I’m sure I’m not speaking for myself when I say that I have been running myself ragged the past few days in preparation for this holiday. First, there have been the personal grooming errands. We’ve talked about my eyebrows before. I can’t sit across from people I don’t see that often sporting Andy Rooney brows (may he RIP). Next, the nail salon because arriving at dinner with butter and bacon under my finger nails (all of my T-Giving dishes include these 2 ingredients) is just not an option. Not to mention the time I’ve spent on my favorite new recipe source Gojee.com* finding new ways to make those dishes. Then of course, there’s the trip to the grocery store to pick up everything I need, along with the jillions of other people trying to do the same. Which of course translates to lines. Lines at all of these places, in fact.
But most importantly, it’s the mental energy that’s required to execute all this stuff. It’s all the thought that goes into the logistics of getting it all done. Okay, I’m going to scoot to work, then get my eyebrows done at lunch. And since the threading place is close to Reading Terminal, I’ll go straight there for that pie the Amish make that my best friend’s mom loves so much. And THEN... Well you get the idea. It’s exhausting. So here are some things I’m going to try to do this holiday to make it all worthwhile.
1. Eat what I want. If you’re like me (or the new post Lithe Diving me), you do your very best to make good food choices for most of the year, so I’m going to cut myself some slack on Thursday and pile it high and deep. I refuse to waste a single moment wondering the calorie count. I’m just going to lick my fingers and go back for seconds...and thirds...and...
2. Leave the kitchen! It’s so easy to get caught up preparing for the day’s events, that you miss out on moments in the living room. Your uncle sleeping with his mouth open and hand down his pants. Your niece wondering if all of this hoopla is because “today is her very happy birthday?” I want my goat-cheese appetizer to be as beautiful as the recipe photo, but I will resist the temptation to obsess. Throw stuff on the plate, and get out there with the rest of them! That’s going to be my mantra.
3. Relax! I know that’s a tall order on a day like Thursday, but I’m going to sit with my favorite people and chat with a glass of wine and take little breaks and breathers when I can. I also plan to beat everyone I know at Balderdash. (I’m amazing at this game. I challenge anyone. Seriously. Try me!)
And after the chaos dies down, my hope is to get back to real life with the same focus as my pre-Thanksgiving self. Because for me, and I think for many others, Turkey day is the turning point for the last 6 weeks of the year where my healthy food choices and exercise just go out the window. Between holiday travel and obligations and parties, it’s tough to stay on top of things.
So this year, my hope for myself and wish for all of us Lithers is that we can find a balance between enjoying ourselves and all the fun, festivities and food the holidays have to offer, with keeping our energy and well-being paramount. For me, that means squeezing in classes everywhere I can, but most of all just making time to just take it all in. After all, the holiday season is truly about the relationships we cherish and this year, I’m certainly grateful for all the amazing new ones I’ve forged in the Lithe studio--not least of all the new one I have with myself.
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!
See you in class.
*Recipes are sourced from great food blogs, and can be found and filtered by what you crave, what you hate, and what you have in your fridge. And the photos are pretty incred. (They have a similar site for Cocktails too!)
Image of Sayeh in Lithe's 'leather' Leggings and Performance Bra Top via Dom
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