Biggest win? I am OUT of an 11 day isolation (after COVID if you missed previous post)! Even better, my husband is back in our bedroom. For both of us, the couch got real old, real fast. The best part about being paroled was holding his hand while watching a movie, together, in the same space! Previously, we’d watch a movie, Tony downstairs, and I upstairs.
So, there I was sick. Can’t do much. What would I love to do you ask? PLAY GAMES ON MY PHONE AND WATCH UNLIMITED NETFLIX, BAHAHAHAHA! Oh, how I wished I hadn’t limited my movie consumption to two movies a week for MJR! My quarantine time could have been one glorious Netflix binge! And the funniest thought I had was that maybe I could watch the same movie again...would that count?! Of course it would! How funny that I actually thought that for a quick second!
I haven’t played any games. Boy, was I tempted. Another win, I played zero games! But, I didn’t let being sick or isolating become an excuse, when I knew I could read, write, think, and pray…and sleep (when sleep would come). It was obvious to me, that often, I would have played games due to nervous energy, avoidance, boredom, and to simply make the days go by. I rested from the pull to play games and watching endless movies, wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but my heart knows that would have truly been a lesser thing. Good thing I had that rest point of two movies a week in place!
I only had one hug in 11 days, and that was from my girl, also COVID positive. It was odd going that long without physical contact. I hugged my girl: sometimes teens don’t hug back, but I hug her anyway! Until then, I didn’t realize how much I missed physical touch.
My January rest always has a curve…or two. That’s what makes them interesting. This year, COVID threw me a loop beginning on January 1, I think at 12:01 am! Happy New Year to me! Many years I’ve had surprises, like taking care of my dad one year: my life was not my own. One year I had a guest living with me: my home was not my own! Try having company in your home, and do MJR for a month. That month has some of my fondest memories. Last MJR, our daughter had major surgery. Between traveling to Chicago, choosing to eat out to make a hard situation better, then being a nursemaid for most of the month, I had little control over my schedule, time, and to some degree food. Again, my life was not my own.
This year, I am not the caregiver but the care-receiver. Very odd place to be. I find myself grateful. I find myself humbled. I find myself still wanting my way (I wanted almonds and a banana, not cashews—again—and husband brought cashews and forgot my banana). I lived. If not for being sick, it would have been the best retreat with princess treatment. No cleaning, cooking, or duties. I had room service delivered to my beautiful room. I had my books, journals, studies, laptop, and a sit-pillow. I thanked God for that sit pillow. Last year, I borrowed one after my daughter’s surgery. She used it. After my wrist surgery, I used it. Then she had her wisdom teeth out, and she used it again. After we finally returned it in December, I ordered a well rated, yet inexpensive one—with free shipping—ooolala. What a gift! Little did I know how useful that pillow would be for my isolation. God knew. Its only downfall is it has cellulite (shredded memory foam that feels a bit lumpy). But hey, so do I. We are a pair: meant to be.
Fails: shopping! Before I even thought about it, I had looked up and clicked the buy now button and purchased two thermometers.Blame it on the fever? My old thermometer wasn’t working well. Concerned that it would quit working, I purchased a replacement thermometer for upstairs (as well as one for downstairs). Also, I purchased a book as a gift, for someone in ministry for a part of her rest. It wasn’t until after I purchased these items, that MJR came to mind. Especially in the beginning of the month, I am still on autopilot. I would have purchased the book anyway. There are often exceptions to my rest points, helping or encouraging someone, instead of legaliam, is freedom. And the thermometers? Not sure what I would have done if I had been thinking. I’m guessing I would have purchased them anyway. I wasn’t in the head-space to be with fever and without a working thermometer, even if I was aware it was a fear-based purchase. Nevertheless, I am ready if we need them in the future!
I’ve only purchased a handful of groceries, twice. I cheated a bit to make my life, a day past COVID isolation release, easier. I still don’t have full energy. Rather than make complicated meals figuring out what I could make with existing and frozen, I purchased items to make an easy meal. There is still time. And I purchased a couple bags of chips for my girl, so she can have something to snack on until she is out of isolation. She is well aware of MJR after years of living in our house: she has a job, so she can buy her own soon.
