Updating The Old CV

Nowhere is it listed that I am a barber or teacher or even stay-at-home parent. Yet I’ve been assigned all these jobs in the last couple months. And the jobs will continue for the foreseeable future. 

I did not chose any of these new professions. I wish I could tell you I’ve handled it with grace but I have not. There have been many grumbles and sighs and so many eye rolls I may need a chiropractor.

I have been furloughed indefinitely and mandated by state and county to ‘stay at home.’ I am unable to function as I normally would. Our state and federal government has denied me unemployment because, “They didn’t like the photo of my ID I sent in.” (I really wish I was kidding on this one.) ((I immediately appealed.))

I cannot contribute financially to our budget and therefore our goals have changed from 'save' to 'survive.' This has hurt me far more than having to cut my husband’s hair or sit at the kitchen table managing my daughter’s schoolwork. Having our financial course re-routed makes the staying at home even more frustrating.

I have no idea how this will all play out or when things here in So Cal will open. Until then, I’ll be here on the patio, clippers in hand, or at the kitchen table, holding it together with equal amounts stubbornness and love.

Stay well, friends!

Real Life Love Story

Real life is sticky. Messy. But so beautiful.

I fell in love with my husband when I was 22 but it just wasn’t a ‘happily ever after’ scenario. Life rarely follows storybook plot lines. Regardless of the emotions we shared - choices, situations, and people pulled us apart.

But all the good in this life brought us back together. Even with acknowledging that obvious initial connection, how we came to be ‘us’ in our 40s was nothing short of a miracle. 

And then to find Ella shortly after marrying and bring her home with us a few months later, well, that really was the sprinkles on top of the frosting of the best cupcake anyone’s ever had.

What an amazing story we have lived…ask us in person if you have the time. In any instance, I think the whole thing is pretty cool. 13 years in and he's still #1 in my book.

A lot of life happened between our first meeting and our reconnection but the beauty of having the opportunity to make a thoughtful choice to be together in our 40s is not lost on us.

The real takeaway here is that true love wins. All the time. Every time.  

Some Thoughts Mid Lock-down

I don’t want to be super prickly about this…but there are things that need to be addressed. We are in week Lord-knows-what of quarantine and I cannot get some images out of my head.

When things got crazy (publicly) mid March - nobody monitored anything at grocery stores. Nobody knew we had to, so it was a free-for-all with a ‘first come, first serve mentality’ in our supermarkets. 

It still disgusts me that most people’s immediate reaction was to be selfish.

In my routine market trip on March 17th, I saw people with carts FULL of food…some even had two carts. Boxes and boxes of non-perishable food. Dozens of canned goods. Mountains of paper products. I really wish I was kidding.

The bare shelves were eerie. Toilet paper, paper towels, pasta, soup, beans, rice…pretty much anything that can be stored was gone. Talk about herd mentality!

My real wish is that all those people are eating pasta and canned soup every single day and letting nothing they purchased in fear go to waste. Rather than supporting small businesses in whatever way they could, people frantically overbought…in a spectacular fashion.

I’m hoping we are close to the end of quarantine in California…and those people who bought groceries like they were living The Hunger Games should continue to stay home and properly consume everything they purchased. 

The End.

Or maybe it’s the beginning of learning to live without fear and selfishness. I can only hope.