Gratitude in the Little Things
September 29, 2024 – Be in the Present
My kid and I had oysters on Friday at Earls. It was a good way for us to end our week. She’s fully immersed back into school, and so am I. Eating raw oysters is a treat for us. It reminds us of going to Puerto Vallarta last winter and we found an awesome place downtown where we at a dozen oysters TWICE. We enjoyed the restaurant and the food too. Oysters at Earls in Prince George is a find for us and I was grateful to spend my Friday after work with her to relax, enjoy, and connect. I don’t seen her as much as I like to during the week. We are both super busy. What struck me with this FIRST oyster was the deliciousness of preparing it and slurping it. The tang of the lemon, the spiciness of the tobacco, the umami of the onion sauce and grated horseradish, and the sweetness of the oyster was SPECTACULAR. The experience instantly slowed me down to a place of gratitude and joy. Hello long weekend!! We had a great meal.
That pretty much ended my week and going into things like email do not even make my radar until right now (i.e., Sunday night). I have taken some intention to learn how to make Saturdays for me and “be a person” on that day. What that means is, I do laundry, I recycle, I go food shopping, I spend time with my kid, I sleep in, I go for a walk, and anything else that is “productive” but benefits me as a person. It feels great. I almost feel that my body, mind, and soul have full accustomed itself to this way of being that my body just responds accordingly… no work on Friday night, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday. This way of being has provided me with some clear boundaries with work and life. My mindset and wellbeing are generally good. Stress is managed. I will not lose sleep on things that I can’t get to. There is always tomorrow.
This Saturday, I spent the day committed to cleaning up the bathroom, purging crap I was no longer using, and going through my dresser for clothes that need to be given way. Since moving to Prince George, I was consumed by acquiring THINGS as a form of security and safety. I thought, at first, moving to Prince George would be temporary. Now that I’ve been here for 6-years, it’s time to make an effort to put a halt on the HOARDING process and critically look at what I have acquired, what I am holding on to, and what I need to let go of. This cleansing process is taken with some intentionality. I am secure. I am safe. Last week I went through one clothing rack to remove clothes I no longer wear and no longer like. That was one garbage bag that was donated to Value Village. This week, I went through my dresser and underneath my bed which resulted in two more garbage bags and another donation. Moreover, cleaning the washroom et al resulted in two more garbage bags of garbage. Yeesh.
The washroom looks (and smells) spectacular and the areas addressed in my apartment look similar but BETTER. My kid cleaned her room too. We did some laundry and had dinner at home on Sunday. That was super nice. The purging process is gradual and ongoing. I feel that by removing some things from my place that I am holding on to is an act of letting go. I’m not sure that it’s liberation, but I do feel like I’m freeing myself from the past and spending more intentional time in the present. It feels great!! There is more stuff to sort through and admittedly, I feel stiff and sore from the cleaning and purging process. I’m not sure why, but it’s very clear that it’s something that I do not normally do. What I want to keep are things that are important to me. My goal is to purge about one garbage bag per weekend. I’m a little ahead of schedule. LOL. The more that I get rid of, the more settled I feel. Yay me.
