Life by the Balls

My friend Annie used to say when she saw someone who seemingly had it all together, perfect hair, impeccable clothes, a loving partner, overflowing bank account, that they had life by the balls, and it always cracked me up. I certainly don’t have it all, but the older I get, the more joy and peace I feel when I find humility and humor in life’s all-too-frequent curveballs.

Mondays are bonkers. We’re trying to pack and ship all the orders that came in over the weekend, I’m prepping for our Tuesday and Thursday kitchen days, planning for the following week so I have the food and labeled pouches we need and chipping away at some project like figuring out how to stock up on turkey before the holidays without paying a ridiculous amount in shipping. I usually end my day tired yet wired from things left undone because I ran out of time. 

A couple of weeks ago, I crushed my Monday and went to bed feeling like I had life by the balls. Then, when I stumbled downstairs the next day at 4:51 am, I  opened the cabinet to grab my beloved Cafe Bustelo and realized I had no coffee. I stood for a moment in disbelief. When we have two bottles of sterilization solution at the shop, I order more. I don’t like knowingly putting myself in a stressful, reactive position. Then, I stood a bit longer, unsure of what to do. I don’t function without coffee, but Gavin’s still not ready to randomly be left alone for ten minutes while I run to the grocery store.

I begrudgingly made myself a cup of black tea and went upstairs to start Gavin’s pre-pill-eating routine with his essential oils and my five-minute meditation ready to play. Uncaffeinated, I couldn’t bring myself to open the closet door for a clean rag to wipe down the water that pooled on the bathroom sink from my leaky faucet, so I went to grab some toilet paper as a short-term solution and realized I, who always has a backup for every one of Gavin’s medications and supplements was also out of toilet paper. 

Sitting on Gavin’s dog bed with him, I said, “buddy, I DO NOT have life by the balls.” 

We had phenomenal kitchen days this week. We made 796 pouches in two days that flowed unbelievably well, with no equipment issues, while all still getting out of the kitchen before 6:30 pm. And I’m trying not to stress every day that I can’t find someone to help us while Lou has and recovers from surgery for four months. I keep reminding myself that if everything goes my way all the time, I may not appreciate all that I have, a dog who eats his pills, for the first time in 10 years, in only 15-20 minutes every morning, a fantastic mom who loves and takes care of my dog so well on kitchen days that I don’t even think about it, and people who work so hard and also bring joy to my life while I work. 

Gavin decided two hours after I bathed him last weekend that the raised dirt garden left by the previous tenant was his new favorite backyard sleeping spot. After inadvertently murdering most of what I planted, I’ve let myself off the hook for the year from having my dream garden. And who am I to deny my sweet boy what he loves, despite the mess? So, I put a blanket over the dirt to save myself cleaning time. He couldn’t be happier, which makes me happy.

May we all find humor and humility today in life’s not-so-perfect moments, and if we’re lucky, let them help us find more joy.