Hello! I’m wrapping up the week with this quick little post. I have much to be thankful for and as 2016 is coming to a close, I also have much to reflect upon. This has been what M and I are calling a “life-changing” year and I’ve had to relearn a lot of lessons…we’re dealing with unexpected health issues in our family that I won’t go into and it’s been topsy turvy all around. Right now, at this very moment, however, we are all well.

Thank YOU for continuing to visit my little space, as sporadic as my postings have been. Sometimes I was so dizzy and overwhelmed by the sheer force of life, I considered giving up the blog, the Furoku, everything. I’m so grateful that I didn’t. As a general rule, I don’t post or talk about gifts I’ve received over the years since I started this blog, mainly because they feel sacred and private and I know that I’ll end up sounding braggy. The gifts have been from extraordinarily generous souls I’ve somehow connected through this virtual notebook of mine — many whom I’ve not yet met but feel, without a doubt, a kinship. And every comment, every glance at a post I’ve written are gifts as well. In the midst of so much tumult on a macro level, my own problems feel small and insignificant, but being part of this online community has been a balm, a source of joy.

K is sitting next to me, organizing her UNO cards in preparation for a fierce game we’ll engage in a little later. I have grocery shopping for turkey day dinner on my mind (this year, instead of our usual slacker T-Day at a Chinese restaurant, we’re celebrating with our neighbors). M is puttering about downstairs. The sun is out, the air is a touch icy, I am wearing sweats and feel at ease in our cozy home.

K just expressed some worry about a future event as she shuffled the cards. I listened, thought about her concern and said, “Honey, let’s focus on doing small things with mucho mucho love.” As always, she rolled her eyes. Or maybe it’s supposed to be muy muy love? My Spanish is rusty.

At any rate, that is what I hope for you this holiday season and beyond: mucho mucho love.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

M used to have this phrase he would toss out whenever he wanted me to do something that he could easily do himself but was feeling less than motivated to execute. “Would you be a peach?” he’d say. Usually it was followed by a request to get him a glass of water, or roll up the sleeves of his shirt, or you know, something mildly inconvenient for me. But he’d say it in this jokey cute way, and of course I would do it.

Lately I feel like my days are an endless litany of these kinds of mildly inconvenient requests from myself to myself, except I’m not very jokey or cute about it. Would you be a peach and stop droning on about how little time you have? Would you be a peach and update your blog already? You get the picture.

Blog updating is actually still very enjoyable for me, but it’s amazing how quickly I can get out of the habit when I let a few weeks go without regular posts. Ugh. I’m still not done with my deadlines (a few new ones suddenly cropped up) and I’ve been feeling behind in everything. I have to keep reminding myself that I belong to Team Tortoise and not Team Hare. I plod along, one ponderous step at a time, craning my neck in curiosity and befuddlement as I sloooooooooooooooowly make progress.

What helps is that I’m hugely enjoying this tea that my neighbor brought back for me from Guatemala. It’s Mayan cacao tea with all sorts of purported health benefits. Better blood circulation and improved heart health and all that good stuff. You just soak cacao husks and nibs in hot water for about 10 minutes and the traditional way is to drink it with a little honey, my neighbor told me.

I add unsweetened almond milk and a touch of raw honey and mmmmmmmmmmmm. It’s not fully chocolate-y, but it hits the spot for me and it’s become a daily ritual. I’m almost running out, so I better get more! I can’t seem to find this brand online, but maybe this one or this one will do the trick…

Be back soon. With giveaways, I hope. Or maybe even a sewing project of some sort. Gotta get started on that unicorn costume.

I’m wishing you a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Would you be a peach?
And forget that I complained?
Thank you very much