I'm in mourning.
Aren't we all?
Just a pervading sense of loss.
Loss of contact. Loss of connection. Loss of life as we know it.
It makes me so sad.
Just...sad.
Sad at what we've lost, and sad that I can't image when- or if- life will get back to normal as we knew it.
Isn't it strange how quickly everything changed?
Just shockingly quickly.
Today I drove through my college campus, looking toward a semester in which only one of my classes will be 100% in person. This is my senior year. I am THIRTY-EIGHT years old.
I worked hard to be here. I did it with kids needing love, a house needing cleaning, a husband needing attention.
I took freaking CALCULUS, folks.
My senior year feels somewhat anticlimactic and bittersweet.
My kids are in school...kind of.
My daughter's schooling seems more cohesive than my son's.
His teacher is FABULOUS (though getting a teacher I can use that word to describe is a whole other story...). However his classes feel as if they're simply treading water until we get back to in-person schooling, which- between you and I- I don't believe will happen any time soon.
It's just a lot, right?
I've put on the pandemic pounds. Embarrassingly.
I've watched all the shows, done...I don't know, what have I done? Not enough, it seems.
I read a post by Wil Wheaton today in which he talked about his inability to focus on books.
I hear you Wil. Mine are piling up too.
I've always been such a fabulous Summer Mom.
Museums, crafts, time together in the sun.
This year has felt so different.
It was a Spring Break that moved fluidly into summer that has somehow become both summer and fall simultaneously. We are both rocketing forward in time and floundering in it.
I'm not going to plaster a smile on my face and transition this into a unicorns and rainbows post- because, quite simply, I'm not feeling unicorns and rainbows.
That being said, I am going to focus on some fabulous moments.
Cooking! I have cooked! I mean...where do you think those pandemic pounds came from?
Several months ago my son decided it was Nice Week. We filled dollar store containers to the brim with small trinkets and homemade snacks and delivered them to my kids' closest friends.
If there is one thing that will stand out in my memories of this summer it is those baskets...because they were so incredibly fun to make and to use as vessels of joy that we kept it up through several rounds of gift-giving.
Pretty sure we're not done yet.
Nothing expected in return...just the most fabulous round of ding-dong-ditch in the history-of-ever given our current circumstances.
If this summer has taught me anything it is the power, joy, and necessity of connection with those we care about and love.
I have sent cards out the wazoo.
Did you help me proofread my grad school application?
You get a card!
Did you debut a FABULOUS new podcast?
You get a card!
Are you just a fabulous human being?
You, too, get a card!
I have never purchased so many stamps in my life.
I want everyone I know and love and care about to know that they are seen and loved and cared about.
Has there ever been a more important time to stay- or get- connected?
There has not.
At least not in my lifetime.
To say these times are unprecedented is an overstatement. I'm sure those who lived through the Spanish Flu *coughmisnomercough* 100ish years ago would feel us. Ish. I mean...we're certainly far more connected than they were, but again...I digress.
These times are not unprecedented. But they are uncommon and not something we're used to experiencing. I'm fascinated by the questions of how those who came before us came out the other end of this. How life got back to normal. How we moved on.
We will move on.
In the meantime...I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're reading this. I'm glad we're in this together.
We are in this together. I'm here, no matter who you are or where you are.
Reach out. You're not alone in this.
In the meantime, it feels like- at the very least- I can share with you a fabulous recipe.
I'm always good for a great recipe, right?
But, before that, I want to share with you the Etsy shop of the most affordable, adorable, quickly-shipped masks I've come across- and I've bought a lot at this point.
No, I don't know her- I just really love her masks and I'm a repeat customer. They're well-made, have a pocket for filters, and come in cute patterns. Definitely check out Seaside Sewing Shoppe, because she's fabulous.
On to the recipe!
I've made a *lot* of good food this spring/summer/fall!
My scale is a testament to this fact.
One of my favorites, though, and one that got me through the early days when I had not yet dived (dove?) into the depths of late-night snacking, is Summer Berry Salad with Salmon.
We have grilled quite a bit since we've been home and I've often had my husband grill giant pieces of salmon, big enough that I can enjoy a serving warm and then save enough to have chilled pieces in salads later. I quickly learned that salmon+green lettuce+berries+honey mustard dressing= a super refreshing lunch. A super simple lunch at that!
This is one of those "recipes" that really doesn't require much of any work and is incredibly adaptable to whatever you have on hand, but it's fabulously easy and satisfying as written.
Enjoy! And please know- you're not alone in all of this crazy. We're just all together a little differently before. One of these days, we'll all come out the other end with some super fabulous stories for our grandkids.
Summer Berry Salad with Salmon
1. Combine lettuce, salmon, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries in a large bowl and toss gently to combine.
nice
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