Life Lately: April 2023
Visiting the fields of Daffodils at the New England Botanic Garden.
I’m coming at you a bit earlier than usual this month, given my upcoming surgery. In case you missed the update, this week I’ll be having a fairly complex hip surgery that will require quite a long recovery process. I have had several major orthopedic surgeries, but this is my first as a mother. I’m trying to hold on to perspective - I know it will be challenging in the short-term, but the long-term benefits are well worth it. If you’re curious about hip dysplasia, I wrote a bit about our experience on Central Mass Mom.
April was a good month. The weather was warmer (at least, some of the time) and I felt energized. The month started with us hosting my grandmother’s *surprise* 90th birthday party. Family is such a gift, and it was special moment to celebrate together. The following week was the definite “low” of the month, when my littlest got very sick and we landed in the ER. The same weekend I brought my daughter to a fun local easter egg hunt and we had low key family time on Easter itself.
Last week I had a chance to go to a yoga class taught by my good friend Ari, which she led at a local rec center. I spent more time at Release Wellbeing Center, and went to several classes with another favorite yoga teacher, Gina. We also had a fun pizza night with neighbor friends, I hosted a Motherhood Discussion focused on friendship, and we enjoyed lots of little moments in between. Sometimes I look back at the month and wonder how everything gets done, amidst working full-time, coaching a few clients, and finding time to sleep. I continue to remind myself to focus on what I care about, and leave the rest. And that’s exactly what I do!
As I look to the rest of the month, I’m excited for a relaxing overnight in Western Mass before surgery on Monday. I’m hoping to go to the first of CMM’s Playground Meet-Ups and will continue having daily dance parties with my kids, even if just for a few moments. Then next week, I’ll be going through the surgery. I’ll be in the hospital for quite a few days, and then will head home to begin my recovery. It’s going to be a slow process. I’ll be on a medical leave for 12 weeks and I expect I’ll be pretty quiet on here and across social channels for a while. With that, here’s my roundup for this past month (so far!):
Watching/Reading/Listening: I binged and loved The Night Agent on Netflix - I was on the edge of my seat for every episode; it’s not my usual type of show, but I was so into it. I am just finishing up Beef, which is so different but hilarious and sad. I also finally caught up on Abbott Elementary (which I would watch after The Night Agent to calm myself). May will be full of TV, so I’ll look forward to reporting back. I didn’t read too much this month. I finished A Fatal Grace (I’m going to give the Louise Penny series one more book to see if I can get into it, but I’m not there yet), started The Social Climber (obsessed so far), and am far into The Light We Carry (LOVE Michelle). I expect to be reading a ton in the coming months as well, so keep the recommendations coming. My favorite listen of the month was We Can Do Hard Things featuring Cheryl Strayed.
The Little Things: Knowing that I’ll be going slooow for a while, I have been focused on enjoying the little moments. Slow walks with good music, hours spent outside by a fire, and having daily dance parties with the kids. I’ve been less focused on keeping my house in perfect shape (though that’s a hard one for me - I thrive within order) and more focused on enjoying the moments. There are still plenty of hard ones - meltdowns with toddlers, time spent at the pediatrician’s office, feelings of overwhelm. Still, I am prioritizing presence, hope, and joy.
101 in 1001. I’m already beginning to think about my next list, which I’ll begin in just under a year. I know that I won’t complete everything on it in each cycle, but that’s not really the point anyways. It’s purpose is a serve as a guidepost, encouraging me to spend my time on the things that I care most about, allow those things to change and evolve on a regular basis (every 1001 days), and to reflect along the way. I’m curious: have YOU begun this practice? I can’t recommend it enough!
