Jolie Jenkins Instagram – Holy smokes, how’s everyone doing out there? I’m doing my very best to stay in my tiny optimistic bubble, even if it means I don’t get out much, save school drop offs and pick ups. Keeping the kids healthy and in school (as much of that as I can control) has become top priority.
We chose to cancel Louie’s big birthday party and let Omicron have its way a little longer. When we told him, he cried. It broke my heart. I canceled the bounce house and the pizza and the giant cake, and we found ourselves with zero plans over his special weekend. I kept coming up with fun backup ideas, places to go, and then realized WE CAN’T GO ANYWHERE. As a last ditch effort, I ran to Whole Foods to find something festive from the bakery. It was so picked over, the only thing remaining (that also seemed relatively palatable to a 7yo) was a red velvet cake, except it had the most horrible decoration – it looked like it had a few vaginas lying on it, with a heavy sprinkling of rabbit turds on top. I bought it despite the pit in my stomach. It just felt so lame, trying to make mirth out of a shitty situation and just: poor Louie, you know? I drove home feeling so defeated, and when I pulled into my driveway I looked down at the cake sitting in the passenger seat next to me and I laughed out loud. Like a huge belly laugh. Shit, that’s ugly, I thought, maybe this will make a good story someday.
I have pouted and begrudged my way through so much of these past 2 years, feeling scared, feeling heavy with resentment, wanting the world to be different in a hundred ways. But I’ve quietly noticed lately that as Omicron has been sweeping all our current plans aside (yet again), I’m recovering faster. I’m letting it roll more easily, I’m finding more peace (even if it means going on news fasts and making my Dry January a Damp January). Through the deep breathing and pivoting and letting go and making the best of it? Dammit, I can actually FEEL my resilience. And I’m seeing it in the people around me, too: my kids, my husband, my friends. What a blessing. [continued in comments👇🏻] | Posted on 14/Jan/2022 07:24:11