What I Like about Life Right Now

A moment of gratefulness for what is

I recently realized that I like my life right now very much. It was fun to sit down and think about what is contributing to my enjoyment of everyday life right now.

I like many things about my job.

 I like my schedule- eight o’clock to three o’clock. There’s time to do a few things before I go to work and then time to do a few things after work is done. Of course, the main thing I like about my job is the wonderful children that I get to work with. I can’t find words to communicate how much of my heart revolves around them and how special they are to me. They are the cutest, most unique, most surprising little people. I like my co-workers too. I don’t know them that well yet, but I get we’re in this together and everything is figureoutable vibes from them and that goes a long way. I have felt so much apprehension and downright fear about this whole being an EA thing, and it feels like such a gift to feel like I’m glad to be where I am, doing what I’m doing. (In case I’m making things sound too positive… I’m still super afraid too. Hehe.)

I like my sweater collection.

I have unexpectedly acquired a few less-generic sweaters than I normally wear and it has been so much fun to wear them this winter. My favourite is the Frog and Toad sweater that my sister Wendy gave me for Christmas!

I like going to the Y on Saturday mornings.

The Y is just the best thing for winter Jasmine. Saturday mornings are particularly enjoyable for me because there’s time to enjoy being there without needing to go to work afterward. I have been being brave and trying a new thing on Saturday mornings- swimming! Let’s just say that I have a lot to learn about swimming.

I like the weather we have been having.

It feels like we have experienced a few different months of weather this January. The cold, the snow, the rain… the variety has kept things interesting! (Although, I would definitely be okay with adding a little more sunshine to the mix.)

I like making a latte for myself when I get home after work.

I have long struggled with the question of how to transition from being away from home all day to being at home for the evening. At this point in the day (late afternoon), I’m often tired and/or overstimulated and just want to relax. I have found it easy to fall into habits that are not beneficial to me in the late afternoon hours. These have included excessive snacking, taking a nap, scrolling social media for a long time, and general procrastination of supper prep. It’s a bit of a tricky situation for me because at this point in the day, I am genuinely tired and do want to give myself to unwind. However, my go-to ways of unwinding were leaving me feeling frustrated and making it difficult for me to transition to some important tasks, like making supper and cleaning up the kitchen. Recently, I had a lightbulb moment when I was listening to a podcast where it was mentioned that there are seven types of rest- physical, mental, emotional, sensory, creative, social, and spiritual. I realized that the kind of tiredness I feel after a school day (a buzzing, wired exhaustion in my mind and body) is probably not best remedied by immediately curling up on the couch with my phone and snacks. This realization has led to me experimenting with some different ways of spending the late afternoon hours. If it was a morning where Ricky and I did not go to the Y, I will go there after school and work out my buzzy feelings on a treadmill. (Don’t picture super impressive running happening… I often just walk.) Sometimes I will also sit in the library there and write for awhile before coming home. When I get home, I go make our bed and think about how glad I am to be home. That might sound silly, but I do equate being home with being safe, and for many years, that has meant snacking or scrolling when I walk in the door. Making the bed is a simple task that allows me to take a moment to intentionally appreciate being in the safety and comfort of my home. And then… I make myself a latte and sit and enjoy it while reading, responding to messages, or watching a Youtube video. And it is wonderful. I’m still no artist with the foamy milk, but I’m working on it!

I call this latte art “Three Crows Atop the Tree.” If you look closely, you will indeed be able to pick out the trunk, the branches/leaves, and the three crows atop.

The late afternoon hours often had a bit of panic attached to them, especially in the winter when the light disappears early. Oh no! The day is ending and I didn’t do everything that I should have! I am finding that with my new rhythms, I feel safer and more content in these hours. I still have a long way to go… rhythms and consistency are not natural for me, but I am happy with the direction I am currently headed.

I didn’t realize that I was going to have so many words about my afternoon routine. Sorry. 😊

I like my hair.

At the end of November, I watched a delightful movie, in which one of the main characters had a short, curly cut. I immediately wanted it and booked an appointment with my stylist just a couple days away. There was hardly even time to feel nervous about getting my hair chopped.

Mild panic settling in post-chop. Also, if you’re invested in my sweater collection, you can catch a glimpse here of my school sweater that I wear every Wednesday, because Wednesdays are spirit wear days at school.

I definitely experienced moments of panic shortly after it was cut, because I had never had hair that was so short that there was no way to pull it back into a ponytail. However, I quickly adjusted and found that short hair was practical for me in so many ways. Washing it has became so simple, and it needs basically zero attention between washes. A game-changer for me has been wearing a silk cap over it while I sleep. Yes, I do feel like I am embracing my grandmotherly side each night when I put on my little cap.

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I could go on, but I’ll stop here. I could also list some things that I don’t like about life right now, but I won’t get into that.

What about you? What do you like about your life right now?

I wasn’t sure where to include this photo of the last few Sour Patch Kids in fading afternoon light, so here it is tacked onto the end. Something about it feels January-ish to me… a little tragic and gloomy, but with some bright spots.