I haven't really gotten on board with selecting a word for the year in January. And I didn't plan on it this year. I saw many Facebook friends and blogger friends pondering over their all-important one word. I couldn't come up with anything. It wasn't really a priority for me and I didn't want to spend much time thinking about it. Then the other day as I slowed down to something, it came to me. I was doing something intentionally. I was slowing down and thinking about it. I wasn't hurringing through it mindlessly.
I am a master multitasker. I am often doing more than one thing at once. Or if I'm doing one thing, I'm thinking ahead in my mind to the next task. I do a lot of things in robot mode, not thinking about them, but rushing through them to get them done. I don't really like that about myself anymore. There was a time that, for efficiency purposes, I aimed to be that way and I thought it aided me in getting more done. I'm tired of living life rushing. I think a lot of us are - or were before the pandemic. These last months of being at home and spending a long time being sick and recovering from COVID, taught me a lot about slowing down. Life isn't a race. If it's something I have to hurry through just to get it done, it probably doesn't really have a place in my life anyway. Who wants to live their life just going through the motions to mark things off the to-do list and not enjoying them.
Anyway, I decided I will designate a word for myself for 2021. Intention.
I have improved in the area of doing things with intention and I hope to continue it and build on it.
This morning, I found a few things to be intentional about.
1. I had some things to put in the refrigerator. I started to throw them on a shelf haphazardly just to get them put away. I decided to stop and organize the shelf and then add it. I took a few minutes to organize some little packets and bottles and when I was done it felt like I accomplished something. I was intentional about organizing the shelf and putting it away properly. It felt good to look at the shelf and see everything put in it neatly.
2. I've never been a big breakfast person. I just don't get hungry when I first wake up. I'd rather get right to work and let my tummy know when it's time to eat. Sometimes I wait to long and then grab something unhealthy and just inhale it because I've gotten to the point of being shaky.
This morning, I got to work while the house was quiet and after a couple hours I started to feel hungry. I don't like sweet stuff in the morning and much prefer something savory and warm. I didn't have time to spend a half hour making a hearty breakfast, so I went to the freezer. I like the Jimmy Dean biscuit rolls. They heat up nicely in the microwave and are small in size. I sometimes will warm up one or two of them. I have been trying to keep them in the freezer so I have them to make when I am hungry and don't have a lot of time to prep a meal. I have noticed that the kids also like them. Most of the time, I go to get some and find that they are all gone. There are only like 8 that come in a box. The boys could easily eat those in one day.
Today I got the box out and it was light. There were two left. I decided I would warm them up and eat them while I had the chance - and then add more to my shopping list. I warmed them up and knowing they were the last two in the freezer, I took time to savor each bite. And I noticed when I was about to eat the last bite. I can't tell you how often I've sat at my computer or in front of the TV scarfing down chips or M & Ms or popcorn only to find I've eaten the last of it - and then feeling like I want just one more bite.
3. Tea Time. Last year I made a new year's resolution to try a new tea each day and I documented it on my food blog. It was fun. But because I was supposed to do it every day it kinda felt like a chore sometimes. I'd make tea when I wasn't in the mood for tea and make myself drink it. I'd make it and it would sit until it was cold and then it wasn't as good. Today, I picked out a flavor that sounded nice for a morning up - a raspberry hibiscus that gives a good zing to get you going and sipped it as I planned out my day.
4. As I was putting food away I noticed that I had a lot of oranges and tangerines that had been in the bowl a while and needed to be used. Yesterday, I took all the apples from the bowl and made an apple pie. Today I decided I needed to do something with the citrus fruit. Some was a little mushy but rather than throw it away, I decided I would fill a pot with water and cut up the ones that were bound for the garbage to boil on the stove. Once it a while I do this just because it fills the house with a nice aroma. Once it was boiling I added some cinnamon and it's been adding a nice scent the air along with adding a little moisture into the dry house.
One thing I also need to be more intentional about is how I spend my time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. I need to be more careful of how I spend it and remind myself of how valuable my time is to me.
I realized a long time ago that grocery shopping is not the best use of my time. Sometimes I like to wander into a store and look at items, but often it is just one more chore that has to get done and one more thing taking me away from work that needs to get done or from other things I'd rather be doing. Long before the pandemic I was doing grocery pick-up from Walmart.
I tried Instacart a couple times, but found it to be more expensive than I was willing to pay (a delivery had a fee, plus there was an Instacart fee, plus items from Aldi cost more when ordering them through Instacart, plus I'd add on a tip). During the pandemic most grocery stores came up with a curbside pick-up plan or Instacart was available. I'm still getting stuff from Walmart, but also from Strack and VanTil and Aldi now via Instacart pickup. I don't have a delivery fee now and they seemed to have lowered prices. It's $1.99 for a pick-up order and then the tip. Gordon Foods and Produce Depot also have offered curbside pickup and I've gotten things from them, too. I hope it's one trend that continues beyond this year. If I can pay a few dollars to avoid a two-hour trip inside the grocery store, it is well worth it. It frees up those two hours for me to do other things. I do miss out on sales and usually pay a little more for the groceries I do get, but I think I spend less overall because I don't do impulse buying like I would when shopping in person.
I like days like today. I was up a little earlier than usual and it allowed me to get more done. I had a chance to work when the house was still quiet - the kids weren't mulling around and the dogs weren't anxiously pacing to go outside or get a snack. I took time to plan my day and think about what I needed to do to get each project done. I was intentional about everything I did this morning. I wasn't rushing just to cross it off the list. I look forward to more days like this.
