Gentle, gentle, gentle
It's nasty cold season in East Tennessee right now. I hope you're avoiding it, though if you're not, my heart goes out to you. We've been battling a household cough and snot situation that's got us all worn down. I'm talking the kind of thing even naps can't fix.
Last week was a doozy for me. We were prepping for the holiday market, for Thanksgiving, for the end of the work month, and I was also prepping costumes for a show (go see It's A Wonderful Life at River and Rail in Knoxville!). A wild time, and not the time to get sick. I knew I was pushing myself too hard even as I was hardly pushing myself at all compared to the standards I held myself to ten years ago.
It ended up being a delightful week, despite my Thanksgiving lunch being leftover lasagna on the couch while my youngest and I rested instead of attending the family meal. We saw so many friends at the holiday market I lost my voice by the end. The costumes came together despite many small hiccups. A doozy of a week, but it felt like a win!
The predictable consequence was a bit of a slump this week, hence a Thursday email instead of a Wednesday one. We're getting better, myself including, but we are still moving slowly. It feels a bit like an invitation into the season, though. As we work through this, the weather has dipped to December cold, the mornings are frosty, and we even had a bit of snow. We're day by day opening the beeswax candle Advent calendar my mom sent us. The holiday decorations have been located in the basement, and we might even unpack them before the 24th. Slowly, slowly, we say goodbye to the year.
I hope you are also being gentle with yourself. If the nasty cold did find you, or even if you're simply cold, I included my go-to remedy below. Give your head a steam, let your thoughts turn to dreams... we're almost to the return of the light.
Warmly,
Meg
P.S. Subscriptions are live and make great gifts! We have beautiful gift certificates to send you if you decide this is how you want to celebrate your loved ones.