It’s 3:41pm, the day after Christmas. It’s a cool, sunny day and I’m sitting on my patio in jeans, slippers, and a cardigan. My dogs are barking at people who are working in my neighbor’s yard and I’m waiting for the sun to sink just a little lower in the sky. I want to feel it’s full warmth on my face but the roof of the patio is partially blocking it. I could sit elsewhere but I’d rather wait. It won’t be long  – just a few more minutes.

I’m glad there’s no breeze. That would diminish the relative warmth of the sun. I’m glad I have a glass of water and this time to sit here. I’ll be busy tomorrow but today, right now, I’m enjoying this rest. My body isn’t tired but often, especially during the past 4 years, my mind has felt exhausted. 2016 through 2018 were particularly challenging, but 2019 was an excruciating year for me. That’s making a long story short.

While relentlessly crushing, and even deadly for many, 2020 offered a reprieve for me. Social isolation was exactly what I desired, though I would not have known it had it not been suddenly demanded of me. March through August, unusual as circumstances were, gave me the gift of nothing much to do. Though I mourned the sudden loss of employment and income in 2019, I welcomed the sudden loss of the unpaid demands on my time and energy in 2020. Instead of worrying about the pandemic and other things that are out of my control, I celebrated my newfound ability to dwell in my home without anyone expecting me to be anywhere else.

As summer cooled to fall and many restrictions were lifted, I was still glad that managing our business and household while rarely leaving the house were all I really had to do. Managing the business required me to leave home at least twice a week three to eight hours at a time, but in comparison to the past decade, that was nothing. Now, as 2020 is passing away, I have more to do. I’m thankful and excited to have recently started a full-time job doing rewarding work that doesn’t require 60 to 70 hours of my week. I’m also looking forward to more creative ventures in the new year.

Our business, Sheaux Fresh Sustainable Foods, is growing, so we’re strategically and creatively planning our expansion. I’ve also decided to refocus on this blog, write another book, and increase my marketing efforts for my first book, “The Elders.”

I’m considering creating a new Podcast and Youtube channel featuring talented, creative, and entertaining Power Moms, starting with in my friends. I might even throw in a few of my “no name” meals just for fun.  

I know that as with each day, the new year is sure to bring new opportunities and blessings, as well as challenges. I’m preparing myself to exceed my own expectations, not by trying to do everything and be everything for everyone, but instead by remembering myself and my Source of power. I am respecting myself. I am encouraging myself. I am reminding myself of my own talents and employing those talents in ways I hadn’t previously considered. Most of all, I am giving myself time – time to process things, time to enjoy life, and time to sit still on a Saturday afternoon, waiting for the sun to warm my face.