Comfort and challenges

It has been exactly a week since we got back and it feels much longer. Despite having a lot of help, getting back to the mindset of routines was never easy.

Office is still half way back to normal business which is good. I got to leave office by 4pm most of days.

Back to running my usual routes is also nice and comforting. I appreciate the cool mornings although sun is already strong by 7am.

I realize I have many source of comfort in a regular basis:

• Morning reading in bed with my kindle. Even few minutes, depending what time I wake up, feels comforting. I’m reading the loneliness of Sonia and sunny. At first I thought it’s a very long book that I won’t ever finish. Now I’m glad it’s long because then I’ll have them in my mind for longer, as if I’m part of the story.
• Free journaling. Mostly in the morning during sunrise, but once or twice I wrote before bed time. It’s comforting to get back to this safe space, to write out whatever in my mind that day.
• Meditation. I’ve been meditating consistently for 5+ years and it feels getting back to safe place every time I turn it on. It’s becoming like the feeling before I go out for a run, even sometimes not sure because of some physical sensation, I know by heart that I’ll enjoy the process.
• And obviously my runs. I’ve run thousands of times, yet, I still observe moments where my mind goes to weird places.

Challenges (I tend to not blog about challenges because I deliberately choose to positive things but it doesn’t mean I don’t have):

• Our cats. Cookie attacked Bubble twice this week as she entered the room when husband was entering to check on Bubble. They did not end well. Sigh..
• Summer program test. There was a misunderstanding with test requirement for Sofia’s desired program. So she needs to take the test asap and it’s hard. She’s doing the prep and the quizzes, but we are all nervous whether she’ll pass it. In one of the quizzes, when she told me how much she did, my immediate reaction was: that’s not good enough. She didn’t take it well and went to her room. I wondered if I should be more supportive or find other ways to tell her. But it was probably what she needed to hear at that moment.
• Car incident. Husband had a car incident last Friday. First I thought it was bad, fortunately it was only physical damage. We have it being repaired now. So we are without a car for few days to a week. Inconvenient but grateful that it was worse.

This weekend is a free space one, other than Sofia’s test we had no plans. I’ve done a lot of things to lift up my spirit:

• I had a nice run on Saturday, in the quiet route (only opens on weekends)

• I joined a spinning class that felt like being in a disco. That’s a nice thing for cross training. I will also try some group class for strength.
• I meal prepped salad ingredients and had a first salad for a long time

• We watched F1 movie as a family and really liked it. I checked the ticket price in São Paulo stop, it was 2500 USD!!! I said, never mind.
• I had 2 calls with friends, long catch up, over an hour each. I also called mom for 1.5 hrs. In line with my connection theme for 2026.
• One of my goals for January is to eat without devices, not in front of computer, not with phone/pad. I still allow to have books around though. So far, I haven’t broken the streak.

• I had a home massage.
• Sofia made vegan PB cookies.
• Lizzy spent 4 hours non-stop building a lego ice cream car. She also spent hours glued to Harry Porter book, then watched 1/2 of the first movie. She’s into her Harry Potter era (Sofia never did).

We are already entering second week of January?! Time flies. I am giving myself this month to find the new routine, how to use my planners, how to plan my workouts, how to spend evenings/weekends. Hopefully by the end of the month, I find the ideal week.

Q: Do you eat without devices? I feel like everyone eats with something nowadays. My girls eat with books when we are not eating like as family. Husband eats with iPad/phone.