In lieu of one normal 9-5 job, I have five little jobs, none of which pay very well, but are flexible and rewarding. I need flexibility to handle never-ending disability crises. Last week, I got in over my head.
A $50 vintage magazine from my Etsy shop got lost somewhere in Los Angeles, which required tons of emails and phone calls to post offices and a sad buyer who bought this very thoughtful gift for her mother-in-law’s birthday party. A freelance article went in a different direction that the original pitch; the new direction was too edgy for the editor. Steve is on jury duty for two months, so after court, he has to do his regular job and can’t help out with dinner or home chores. I’ve got two or three newsletters, a presence on three social media platforms, extended family, and real life friends. There’s the autistic kid, who has absolutely nothing to do after school and on weekends, so I have to plan trips and activities for him. I’m organizing local parents and going to school board meetings and attending superintendent focus groups and watching local debates. Then other, unbloggable things, happened.
On Friday, I couldn’t breath. I felt like a 30-pound weight was perched on my chest. So, I’m giving myself a break from stress. I put myself on low battery mode for work obligations for two weeks. My priority is making sure that I’m around to take care of Ian if his new medication triggers an epilepsy seizure. I’m going for a run every day and reading some books. Everything else doesn’t matter.
Want to see pictures of some fun things that happened in the past two weeks? Lots of fun in the midst of all the craziness.
Apt. 11d 
I always appreciate the joy you find in the interstices.
I got to enjoy fall color in the NE & mid-Atlantic and still came back to color in the PNW though I had been worried that the rain would take the leaves (and, the smoke had been washed away). It’s very very dark now, at 4:20, and rainy, and windy, and cold (and heading towards freezing). But, there’s snow in the mountains (which appeared briefly earlier in the day).
My self are is to make sure I go somewhere every day. The trip East made me realize how easy it is for me to hibernate at home unfortunately in these dark days. I admire you for making that a run!
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Also, I’ve been get a bit of sparks of light from this Facebook page “FASHIONS OF BYGONE DAYS (1900s – 1960s):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1464780633773932/posts/3249874038597907/
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not all the bygone fashions are as risque as that one!
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So glad you’re making time for yourself.
Self-care is critical – if you don’t make it a priority, no one else will.
[Mind you, this is me saying this, who has just calculated that she has one free evening between now and the 10th of December – with all of the teen’s end-of-year activities, rehearsals, shows, performances, prize-givings, etc.]
My excellent local bakery has just announced that they’re dropping from 6-day-a-week operation to 5-days-a-week (closing Mondays) – due to staff shortages and basically exhaustion.
They’ve been in business start-up mode this year – (and, thankfully, doing really well) – but have reached the point where they need to take care of their core staff – before they burn out and leave.
Hiring new staff is an absolute nightmare in NZ – we have huge workforce shortages – and it’s really hard to get good staff – even when you’re prepared to pay over the odds to do so. They’re hoping to build their own (starting off an apprentice) – but that’s a long-term solution, rather than a quick fix.
I made sure to post on the local FB group and their page – my support for their changed hours. If you want your great local shops to be around for the long-haul, you have to support them.
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Laura, that’s fine.
As we say in my family, adequate is good enough.
(People occasionally get mad when we drop that bit of family wisdom, but it is true that adequate is good enough. That’s literally what adequate means!)
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