This won’t be news for those of you on my mailing list (and if you’re not, you can sign up here) but I spent 2 days over my 3 day Christmas break in bed with a migraine. This, as you can imagine, put some spanners in my plans for reading and staring at the telly for hours on end – neither of these activities are really possible with a migraine. Neither is scrolling through Facebook, just fyi. Or putting up the Christmas tree. I mean, I had to wear sunglasses driving home on Friday evening from work. In Ireland. In December. I should’ve known something was up.
But you know something? I’m taking it as my body telling me I needed to just completely shut down and now engage my brain at all. Sometimes, paying attention to these little hints from the body is important. So remember that plan I had for the Christmas break? It got cut down even further.
For the first time in known memory, my darling husband put up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve for me. He did a great job, although my photography skills don’t do it justice! Picture below shows our (fake) Christmas tree that I’ve had for at least 13 yrs, with tinsel, baubles, etc in colours of gold and red. And some reindeer lights, cos why wouldn’t you!! It also shows a set of shelves covered in junk behind the tree and a set of crutches leaning against the door, cos we’re just that kinda house.
I managed the Christmas shop on Sat morning. The fridge resembled a game of tetris for a while but it’s emptying out slowly now. And yesterday I came back to work cos we’re on shutdown. In the mean time, I did manage to get the videos recorded for the 30 Days of Brigid. And all while wearing the same top as well, so some of the merriment from the August course won’t be there this time. We’ll make it up in other ways though. And I managed to complete the journal I’ve been planning for this for months as well. I haven’t quite figured out how to make it typable, but I’m working on that. For now, you can print it out and write all over it!
And yes, got all this done while recovering from a migraine and “resting”. I think I need to redefine what I mean by a rest! However. I am taking this weekend off because I will be going up home to the Mammy and Daddy for New Year’. I’m taking a four day weekend the following weekend where very, very little is planned at all. That might be my “lounging around, reading, staring at crap films on the telly and eating stuff” break from the world. I may take a drive over to Tramore to enjoy some sea time. I may break into my Christmas books – most of which I haven’t even ordered yet! We might finally watch the Hobbit films that have been on the Sky box for a couple of years now…
But what I’m doing right now, most of all, is listening to my body. Cos I can feel the aches and pains starting to build up. A lot of it is because of my current long commute and the time it eats into. It eats into my movement time, cos that’s my least favourite time of all… But that time is necessary if I’m going to keep said body in use for another 40-50 yrs. I was stiff this morning because I did a lot of walking in work yesterday. And I have another 2-3 days of this before shutdown is over. With the days getting longer, I may need to revisit some of my “run up to the end of the year” survival tactics.
Remember around Samhain, when I said that that was the time of year I put aside for dreaming the new? Well we’re moving into Imbolc energy now, in my world. It’s time to start planting seeds and setting things up to make those dreams happen. Some of it I’m doing, but other bits are falling behind. There’s a challenge for you so: what things do you need to start thinking about putting in place to be in a position to plant seeds by Imbolc? Cos that’s my challenge for the coming weeks…
We had a lovely quiet holiday but it included a family open house gathering Friday evening. It was awesome to see the big group since it was the only time we have all been together outside a funeral since 2019…
But I am fair certain I picked up a virus from the party. I woke up yesterday feeling like I’d been run down by a bus. So like it or not, my body also told me rest was necessary.
I had to reschedule the training for my new part-time job, which means no paycheck for another week, but it’s going to be okay. We are hibernating anyway so there is very little going out too.
Mary’s on break and there has been a constant stream of kids in and out of the house. I’m holed up in my room, but it’s nice to hear the laughter and silliness in the house. They are likely eating every scrap of food I put up but it’s fine…We can buy more food.
I am taking the down time to put the final touches on my priestess-for-hire bio page…It’s not really that, but I was encouraged to put myself out there and I need to quit procrastinating.
I start back to university Monday with two exciting classes, Religions of the World and Human Evolution. Finally getting into the meat of my Anthropology major!
Mustering the energy to start my new year plan and Imbolc prep. Lots of journaling and calendar notes.
I hope your shutdown goes off without too much difficulty and ye get a good start on the New Year. Enjoy yourselves and the time with your folks! I know your mam will have plenty of delicious bakery to go with the rest!
Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit!
(Hopefully I wrote that correctly 🙂)
Jenna
You got it right!! And Mam will probably send us home with enough edibles to feed an army for a week lol