle our current location in the journey because we just want to be ‘there’ now. I think ‘there’ is really just ‘here’ with more wrinkles in its face. Tomorrow will hold its own weight. I tell myself, stop waiting to arrive and just be here now. However imperfect ‘now’ is. This days counts. This hour. All of it.”
– Hannah Brencher on Instagram last year
…of bright blue skies, bright white clouds, and a different way to Placerville that isn’t as windy…
..of celebrating the OG niece, Mia. She turns nine (!!!) in a week, but her party was Saturday. Mine and Ant’s entire relationship is only four months older than her. The picture of us is from Christmas…
…of learning that I ask A LOT of questions when I feel anxious (“What are you doing?” “What is happening?” “Who’s that person?”)…
…of being reminded that I can feel great and that the anxiety will still show up and then Ant lovingly remind me that it’s my choice what I do with my time and not to give into that social media pull…
…of pulling out the notebook and looking at the list of things I made this morning to write about, setting a timer, and writing anyways, even though anxiety told me I had nothing to say anymore…
…of receiving strawflower seeds from Auburn’s local florist in the mail…
How did you live in the week and reflect in the events a year ago? What were some of your favorite things that happened this past week?
Writing Notes:
// 3/20/21: 13 mins, 11:15-11:30ish am. Dining room table. Hobbit Hole noises (the fan and game control clicks). Word count: 380
// 3/21/21: approximately two hours (5:30pm-almost 7:30pm ). At writing desk while listening to Drew and Ellie Holcomb playlist. I sent the pictures to myself earlier this morning and saved them to my laptop before coming to the post. Changed all the “fors” to “ofs,” added the italicized memories and some new ones based on yesterday afternoon. Added more things, formatting, pictures. Total words: 1323.
Mrs. Writer 