I turned right from our walkway to the path and heard the loudspeaker with messages about wearing a mask in both English and French. The rail path is extra busy today at magic hour with the air at a warm 5 degrees. Everyone keeps their distance, some people smile. I’m in my own world listening to classical music, taking in every detail, dressed in all black with a fur coat. It was my second walk of the day, I love getting fresh air. In an effort to avoid other humans I zig-zag the streets, taking breaks to walk on the road just avoid people on the sidewalk. This practice would have been so rude two years ago but it’s common now.

I didn’t bring my phone because despite being home all day, I seem to have let it die. I’ve got music and route tracking on my watch so I’m blissfully disconnected from wifi & LTE. Out of reach, on DND.

The sun is so beautiful setting over Dupont, I always stop and stare at it.

This week I’m feeling more content than I have in a while. Have been getting 8hrs sleep pretty consistently for about 3 weeks and although I’m still tired, my body and mind are rested. Drinking less and working out more also help. I track everything these days on my watch or phone; sleep, meditation, breathing, steps, stairs, workouts, period, heart rate, oxygen, fasting, and when to water my plants.

In other news, I’ve noticed I’m consistent with updating the blog for a few days, but if I skip a day, I skip a few days and batch update before my fear of forgetting kicks in. I take photos every day in an attempt to keep more memories and often upload them to a draft so I don’t get too behind.

It’s hard to believe we are almost at one year from our first lockdown and the start of how this whole thing changed our lives forever.

What a time to be alive.

Photos were from my first walk of the day.

Since Friday (Day 341), Sean has been up at the cottage solo and I’ve been home alone. It’s actually been really nice for both of us to have the time and space to be alone and do our own things. He loves being up at the cottage, chopping trees with the chainsaw, doing woodsy things. I love being home with my things and thoughts. I had such a relaxing weekend and felt refreshed and ready to start the day today.

After work, I had A&W with April and it was so nice to laugh together. I decided to get ready for bed nice and early after a bath and a full face care routine. I’m still working my way through  Younger on Prime and have been REALLY enjoying going to bed early.

In other news, I re-pierced my own nose today. I had this piercing for AGES but took it out a couple of years ago. I also have a septum piercing in the middle cartilage of my nose but rarely show it. This little stud is barely noticeable and I like it. I’m dying to get a new tattoo and might buy a stick poke kit. I did a tiny one at the start of the pandemic but want to try something more artistic and professional.

Woke up feeling fresh & happy it was Friday! Sean left for the cottage after dropping Em to school, she’s with her mum for the next week and I’m home alone. ?

I had such a great workday today. In my afternoon meeting, we were chatting about branded products and it was a great opportunity to show some I’ve made over the years. I pulled out the stickers, note cards, and of course, the pillows I had made years ago. We all had a good laugh!

Sending you good vibes today for a nice restful weekend. Get outside, feel the sun on your face, call a friend, support a local restaurant.

Do something, do nothing, do whatever makes you happy!

Went for a walk this morning and wowwweeee it was brisk. Decided to take take a different route and pick up a coffee somewhere in the neighbourhood. As I turned onto Dupont, I noticed a cafe with this big heart out front. Finding hope. ?

The coffee was good. I shared a laugh with the barista. Such a simple interaction but it set a good vibe for my day.

It made me think about mum and when my sister and I were very little. As an immigrant to Canada with no family here, she didn’t know many people at first. Mum used to go into shops just to talk to shopkeepers just to have conversations. I can just see her kind face and warm smile lighting up conversations and charming people with her accent.

Remember, a smile and short conversation can really turn someone’s day around, even your own. We need connection more than ever these days, call a friend, smile at a stranger. We’ll get through this. xo

A meeting was canceleled this afternoon so I decided to take advantage of the time and go for a walk. It was so nice and sunny today, cold, but sunny. I did about 10km and by the time I got home, was freezing and tired. I’ve really been trying to get outside for a walk each day despite feeling kinda lazy. I haven’t been running much the last month as I am terrified of slipping on ice after my injury. I really can’t wait until winter is OVER.

In other news, have you watched the Free Britney documentary ‘Framing Britney Spears‘? It’s good, will leave you feeling sad/angry about her life and how she’s been treated. I’ve always loved Britney, my sister and I went to her concert as teenagers, the first big show we ever saw!

Hope your week is going well!

Today one of my work friends and I came on the call and we were dressed the same! We were both wearing a bright yellow sweater, almost identical. It was cute.

I originally posted this on Instagram Stories as a video but then saved it, reuploaded it to IG, added animated text in Stories, saved it, then converted it to a gif. I am smiling to myself at how good the text goes with my words, it’s not perfect but it ends at the same time. So simple, a good feeling, I love when there’s a match.

Highly recommend putting on bright yellow if you need some sunshine in your day.

These photos were taken last year on Family Day. Michelle and I went on a big walk and decided to stop into Allan Gardens to feel the warm air and smell the flowers. We both kinda forgot it was Family Day it it was busier than usual, filled with families, couples, and the same idea.

I was looking back on old photos and it really made me miss going places and doing things. Going on a walk with your BFF, stopping into planty places, grabbing a cocktail, shopping. Y’know, the things we used to do.

Finding this third wave of the lockdown much harder than before. I have less energy than I’ve ever had in my life. My temper is short, my emotions are high, and I’m not nearly as active as before the panny. Winter is always a hard time but without the normal things we used to do to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder, it’s so much heavier.

I guess the other thing making it hard it we really have no idea how long this will last. I’m really looking forward to spring, the snow melting, patios opening, and being able to hang out in the park. Even if we have to wear masks for another 365 days, at least we won’t be in a Stay At Home Order.

