five ways to find your way
what you can control when the world feels uncertain, plus a book to read in short bursts and a 5-minute muffin recipe
Are we all teetering in this season of illness and grey skies and washing that won’t dry?
Last Monday I made three trips to school before 11am. My plans for a productive writing day without interruption had well and truly imploded. By 11:30am I soothed my disappointment with a latte and GF cake from the local cafe and spent most of the afternoon holding a cold face washer on Marigold’s forehead, writing sentences in a notebook on my lap.
Earlier that morning I’d looked at the breakfast dishes and kitchen detritus and admitted that I really couldn’t be bothered. Is it me or is it just winter? Why blame ourselves when we can blame the season?
The rain has fallen persistently for a week and the days are so short that the sun doesn’t rise till after 7am. Rousing children from warm beds to get ready for school is hardest at this time of year. Yesterday as I walked down the main street in town, head bowed against the wind, I heard a man say: “bring on summer” to which I replied: “you’ve got a bit of a wait!”
No point wishing the season was any different, especially in the first week of winter. I feel like the general fed-up-ness of this time has been worsened by another interest rate rise and the uncertainty of what next? It’s not a nice feeling when everything is getting more expensive but it is a potent reminder that regardless of where and how we live, there’s so much beyond our control.
So what is in your control?
This is a question I always come back to when I feel untethered. This is the question you may choose to write on the first page of your journal or on a post-it note that’s stuck to your mirror or even on the background of your phone screen.