I’ll run out of mint tea, but might have some at the studio that I can use, so it doesn’t get stale. Winter without mint tea, I don’t’ think so! Or at least, I hope not. I’ll run out of my preferred face cleaner, but I am sure I have some other I can use. I was at the point of adding water to the bottom of the bottle of shampoo when a large half-used bottle showed up outside my bathroom door. Apparently my daughter doesn’t like it any longer. I love when things like this work out for MJR. I hope I don’t run out of coffee, but I might. Now, I am using coffee that I found in the freezer, instead of my favorite Fog Cutter. When our refrigerator died in August (we still do not have a full-size fridge), I had to reorganize our freezer space to salvage what we could from our dying fridge. Low and behold, I found two bags of buried coffee. They are on my hit list. I don’t prefer them, so they sat in the cupboard. Now, I’m using them first and I’m glad I have them! Without them, I would certainly run out of coffee. I won’t purchase coffee until February.
Food: I did eat two granola bars (one each morning for breakfast when hubby was gone, so I could take meds). They had chocolate in them. They needed to be eaten anyway. At least that falls under my use up category! We worked on eating the surplus of food we had from Christmas and New Years Eve. Pre-COVID we weren’t home on these holidays, so I didn’t anticipate having all the extra food. Surprise.
Besides eating the surplus of leftovers, we haven’t gone through much of our frozen or dried food, because I was sick: awesome friends brought our family food. What a blessing! This made my husband’s life much easier to have a meal to heat up for the whole family (since we were isolated in three locations). Friends picked up some groceries, one gave us a gift card for a meal. My husband was trying to work his day job, and bring us meds, feed us two to three times a day, bring Gatorade, clean and disinfect, all the while keep from getting sick himself. Plus, taking off work early, he was helping people daily with downed limbs after our New Year’s Day ice storm.
We did use up most of our fresh food (except we had to pitch the spinach, it was out of sight, out of mind while I was sick). It took me days to even think of the fresh produce in the fridge. I had Tony make salads. I walked him through making salads and he did it for three meals. I even taught him, over Facetime, how to make the homemade salad dressing we love! I guess I was an armchair kitchen warrior, instructing him how to prepare and season the potatoes, roast the brussels sprouts, and cook the sausages. He did great!
We only have celery and two carrots left and a handful of shriveled apples that I’ll cook down for oatmeal topping. I have an assortment of squash to cook, when I get the energy. I had a handful of past-prime bananas. I ate them. Don’t judge me, I’m proud! Rather than put my husband to extra work, I ate them for breakfast. That is part of MJR, don’t waste it, just because I prefer my bananas less ripe, way less ripe!
Specifically regarding sugar, I did have some Gatorade, jello, the couple power bars with chocolate chips, and a popsicle when I had fever. After my fever was gone, I remembered that Gatorade has sugar so I quit drinking it. Until, my husband reminded me that I’m supposed to use things up for MJR, and the girls didn’t like the orange Gatorade. So, I drank it up!
Temptation comes in many forms. Last week, I laid on the floor to stretch out, when I got up there was a handful of Reese’s Pieces on the floor! I thought I had become a Pez dispenser! Baffled, I picked them up and tried to figure out how they got there. Eventually I figured out that they were in my pullover pocket from last year. Sometimes I’d sneak a handful, and eat them during the movie. Never, ever have they made it safely in the pocket past the conclusion of the movie. I did not eat them.
Today, a sweet friend brought me some GF sugar free cookies that she made special for me! I did eat them! I had two and they are delicious. I’ll most likely put them in the freezer, since even though they are sugar free, they are a sweet treat.
Beside the two SF/GF cookies, my only snacks have been on my first night, popcorn, before I added no snacking to The List! I’ve had a few crackers for meds or nausea. Since I literally had zero food in my room, except what someone brought me, it made no snacking pretty easy! Hey, lock me up in a room and I am great! Since getting out, I certainly have been tempted more, but I haven’t given in.
Hopefully, the second half of MJR will be more normal. I’m taking it day by day.
We are getting close to halfway through. Have you been resting from something this January?
Uncovered 