It's been a week since I quieted my social media accounts. I've kept them active—no dramatic deleting of my profiles, as tempting as that may be—but life without doom scrolling has been pretty darn glorious.
Actually, the best adjective I can think of is freeing.
There are parts of Instagram and Facebook I've missed: the memes shared between friends, the happy life announcements, updates from my favorite businesses. But overall, this feels good for me right now.
I thought it would be fun to share a weekly roundup of topics that have been swirling around my mind. And what better title for this series than Away Message? So, pour yourself a cup of coffee, cue up Brittney Clearly's "I.M. Me," and settle in.
We've been deep in a sleep regression with our toddler. For months now, our star sleeper only wants to slumber in our bed, and she can't fall asleep unless one of us is lying with her. The latter has been the harder part of this regression, because if I'm the one lying down with her, chances are I'll be sound asleep before she is...meaning I don't get any time to hang out and unwind myself. I know everything is temporary—and this weekend, we even saw a few glimmers of hope that this regression is coming to an end—but good gravy. This regression has been a doozy.
I bought Sophie Cousens' Is She Really Going Out with Him? at the Houston airport last Sunday, and my nose was buried in its pages most of the week. Sophie Cousens writes perfect rom-coms. (Just a fact!) Her main characters are strong, smart, and charming, and their love interests are sharp, multi-dimensional, and swoony. Her plot lines are entertaining and thought-provoking, and they flawlessly carry along the love story. I especially enjoyed Is She Really Going Out with Him? because the leading lady is a single mom in her late 30s. More of this, please!
The mid-air plane crash in Washington, D.C. has stayed heavy on my heart. Even if you're not a nervous flyer, that landing at Ronald Reagan is anxiety-inducing. I remember landing there with Grandma Betty in 2006 and thinking, Oh my God. We're going straight into the water. Sixty-seven lives lost. I can't stop thinking about their last moments. I can't stop thinking about their families, their friends, their coworkers, they communities. And as always, I'm in total awe of first responders and rescue teams.
It's a massive tragedy, and I stupidly thought Donald Trump could muster some kind of appropriate presidential response, but no. Of course not. The comments he delivered the next morning were not only idiotic and nonsensical, they were divisive and repugnant. The fact that he was already looking to blame someone (the Democrats, of course, specifically Pete Buttigieg) before an investigation into the crash was anywhere near complete is unconscionable. On this note...
I found a new therapist! I am a big believer in counseling, and I'm looking forward to regularly working with someone again. I don't know how I'll survive these next four years otherwise.
Okay, isn't this light switch plate cover cute? Yes, I continue to channel my outrage with the Trump administration into whimsical design changes around the house. I think I must be making my home a cozy, happy place in opposition to the hateful world Donald Trump is creating. Something to chat about in therapy!
I think one good thing to come out of the pandemic is the normalization of working from home if you're sick. (Quick caveat here: I realize it's a privilege to have a job I can do from home.) I got hit with a miserable daycare cold last week. It was Snot City, Cough County, and I was relieved I could keep my germs at home, no questions asked. I remember the days when you'd be sitting at your desk hacking into your elbow, feverishly blowing your nose, and popping lozenges at the office. There was just no way around it because if you took off every time you had a head cold, well... Most of us would be out of sick or PTO days fast.
Well, that's all from me for now.
January is finally over, and I hope you take some time to look at your February horoscope for a bit of fun and magic. This is the first line from my monthly horoscope (courtesy via the AstroTwins), which is just delightful: Ready or not, February is a buzzworthy start for you, Sagittarius.
I'm ready for the buzziness, Feb!
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