Sending you love, we’ll get through this. Only a few weeks until spring. ☀️

I’m at home today and Sean is at the cottage with Emily. He sent me the most special surprise…

We had a lovely Valentine’s dinner on Thursday night and shared gifts then watched some Netflix. He got me a rose bush plant instead of flowers and as a plant mama, it was the perfect present!

I don’t share too much about Sean here but he is so wonderful! We first met over in 2009 and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He makes me laugh every single day and supports me in everything I do. I’m so grateful for him in my life.

SEAN, ILYSM!

Today I woke up determined to leave the cottage, take a package to the post office, and go to town. I hadn’t left the cottage in 5 days and tbh, I was starting to get cabin fever. It’s lovely being in the woods but there’s part of me that loves seeing people and doing things. Even something as simple as going to the grocery or Dollerama feels like an event these days.

After cleaning off the car for 20min in the freezing cold, I got in the truck to leave the driveway. It did not go as planned. I got stuck in the snow and was frustrated. I came back inside, threw off my coat and had a bit of a meltdown. I thought I left my phone in the car so had to go back outside. I took a few deep breaths and decided to give it another go with the truck. I took a good look at the snow, planned the route, and made it. I’m glad I pushed through it! I drove to town in the sun, singing along to the radio. It felt so good!

When I got back to the cottage I went for a walk with a neighbour on the road. It was our first time meeting and we had a nice distance walk through the woods. It was such a beautiful day and we turned to face the sun, feeling its warm embrace on our faces.

Lesson of the day, sometimes you just have to push through it to find the sun.

Today was not a great day. There’s ice is melting outside our windows and I felt like I was melting inside. If you feel like you’re melting too, don’t worry, it’s normal to feel anxiety right now. Mum’s recommendation is always to have a little nap and there’s a good chance you’ll feel better when you wake up. It’s ok to feel this way, we’re living in a pandemic that’s been almost an entire year.

I wasn’t feeling great last night, I felt sad, empty, I cried. Woke up and didn’t want to get out of bed. The whole day I wasn’t on my game. I wanted to do things, create things, but I was paralyzed with anxiety and felt like I just couldn’t do anything. This lockdown is hard.

Almost a year ago when we had our first lockdown, there was a novelty of being up at the cottage, I was creative, I wasn’t working, and it seemed like it would be over soon. This round, we’re not sure when things will end and it’s so cold outside. I feel tired most days and don’t have the same energy I used to have. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Sending love from the woods.

A short little message for Monday! Sending you good vibes for a great week. Hang in there, we’ll get through this!

Go for a walk.

Get some fresh air.

Feel the sun on your face.

The wind in your hair.

The air is so crisp! It’s about -10 today and the wind is fierce. After watching a few episodes of The Wilds on Prime, we ventured out on the lake. It’s 100% frozen thick with a few inches of snow. Quite the workout walking in such deep snow! There’s a couple of ice huts out for fishing and heaps of snowmobile tracks.

My hair is a total mess and I’m wearing the same clothes as yesterday but I feel good, rested. Thankfully my warm winter coat was here because it’s freezing! I booked off a couple of days this week to recharge my batteries and I hope to spend a few hours sewing. I love the cottage so much.

Sean and I managed to finish the entire first season of The Wilds in one day, what a commitment. Ha! I guess it was a good show…? I’d probably watch S2 if it was available. I find my standards of good tv have dropped during the pandemic, I’ll watch just about anything these days. Even better if there’s more than one season!

What will I watch next? I know, I know, life isn’t that exciting right now, ok! ?

It was so nice to come back to Muskoka last night. We made a fire, watched Netflix and had a cozy cottage night.

Spent almost all of Saturday lazing around, eating snacks and watching shows. We all need to give ourselves a break, relax, and take time to recharge our batteries.

SO GRATEFUL FOR THE WEEKEND.

I had been looking forward to this day all week! April and I planned to go for a big walk in the sun and it was GLORIOUS. I started out from my place in the Junction Triangle, met her Dundas West, then we went to Kensington. I hadn’t been in that area for ages since being at the cottage for most of the pandemic.

It was pretty busy there so we grabbed a quick coffee, kept our masks on, and headed to Queen Street. Since we aren’t able to gather with friends right now, we were hoping to run into people we knew along the way, and we certainly did! It was so nice to catch up with a few random friends neither of us had seen in ages.

We continued west on Queen to Parkdale and I walked back home to the West Toronto Rail Path. I did about 19,000 steps!

Once I got home I changed into loungewear and parked myself on the couch for the afternoon. Amazing how a big walk & heaps pf fresh air will tucker you out.

Quiet day working at home. Very cold out today. Made pizza from General Assembly I picked up from Henderson Brewery. Sean comes back tomorrow.

One of my fav things lately is people’s nicknames for the pandemic. There’s a whole bunch of funny videos of people on TikTok calling it a pany, panini, panoramic, Patricia. Idk why but I find it hilarious despite the pandemic but being funny at all.

Today I felt like I needed some summer vibes in my life so I braided my hair and put on a yellow sweater. Was the first time I did this style since summer when I used to braid my hair all the time. It wasn’t until later in the day that I posted a photo of my hair on Twitter and I know for sure that my sister didn’t see it. Well, do you know what? Jenie called me at night and said she braided her hair today too, her first time since summer.

I can’t tell you how many times we have shown up in almost identical outfits or done something super random like this on the same day. We aren’t twins but I am 100% convinced the universe has us intertwined with a sister connection.

That’s all for today, just a little positive story. Appreciate the little things my friends!