Sunday Contentments – A Body That Works

It’s about 9:45AM this Sunday. Hubster has taken off with the kids for Busch Gardens. I can’t stand Busch Gardens — I worked there for two summers and have more bad memories than I can count about that place — but I feel sort of wrong about not being there with them right now. It’s a family thing, and I’ve elected to stay behind. Not without reason though. We leave for Chicago in a week, and I’ve got a ton of work to get done between now and then. So rather than indulge my sense of bad-mama-guilt all morning, let’s look at the good things in life instead. Here’s this Sunday’s list of Contentments:

Making the conscious decision to sleep late. I try to get up at 5AM most mornings, and I hate it when I over sleep. But ya know, sometimes I could use a few extra hours of shut eye. I decided last night that I would sleep in this morning, until around 8AM. I even made it part of my schedule for the day, working the rest of my to-do list around it. It felt really good.

Waking up to a two-kid pile on. Both girls got up a few minutes before I did and climbed into bed on top of me to lay down again. We were snug, cozy, and content. This must be what it feels like to be at the center of the puppy pile — sheer bliss.

Waking up to breakfast already made. Before I hit the hay last night, I set up my slow cooker with a breakfast casserole — eggs, ham, bread, cheese, potatoes, etc. I also programmed the coffeemaker, something I haven’t done in ages. Breakfast was nice and hot and waiting when I came downstairs. That’s a huge WIN!

As always, a good cup of joe. I’m on my second cup right now, sipping it while I sit on the back deck and type. Eight O’clock coffee, in my favorite yellow flower mug, given to me by one of my best friends. I love it.

Dinner out. Earlier this week, Hubster suggested we go out to dinner. I seriously turned around and asked him, “OK, who the hell are you and what did you do with my real husband?!” That’s how infrequently we go out to dinner. We ate at the Castle, a wonderful little place that serves the best Greek food I’ve ever had. I had moussaka and spanikopita and some gyro meat. I could have died happy that evening.

Leftovers!! The meal at the Castle was big enough I had to take some of it home. Had enough for lunch and dinner the next day. Then yesterday, a good friend brought over homemade Pad Thai. We’ve still got some sitting in the fridge. AND there’s a ton of the breakfast casserole sitting in the fridge to eat the rest of this week!

My favorite pair of jeans. I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans yesterday. They’re snug, hugging me tighter than my own mother, but they’re still comfortable and I look damn good in them. I paired them with one of my favorite shirts, a grey and white striped snug fitting polo. I love my favorite outfits, and I love that they fit good. I have a hard time finding clothes that fit right, given that I’m sway-backed.

Body weight, shmody weight. The scale and Wii Fit both agree I’m putting on the pounds, but the mirror and the Hubster (and my favorite pair of jeans) tell me I look good. I think I’m at that age where weight loss is an elusive holy grail. I should be more concerned about making sure I exercise and eat right so that I feel good, and maybe worry not so much about the weight anymore. So long as those jeans fit…

Karate class with my favorite instructor. I go to class twice a week, each class lasting two hours or longer. It’s pretty grueling, and I walk out of there completely sweat soaked. But I don’t mind the hard work so much when my favorite instructor is there. He connects with karate at a much deeper level than anyone else I’ve ever seen, and he’s not stingy about sharing what he knows. I always come out of his class knowing I’ve learned something.

Knees that work. Hell, a body that works! I’ve started doing my physical therapy again, and my knees feel better for it. They’re not completely pain-free yet, but I know if I keep up with the therapy, I’ll be doing much better. Just like if I keep up with the exercise, I’ll feel good in spite of not losing those few extra pounds. What matters is that I can move and play and do the things I want to do.

There’s a ton of other contentments I could list for today, like the comfy beach chair I’m sitting in or the knitting I’m doing now, but I think I’ll sign off with one last item. Kissing the Hubster. It doesn’t even have to be a big lip lock, tongue tangle sort of thing. Just being able to come up behind him, wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his neck is enough to make my day a good one.

And with that,. I think I’ll go enjoy my morning to myself. Have a content kind of day.