Texting you from bed

I know it’s the season of life I’m in. And the second time around it’s much easier to let the stress of “not doing” go. But occasionally, I still get my hopes up—not in a negative sense, but more in a “that’s life” way. I’m a lot gentler with myself these days. More realistic. It really matters that I’m showing up for my family. Writing words matters A LOT to me, but it’s not essential. It will come back to me. It comes back to me a lot in my head. I have so many stories I want to share with you. So I’m laying in bed writing you from my phone, waiting for my son to burst through my door with another reason to stay awake.

Oh, here he is again…..

I’m back. Just learned he has his big boy molar coming in on one side! And see these little insignificant details of life are really the marrow in the bone for me.

…Oh my gosh! Today, the lady at USPS emphatically said “Congratulations!” to me before I even asked to buy stamps from her. I replied “thank you!” And gestured toward my 7-month old daughter with me in her push chair. I thought, how lovely, a post-post-partum congratulations! And she said, “oh, I mean…I can always tell when someone’s pregnant or about to get married!”

Okay, I should have set up the scene for you all first. This is a “small town” style USPS post office. Quiet-ish. Hometowny. There’s a line behind me. Mostly my neighbors. My favorite lady is usually working behind the counter every day, except today. I love that lady because she has boundaries and closes down the office for lunch. My kind of girl.

Anyway, I squeaked out the measliest, quietest, “thank you” in response, just to get her to give me the stamps, which, by the way, were the Kwanza stamps in the display case (for our Christian/Jewish holiday card) because she couldn’t unlock the door (vault? Do stamps really need to be stored in a vault?) to the rest of the stamps. I was crying laughing I couldn’t get out of there fast enough!! If you get a Kwanza stamp on our holiday card this year, now you know! Gotta keep people on their toes (I guess?).

No I’m not pregnant and no I’m not getting married soon. 😂 Happily not pregnant and happily married. We all need some holiday entertainment. I had to share with you all. Hope you got a good laugh!

Break break…

I’ve been thinking about children this holiday who will go without. It plays over in my head like a movie. I can’t live with myself not knowing I didn’t try to help them when it’s such an easy lift for me and we all have so much to give. So I put a Western North Carolina Children’s Wishlist together on Amazon and decided, apologizing to Matt for all the Amazon boxes he’s going to have to figure out how to recycle is absolutely worth the small effort it takes to hopefully make a big difference in children’s lives this winter.

I’ve already received quite a lot of gifts from you all!! I’m scared in the best way our basement salon will be taken over with your generosity this holiday. ❤️If you’d like to add a gift to the pile, you can shop here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1ZDGDAC6KS6NQ?ref_=wl_share

Please have all gifts arriving before Dec 15. 🙏🏻Thank you!

We will drive all the gifts down and deliver them to families affected by the Hurricane and who desperately need gifts for their children this winter. 😅Phew, now I can live with myself!

I have always loved to think up projects like this. I never liked donating to organizations that much. I’m the type of girl that would rather fill a box up—of food or toys—and bring it straight to the people. Talk to them face to face. Let them decide if they want or need what I have to give. My shoulders creep towards my ears and I tense up when I bump up against any red tape. Especially when I’m trying to achieve something simple and easy. I don’t know why America has made it so hard/challenging/calculated to give. Why can’t it just all be easy and from the heart? Why does the tax man insist a foundation cannot buy a hungry man a meal at a sandwich shop on the corner? (It must go to a 501c3!) I mean, I get WHY, but it can also feel so silly at times.

Speaking of giving…I was reading an article Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat wrote about food insecurity in under-resourced neighborhoods, especially during times when children are not in school. He was explaining that school lunch was the only meal he got all day, and a box of raisins was the main course and the only thing he got for dinner. That just kills me. I wish he would have knocked on my door and taught my son how good my turkey soup was tonight when I heard him whimper, “there’s green things in there!” All this to say, can someone please host a shelf stable food drive for the children in need in your community this winter holiday when kids are out of school? Just put a box together with your friends and drop it off! Skip the red tape….

Okay I’m off to bed. Glad we got to catch up. Please send me funny stories. Anything that happens to you. Especially schadenfreude. We could all use a big belly laugh. My favorite kinds are in bed when I have to bury my face in my pillow to keep my daughter from waking up next to me.

I love you all and hope my US readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Onward to Kwanza! Et al. ❤️❤️❤️