Things I'm extra glad about right now

You know how sometimes you are a certain way about things, and you consider not being that way anymore, and something happens to reinforce that you should just hold steady as you are?

Universe, I am listening.

But first...

Of course and as usual in this world, most of these things come from a place of privilege and having money. We are coming across a lot of home-bound seniors in the Philly area who are low on food right now and a lot of people who are out of jobs and already experiencing or about to experience food scarcity and organizations that will not have enough volunteers to meet upcoming needs. If you are home with extra time, look for an organization near you that delivers packaged food to the home-bound and see how you can help - something like Meals on Wheels, or in Philly Caring for Friends. Call your local Food Bank. Get on your neighborhood facebook group or your Next Door group and ask if everyone is okay food-wise and if not, let them know they can direct message you without judgement and you will help how you can if you can. Then help how you can, without judgement.

For people like me who naturally stock up if you're in a store or run out for an ingredient to make something exactly as you want - PLEASE use what you have in your house and don't buy extra of things than you normally would right now. Let people who cannot afford to stock up go to the store more frequently. Do not run out daily for things - we need to protect workers and ourselves the best that we can. Just keep thinking that - we need to do the best we can by each other. And also understand that people who are out probably have a reason to be out - they don't have enough money to stock up, they are getting something for their senior parent or a household that is ill - we have to ourselves do the right thing and trust that others are also doing the right thing and taking the precautions they need to take.

Okay, now on to what I initially came here to say.

This is not a post about appreciation for things like healthcare workers on the front lines or companies who will do whatever they can to keep their people going - last night was rough after afternoon pressers and I don't have that kind of writing in me today. This is mostly base, surface shit with some hard stuff in it. 

I grew up in an overstocked house. As an adult my house has always been overstocked and it looks like it will remain so. Over the past year I've wanted to be a person who goes to the grocery store frequently and holds almost nothing in a pantry, saves freezer room for meals that are cooked and frozen, etc. I never got fully around to that, and after the mind fuck of this and people running to the grocery store constantly, I will likely never turn into the person who has to go to the store frequently as long as I can afford to not do so. This was not me going out to buy extra coffee. This is the amount of coffee I get delivered at one time monthly, which I had upped in preparation for splitting a household and being part time at the shore.

The same goes for toilet paper, cleaning products, and hand soap. I can recall one time in my adult life being below four rolls in the house. I'm also super glad I can/am used to making cleaning products and hand soap and have stuff on hand for that, and had extra of everything in preparation for it to go to the shore two weeks ago.

That I stopped using paper towels and paper napkins and paper plates years ago. I see so many people online asking others if they've seen paper towels in stores. I always reply, "don't go out just for paper towels - if you have a washing machine use regular kitchen or hand towels and wash cloths." Crickets. People do not want to give up paper towels even though they are nearly entirely unnecessary. I get it, in a time where everything is forcibly different, we want continuity, but I'm happy I'm not stressing over paper towels or paper napkins right now. If you are, you don't have to if you have a washer/dryer.

Having four dogs. I often feel insane for having four, but they are a distraction in the best and worst of times.

That I grew up with Mom Mom and Grandmom always using things to the maximum and getting everything out of everything. I learned how to think about what to do with what I have versus lament about all the things I don't have. They taught me to really think about using things and to not let things go to waste, especially food. They were 100% anti-food waste because they had to be and that stayed with them even when they didn't have to be. It's stayed with the little girl who was always around them too. As has buttered saltines as a comfort food.

Buying peppermint tea in bulk.

That at various points in my marriage we have lived with less, been very down and nearly out, and struggled hard to hold on to what we have. Do I want to go back there? No. Who does, ever? But we've survived really hard shit before and I know we can again if it comes to it. If you have done hard things, remind yourself of that. Sometimes merely the muscle memory of struggle lessons worry for the future. We've been through things. We have done hard things. We have survived absolutely everything up until this point. We can get through more.

White boards. Living and dying by that as a household right now.

That aside from Schitts Creek and a few other things, I haven't watched a lot of TV in the past three to four years. If I find I need to zone out, the options of shows I haven't seen that most of the world has are almost endless. Movies? Forget it, I've seen even less of those in the last five years.

That I have an abundance of physical and e-books that have not been read about which I have continually said I need to work through those before I collect more...probably won't be saying that in the future.

I was committed to buying two candles at a time, but late last year stocked up. Now I'm so glad I did, because in an effort to zen my shit up I have been burning through them like wildfire. I ordered four more last week from a small shop. If I run out of something or need something, I'm trying to buy anything I can from a small business.

That I have friends who are dark humor people. I am not getting out of this alive if I can't laugh at inappropriate times, and my people aren't either. I stole this from Charlene on Instagram and I laugh every time I look at it.

That I have amazing best friends I can say anything to and can say anything to me. Texting about not great sides of ourselves last night had me laughing so hard I could not breathe and I really needed that. I really hope you have someone you can let it all hang out with. Preferably more than one someone.

FaceTime. I don't care how many chins I have, I played a game with my niece last night laying on the couch via FaceTime.

That I have always known the importance of community, and that includes everyone who reads here. Community stands together in person six feet apart or in online spaces we have made homes in. If you read this blog, you are part of my community, and I stand with you. Some of this list is heavy and some is surface, but I want you to know whatever is running through your head in this unprecedented time, you are not alone. Hang in there.

Happy birthday to our friend Blaine today. Not the most stellar March birthday month, but it will absolutely be memorable.

How are we doing today?