Usually, there'd be a 4th "P" but I'm still fasting so no Pepsi ... Oh well, I can't tell you how many times this trifecta, (quad-fecta, is that a word??), has been my saving grace for getting things done. All throughout undergrad, grad school, my unfinished doctorate, the AA, or anything where I have needed to study and be productive, this was my go-to.
Today is National Popcorn Day! Although it's 11:00 pm when I'm writing, the 3 P's have once again been here for the ride. This blog isn't just about popcorn, (although I really could write one), it's about the memories of things. When I was younger, spending the night at my grandparents' house meant we got to get popcorn popped from the pot! It was exciting! My grandfather used to let one pop out on purpose so we'd laugh. It was the absolute best. When I got older, they taught me how to cook it on the stove in high school because I didn't want to go to college without knowing how to pop corn.
Fast forward to this evening, my sons watched with that same amusement and excitement as I popped some for us to enjoy for an evening snack. My youngest thought that National Popcorn day should be a holiday and there should be no school ... gotta love the imagination! And I could partially agree but I clearly would have been missing the peace portion of this blog. (Any stay-at-home or work-from-home parent can understand the woes of the day off from school!) But I digress, there was no holiday but it was important to him that we had popcorn from the pot. They may not share my love for the snack but it's the memories. They'll be able to one day tell their children that they watched their mother cook popcorn on the stove and share their excitement.
I spent most of 2022 searching for productivity. No amount of snacks could get me focused, I managed to get a lot done, but I just felt like I was grasping straws a lot of the time. Now, I've been told I have a pretty good Poker-face, although I've never played it, I rarely look like the craziness that happens to be going on. With the start of 2023, I knew some things had to change. Some of that change, involved me getting in touch with a part of me that'd been lost because I was living in survival mode.
Sometimes we end up in this weird space and we're moving about as well as a turtle or in some cases a sloth. (Maybe that was just how I felt!)
By the end of the year, it was clear I was no longer in need of just surviving. I was past surviving. I'll be talking more about that journey in my upcoming book, I Forgive Me. For this post, I don't have any steps or guidance. I just want to encourage you. Slow movement is still movement, and it won't always be slow. In time, you too will be able to realize that you don't have to function in survival mode anymore. Maybe you're there now and you're wondering. If you have to wonder, that's a pretty good clue that you're no longer there.
Rebuilding life after traumatic events, abuse, divorce, or the death of a loved one, it's a lot of work. Be gentle with yourself as you're going through this time. If you haven't already done so, please seek the assistance of a counselor or a trauma-informed coach. Don't think or believe this is something that you must do alone. It absolutely is not. There is help available and as I always say - My inbox, DMs, and email are always open, and so is my calendar.
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