That’s what it feels like 2020 has thrown at us, right? Everything, including the kitchen sink. I know I haven’t posted in a long while and that my last post was a bit heavy. Yeah, it’s been a heavy year for so many of us for so many reasons. But in recent weeks, for me at least, it feels like finally the weight has lifted a bit. And I’m definitely feeling thankful for all the year has taught me — especially how important it is to appreciate the little things.
So this is where we are. That gorgeous faucet up there? That is a Christmas gift from my husband. It just got installed today and I am over the moon about it! It, frankly, is not a “small” gift (have you looked at how much a decent kitchen faucet costs these days?), but you know, getting a practical piece of hardware like that isn’t necessarily the most romantic of things a wife could expect from her husband.
So this is where we are. Me and Spy, I mean. We’ve been married almost 13 years and together for over 20. He gave me a Roomba the year we got engaged (the second time . . .) and that didn’t go over so well. But now, two decades into this, things are so different. I don’t need every gift to be the most conventionally romantic. Something I will literally use 20 times a day and love is far more important, and romantic in its own right.
Like everyone else, we have spent so much time in our home during the past nine months. Every corner of this space has taken on new meaning and has been the subject of conversation about how to make it better. We are finally tackling the project of moving the breakfast room to the sunroom and making the former space a lounge area, complete with wet bar (with high optimism that we will entertain again at some point soon). And we’re closing in our patio as a screened porch for more usable space. Suffice to say, we’ve got interior design on the brain and my Pinterest boards are filling up with all kinds of ideas. So replacing the 11 year-old leaking faucet with something newer and shinier just kind of seemed natural. We both agreed on it with little fuss and it just happened. And that easy place is exactly where I want to be all the time now, with all the other things going on that seem so hard.
Speaking of all those other things, there is other good news to report. In October, after being unemployed for a full six months, I started a job leading content, creative and brand at Arthritis Foundation. It is a totally different path for me and yeah, I took a huge pay cut just to have a good job. But waking up with a purpose and feeling as though I can make a difference in this organization and in people’s lives is totally worth it. It’s those little things, right?
Here’s hoping those of you who celebrate get what you want — or what you really need — for Christmas, even if it’s as practical and boring as a new kitchen faucet or a little perspective.
Peaches & Poppycock 