I’m finally waking up from a “mama coma”.

Here’s what I mean by that: I feel like I am coming out of the post holiday stupor (not the one supposedly caused by too much turkey) when I had my family around me much more than usual and I could kiss and hug on them anytime I wanted. I didn’t have to look at the clock to see what time it was in AZ or if my NY boy was off work to call. It was our first Christmas with a daughter-in-law and an almost daughter- in- law. They were all here in this old farmhouse laughing, cooking, watching football and I was full of pure joy for weeks.

So it has taken some adjustment to our real life with an empty house, during the week.  When my real life finally surfaced it came crashing (literally) upon me and I have been trying to shake the pixie dust out of my head and get back on the daily treadmill for most of the month of January.

I’m not complaining.

We got to see our AZ boy more than we have in a long time due to a missionary meeting that lasted until Thanksgiving. He came back for a long visit at Christmas and then we were with him at a family wedding in mid January. When he is in town, the other two (and their girls) spend more time at the farm and that is how I slowly got lulled into a euphoric state.

 When all my family is at the farm, it becomes a holy place. The only phone calls I responded to the whole month of December were from my GA family or if someone was in a state of emergency. The only time I left the house was to get more food and attend church. I did 90% of my holiday shopping online, I couldn’t even tell you about holiday decorations at the mall. I became so inwardly focused on the occupants of the house that all the mess down the road in DC became a blur.

I recall something about a new health care plan. Maybe I’m mistaken.

I don’t usually have this problem. I’m a “Christmas back in the box by New Year’s” girl. I love my normal life and happy to get back to it. But this year was different. I can’t put my finger on it….but I’m trying to sort it out.

I am going through my normal motions: making plans, setting up appointments, getting on with writing projects-but I confess I still feel lethargic.

And the weather is not helping! We have had extremely cold temps for about a week now, which is not common to our area. Oh, I know there are those in Fargo and Minnesota who have it much worse than us, but we don’t expect this here (and you’re crazy in my book for living there anyway.) It has been a full time job keeping the fires fed so that the pipes don’t freeze.

 There’s no way to stay outside for a long walk when the high is 11 degrees. The kids in our area haven’t had a full week of school since the holidays and everyone’s getting testy. (Except homeschool mama’s-shout out to you saints!) The Y is packed out with kids needing to burn off energy and mamas with that death look in their eyes. No way am I going to brave the elements to duke it out with an 11 year old over a treadmill and heaven help me, a lane at the pool. Yeah, I’m gonna wait another week.

 Or so.

When all this cold moves on out and we get that unseasonably warm day (and schools are back in session) I’ll go for a walk, pick up around the yard and look for snowdrops (flowers). I’ll open the windows for a few hours to let some winter fresh air blow the stale out of the house.

But for today, I’m gonna sit next to the fire, look at the seed catalogs and plan for March. Till the fire uses enough of the oxygen in the room that I get lulled back to sleep.

 Back into my winter coma.

Blessings,

Stephanie