Friends, at various points this week I was pretty sure I was going to collapse to the ground like a ragdoll! Nothing objectively hard happened, but it felt like a perfect storm of busy things that culminated in me feeling what I can only describe as a zombie-like state.
Right before we left for Europe, I did a sleep study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. I’ve done some digging in the interim, and my results were so mild that intervention is unlikely to have much of a positive impact. But I wanted to see things through. (Plus, I am tired all the time and have been for literal years, so I figure anything that could be a potential solution to that issue needs to be evaluated.)
Last week I received a CPAP machine for a month-long trial and it has been… a trial.
There were issues with the fit and seal (I started with a nasal-only mask), and then I exchanged it for a full-face mask, but the humidity levels were too low and I was waking up at 3 am with an extremely dry mouth—even though I’m not a mouth breather.
The one night I had a seamless night’s sleep didn’t end well either. Indy had a friend visiting the day before and, as a prank, he set Indy’s alarm clock to go off at 6 am. It was so loud and jarring that it woke all of us up, and I never managed to get back to sleep.
SIGH.
My family member had surgery and it went successfully, which is such an answer to prayer. And, also, it was stressful. Another family member in the same orbit ended up having a series of health complications that overlapped with the surgery, and I was at a distance and unable to help, while also feeling the weight of it all.
Add to that a surprising increase in tween snark for some inexplicable reason, sibling squabbles, and three family members visiting for an entire week.
But you didn’t come here to listen to endless complaints. Life is good and I am thankful and also tired.
I’ve referenced my all-time favourite quote a few times, but it feels especially relevant here. It’s said by Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring:
“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”
YES. THAT.
There is relief coming. Not this week, and not next, but the week after that.
I am going to try my darndest to take the first day back to school completely off. No cooking! No cleaning! No work! It is a momentous occasion to send the kids to school after a full six months of being off (almost to the day), and I intend to give it the celebration it deserves.
But guess what? Amidst the middle-of-the-night wakings, and the sassy kids, and the laundry, and the revolving door that is my fridge and front door… there were a lot of Happy Things, too.
A NAP
Wednesday afternoon I was feeling like a literal collapse to the ground was imminent. I organized my day in a way to allow for a nap, and refused to set a timer. I slept two solid hours, and then a few hours later took a sleep aid and got another 9 hours overnight. And while I know there is still a bit of sleep debt to pay off, I feel worlds better.
EASY COMPANY
While having people around is always going to add a layer of stress for me, my brother and crew have been staying overnight at Joy’s (she’s away and graciously offered her house) which has really streamlined things. They show up for breakfast—which they prepare for themselves, knowing where all the various foods and appliances are located—and then they head off for a day of adventures.
I have a tinge of guilt about not going with them, but I have visited each of these Nova Scotia locations on numerous occasions and so I can get some things done at home, and they’re having fun on picturesque adventures.
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Indy got to play in his first-ever tennis tournament over the weekend.
I went in with low expectations. He was the second-youngest player and would be playing against kids who were 13 and 14 with a lot more experience.
Guess who ended up being the top seed after round-robin play???
Indy!
He did end up losing in the final to the best player at the local club. But he lost 5 games to 3, which is very respectable. It definitely wasn’t a thrashing.
It was a fun, day-long event. Low-key, but pleasant, and very fun to watch him excel at a sport he’s only recently started playing but really seems to enjoy.
He also continued to help as a volunteer during the morning lessons this week and then squeezed in one final week of afternoon lessons. That’s a wrap on official tennis plans for the summer, but I hope he’s able to meet up with friends at the court long into the fall.
WASHING MACHINE + DRYER
I am so thankful for our washing machine.
I may complain about laundry on the regular, but what a blessing that I can toss all my dirty clothes into a machine, spin a few dials, and come back an hour later to find everything clean and spun out.
And then I toss those same items into another machine, turn a few more dials, push another button, and like magic: an hour later I have fresh-smelling, dry clothes.
Modern appliances for the win.
BADMINTON NET
About a month ago I got a badminton net on clearance. (It had been returned missing a piece that wasn’t critical to the function of the net.)
Indy and I took it to the lake when we visited my parents and had a great time… and then it languished in our shed for a few weeks.
We set it up again—it only takes a few minutes—and the kids have had such a great time playing on our side lawn.
They’re coming in at night with FILTHY feet, but I figure that’s a sign of a good time.
RAIN THIS SUMMER
Last summer our province was under constant threat from forest fires (as was much of the rest of Canada). This year, we have had a lot more rain.
And each and every time I see rain, I’m thankful for the reprieve.
Of course, we don’t want too much rain because then things veer into flooding, but so far we’ve had enough to help depress forest fire risk without causing water damage.
Long may this last!
COFFEE MAKER
We bought a coffee maker!
We started with a Mr. Coffee machine based on some blog reader suggestions (we were looking for something small and inexpensive). Unfortunately, as soon as we saw it, we could tell the 5-cup machine was too small for us.
John did some research and ended up with a TRU brand 12-cup one from Walmart.
It was inexpensive, it fits under our counter (some of the other brands we were looking at would not), AND we can set it to brew automatically in the morning.
So far, so good.
I love waking up to hot coffee, and I have sneakily not learned how to program it, so John is setting it up each night, which is delightful.
Eventually I’ll learn, but for now ignorance is bliss.
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- I was on a podcast! It was a lot of fun to re-listen to my conversation with Kathleen all about our European adventure, and also a lot of fun to host her in my online space later in the week.
- Melissa posted a great roundup of her August Gratitude moments so far.
- On that note, I posted a mid-month summary of my gratitude worksheet—along with a few stormy seas—over on Patreon (not paywalled).
- Garbage day. This shows up on my Happy Things Friday list quite consistently… but that’s because the reset genuinely makes me happy each and every time.
- I was reading an article on BBC News about some of the most colourful buildings in the world and came across a picture of the Maishima Waste Incinerator. Immediately, my spidey senses went off. It looked very similar to the Spittelau Incinerator in Vienna. And sure enough, it was designed by the same Austrian architect!
- Peaches! A good peach is pretty much fruit perfection in my eyes, but they are so often too firm, or not juicy/sweet enough for my tastes. The current crop has been delicious and I basically cannot get enough peaches this week.
- Fresh, local corn. Speaking of local produce… we’re not just limiting ourselves to fruit. We have a lot of corn lovers in our household and have been enjoying this year’s harvest already.
- Chili in the slow cooker. I prepped a chili yesterday and it’s sitting in the fridge ready to go on low for most of today. Three cheers for an easy supper with all the prep work done in advance.
- LEGO has been popular in our house the last few weeks, and Indy’s latest preoccupation has been creating words out of LEGO blocks. Both John and I were treated to a custom creation.
My brother, sister-in-law, and her mother leave tomorrow (Saturday) evening. And first thing Sunday morning, John’s brother arrives with his wife and three young kids. It’s intense and I’m tired… but we’re inching closer to routine and structure and a bit of a reprieve from the relentless pace of summer life.
Happy Weekending, friends.
Your turn.
- Tell me some Happy Things happening in your world.
- What’s the weather been like in your part of the world?
- Do you have an automatic brew setting on your coffee maker?
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