If you’re like me, when you start something new you have all these ideas of how it’s going to be. Where you are going to do this and how you’re going to feel about that.
Maybe it’s the idea that you will wake up early and do yoga before going to work or sit on the deck to enjoy a cup of tea while watching the sunrise.
For parents, it is possibly the vision that you will make chocolate chip pancakes every Friday before school, so your child has something to celebrate when they wake up in the morning.
When we moved into this house, I had these ideas. I imagined I would be awake at the first chirp of the early bird. I would stretch on the deck with the sunrise as I sipped my hot cup of green tea.
In my mind, I would be the essence of Zen.
I was going to relax in my favorite corner of the couch surrounded by fluffy pillows after work and unwind while I gazed out the front window, overlooking the neighborhood children as they play in the street.
Well, reality is swift.
It hits you hard and fast and before you know it, the first seven Fridays of the school year have elapsed and not one chocolate chip pancake has graced your child’s plate.
Reality hit me hard and fast. Before I could notice, I was unwinding in strange places in our home and giving up
any effort to be extraordinary. Sunrise? Yoga? Ha!
I’ll take my moment of peace straight up, with a dash of sanity, please.
One of the most beautiful things I am learning about being a homeowner is no matter what your intentions; normal is exceptional.
Exceptional is not normal.
I am starting to accept that it’s okay to find comfort in unexpected places.
When I get home from work, can you guess where I relax and unwind?
The floor in the hallway.
I can’t even sit myself on a chair or couch. I just lay flat out on the floor (which I recently learned has a slight odor of dog breath and vinegar) like a dead tree.
I take my moment (or twelve) of deep breaths, close my eyes and blindly pat the dog on the head while I think, “This is phenomenal that I can take moments like this. I am so happy.”
Right around that “I am so happy” moment is when I snap back to real life and think, “What the heck is wrong with you, Jess?! You’re covering your work clothes in animal hair and lint and fuzz!!”
Reality sets back into my bones and I propel myself to my feet. I’m revitalized to move onto the next step in my evening routine and life continues as normal.
Take the moments you can to find comfort – wherever and whenever you need it. Those unexpected little nooks may seem completely crazy in any other frame of mind, but when you need that unwind it feels just right.
Scrapping the yoga in the morning to take in a few extra moments of shut-eye is okay if that’s what works for you, just like lying on the floor and giving myself a moment to rejuvenate is acceptable for me.
My unwind spot is in corner of the couch with my laptop and a mug of coffee. Year 8 living with this man I call Magic Man, and I finally feel like I am home and it is our home. :-)