I will always treasure memories from the early weeks of the pandemic when we rarely left home. Both boys made the most of their free time by building mini skate parks in the front yard, making up their own games and creating things out of the cardboard boxes we were getting from online orders. Car parades added delight to homebound birthday celebrations and a game of solitaire or a jigsaw puzzle was almost always on the counter where we gathered. All four of us were home for dinner every single night and for once, life seemed simple.

Last month I started using our family calendar for the first time since March. Having very few events and activities over the previous six months, it wasn’t necessary to compile everyone’s schedules into one easy-to-reference document. With both boys back in school—Mays (11) in-person; Thatch (6) virtual—and soccer schedules picking back up, that family calendar suddenly became a necessity. After having months of blank pages, life felt a tiny bit more familiar as I filled the September days with color-coded events.

 But just as we started getting busy, things suddenly shut down again—Hurricane Sally was headed our way. Schools closed, activities were cancelled and lines were long at the grocery stores and gas pumps. After a busy day of storm prepping, we were all once again under one roof with nothing on our calendars. We’ve had many weather days before, but the school-free weekdays felt slightly less unusual this time around. While I played catch-up on this October issue, I loved seeing the boys playing cards with their grandmother, as Josh prepped dinner hours before mealtime. 

The peace in the household was interrupted by anxiety as the wind picked up overnight. When the gusts finally came to a halt, we saw the fallen trees all around us and the unbelievable destruction in our neighborhood. We felt very fortunate to be safe. It was uplifting to see so many people working together and the power outage made for the most peaceful, candlelit evenings. We made the most of having another forced pause on life as we know it.

In this month’s issue, we provide you with ways to find balance in these unpredictable times. “Calm Down: Taming the Flames of Stress-Related Illness” reminds us that chronic stress can lead to disease, and experts offer tips for achieving a more relaxed state. For a healthy start to your day, read “A Better Breakfast”, which includes both make-ahead recipes for busy mornings and more savory options for when time is on your side. With an uptick in disposable item use during the pandemic and storm recovery, “Wishful Recycling” encourages us to examine our recycling habits as we learn that many things we consider to be recyclable end up in the landfill.

Whether you’re eager to be busy again or savoring the opportunity to keep things simple, it is inevitable that our plans will be pushed off track at one time or another. Instead of being overcome by hurdles, let’s see what we can learn from them and what new memories we can make.

With gratitude,

 

Meredith Montgomery, Publisher