Changing It Up

The past sixteen months were a time of profound changes here.

I lost my job.
My Mom injured her back and then got sick.
My Dad died.
Our "baby" J graduated from culinary school.
I got a new job that I like much better than the old one.
Big Guy's sister-in-law died.
I started one home-based business and ditched another one that just wasn't working for me.

There was also time for a lot of introspection and reflection  -  a reassessment of myself and my life, if you will.  And I made some discoveries, and some decisions, and some changes.

I no longer go into a tizzy if my house isn't spotless when friends come over.  They come to see us, not to inspect the baseboards.
I no longer go to bed fretting over the things that didn't get done.  They'll get done tomorrow.  Or the next day.  Or never.
Every day I find something to appreciate about Big Guy, and something to thank him for.  And I really mean it.
Being thin doesn't matter, and weight is just a number on a scale. Being healthier, feeling good, having the energy to do what I want to do  -  that's what matters.
Everyone needs "down time"  -  to relax, recharge the mental batteries, or just let go of things that aren't important enough to waste time stewing over.  I no longer feel guilty about "wasting" time if I sit at the computer and just play games or surf the net for a little while.  And I'm a lot less cranky.

Those were big attitude changes for me  -  changes that made me feel better about life and about myself.

We've made some changes in the way things get done around here, too.

We're being choosier when we shop  -  we're more carefully seeking out items with less packaging, and with packaging that's completely recyclable, and more locally-produced food.  If we can't find what we need that meets those criteria, then we look for something else that does, that will fit the need.  For instance, if we want a cucumber but the only ones in the store are imported and/or shrink-wrapped  -  we get locally-grown zucchini instead.

We're more often asking "Do we really need that?"  It's surprising how often the answer is "No".  And right along with that goes "Do we really need a new _____ ?"  More often than not, again, the answer is "No, we can fix this one."

We're wasting even less food  -  Big Guy does almost all the cooking, and he's slowly learning that he doesn't need to cook the huge quantities he used to for every meal.  Now he cooks either just enough for the one meal, or enough extra to fit into planned second meals (either work lunches, or dinner the next day).  Sometimes we'll spend a weekend cooking in bulk, and freezing the results in one-meal portions.  And we never shop without a list any more.

We're much better at remembering to take the reusable shopping bags everywhere, now that we have enough of them to keep some by the door, some in the car, some in the truck, and a couple in my purse.  The coupon folder now lives in my purse as well, instead of in a desk drawer.

And  -  this one was huge in terms of attitudes  -  I finally managed to show him that we don't need to spend a lot of money, or have a huge pile of presents under the tree, to have a really good Christmas.  I think he finally, really understands what I meant all these years when I kept saying "It's not about things.  It's about the people we love."