I’m 43. That number seems big, small, and just right. I’m in pajama bottoms at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday. That has a ring to it.
It’s liberating working from home—not only because of my YOLO attire but because I’ve had a five-high-five chunk of time not working. Living in the future is what I fondly call living in the Eastern time zone while my work is on PST. Often I start at 9 a.m. or noon, or work until 10pm, but have lots of one-, two-, or, like today, five-hour stretches to focus on home, family, and me.
I dreamt of this lifestyle years ago, back when virtual therapy was infrequent and judged as “less than” by the therapist community. My oh my, due to COVID, times have changed.
As I was saying…it’s break time. And something about swiping leaves out of the pool, my niece stopping by with a Christmas card and chocolates, deep-frying 3-day-fermented potato wedges, and starting the dishwasher’s cycle—contentment swept over me like the cool wave of an emergency shower station after hazardous waste contamination.
Equally significant—and something I’d like to give myself two to four kudos for—is not adding on more simply because I have the free time. And one more kudo for the “not” being guilt-free.
Did you know I’m handwriting this on our iPad?? I’m trialing a paper-like experience to stay productive and focused while still leveraging all the features of technology. So far, I’m smitten.
I love my handwriting. It’s chicken-scratchy with satisfying swoopy S’s and Y’s. It’s neat, and the tension in my grip feels rewarding—like I’m pumping iron or something. And it feels more intimate, likely due to the slower pace of my hand’s movement and the need for my mind to take its hand and walk at its pace as if it’s a toddling child.
This is exciting and feels like a subtle shift in how I write—but one more aligned with me.
Ok, now to figure out how to convert all this to text and upload it to WordPress. And no pressure, but I have 30 minutes until my next session. Challenge accepted.
Love,
Jaclynn
Going On 40 