Resolution on Hold

Jan. 7/13

Daily Resolution: Take time for friends.

I have a confession. I didn't journal yesterday. I know it's only been six days, so there's no reason I should have fallen off this early, but many things happened yesterday to impede my progress and, honestly? I'm okay with it.

1. Instead of journalling, I napped for an hour and a half on the floor in a corner of the University Centre. Why? There was no more couch space (also, I couldn't focus on reading "The Happiness Project" anymore and when I lose focus while reading a book I enjoy, that means it's time to sleep).

2. I spent almost two hours making pasta sauce from scratch so that Sean could eat a delicious home-cooked meal upon his return. This endeavour involved chopping yellow onions, crying about it (in the onion family, they're the awkward cousin no one invites to parties), and peeling, seeding, and dicing tomatoes before cooking them for an hour.

3. While waiting for the tomatoes to cook, I typed up my journal entry from Sunday (would that I could simply type up a first draft without me loathing it. Would that I could).

4. Moments before I was finished blogging, my friend, Alexander, called with an invitation I couldn't refuse: A chance to hang out with our friends Evan, Shannon, and their adorable baby, Elizaveta. "Well, I have to blog and get cat food," I said at first, but fifteen minutes later I was in his car, making a stop-off at Thrifty's for cat food, a tupperware container of spaghetti in my hands, en route to visit with friends, my journal lying on my desk at home, open to an unwritten page, the mess of my cooking still evident all over the counter and stove (Commas are great! And neeeeever overused in my blog :P)

I broke two of my rules yesterday: don't go a day without journalling and don't leave the house without cleaning your mess. But, you know what, who cares? Is a clean kitchen actually more important than a seven-month old girl who laughs when you sing to her? Is it worth missing out on listening to #1 hits of the year we were born (mine's "Walk Like an Egyptian." Elizaveta's is "Gangnam Style") just so I could ramble on for two pages in my journal about nothing in particular? Because, to be honest, I didn't know the "theme" for January seventh's journal entry until after I skipped out on writing it. Good things come to those who stray from the beaten path.

hap·pi·ness

 

1. Everything about Elizaveta. Especially how she stopped crying when I picked her up; how she wasted no time with crawling and headed straight for walking; how she laughed and clapped with glee when Evan and Shannon crawled towards her; and her excitement about everything. Seriously! When did the rest of us stop getting excited about hands and feet and faces?

2. It took Evan, Alexander, and I half an hour to pick out a bag of chips because we were laughing so much. All Evan had to do was put a box of Pampers on his head and say," Look, I'm wearing a diaper hat." Why that was so funny to us, I'll never know.

3. When my bag of Kettle Brand baked Sea Salt chips failed to live up to Dill Pickle Baked Lay's chips, Alexander shared his chocolate peanut butter pretzel Dairy Milk bar with me. And it was glorious. And also had a hint of coffee flavour. Very curious.

4. Sean and Pippin coming home! I really missed those boys.