Odd title for a blog post, right? Okay, let me explain how and why I came up with it.

So, a couple of weeks ago, at a super fun blogger event in Healdsburg (of course, a detailed blog about it coming soon to shaikhenandstirred), I dropped my handy dandy Canon into a bucket of water while learning how to create a beautiful floral arrangement with white roses. The best part is that I was so rushed to finish the bouquet, say good bye to the hosts, get into my car, get gas for my car since the needle was at zero, drive back in rush hour to San Francisco, change and head to another work related event and finally make it to Nadir’s firm holiday party that I did not notice the camera debacle for a long time. Forget the fact that I didn’t truly enjoy the mini lesson about those stunning flowers, since I was so invested in what was to come instead of taking a breather and be in the moment!! The good thing is that I managed to accomplish all the above-mentioned tasks and arrive at Nadir’s party just a few minutes late. The not so good thing is that that day and the preceding weeks took a toll on me.

The next morning, after making the kids’ breakfast, Lyali and I got into my car so I could drop her to school on my way to Pilates. I opened my garage door but somehow when I reversed the car, I backed straight into a closed door with a mighty loud bang that scared the bejesus out of us!! Once again, I was very distracted with my thoughts and all the upcoming tasks for the day. What I didn’t realize was that after opening the garage door the first time, I had inadvertently pressed the clicker again and thus driven into a closed door. Thankfully, both of us were fine although the same cannot be said of my car that endured a minor injury and the garage door that suffered a bit more and had to be repaired the same morning.

This resulted in me missing my pilates, canceling a lunch I’d planned weeks ago and postponing an afternoon meeting. Now, given that I can be superstitious, I knew the third catastrophe was on its way! Of course, I was right. After taking care of things on the garage front I decided to go to the gym and get rid of all the accumulated tension with a good treadmill run. I did manage to achieve this but the accident-free moments were short lived. So, when I lay on the mat to stretch out for a bit, like a complete klutz, I managed to knock over my coffee cup (dumb AF, I know, so please don’t ask why on earth I had left it there) and spill it on my …. yup, you got it, phone! And some on my sweater that was next to the coffee cup and the rest on my suede handbag! Priceless, to say the least!!!!!

What did I do next? Well, first I cried out of frustration for several minutes. Then, I drove home, ate half a bag of peanut pretzels (my favorite comfort food these days), organized my closet for 25.2 seconds, got bored of it, and finally went to sleep. Honestly, I didn’t have the bandwidth to have another accident and since I’d become a danger to myself, sleep seemed to be the best solution at that point;)

The long and short of my story is that I REALLY needed to put my feet up and take a loooong breath. AND, eat some croissants since that is my ultimate indulgence when it comes to any kind of carbs! So, I did. We left for Sonoma that weekend and I turned my phone and computer off. The three most important people in my life - Lyali, Isaad and Nadir - were right next to me so I wasn’t worried about staying in touch with them via my phone. Eventually, when I did turn my phone on I decided to stay off of social media for at least 24 hours. And believe me, it was THE most effective stress reliever! It was pouring in Sonoma the entire weekend so we lit a fire in our TV room and I literally did NOTHING! Other than eating, reading (a book not news or articles on my phone) and sleeping. Luckily, the kids and Nadir took care of everything else so I felt I was on a mini vacation:)

One of my favorite relationship experts and author, Tracy McMillan, says, “The only person who can take care of yourself is you.” I strongly believe in these words and hope to adopt this as my mantra for 2019. And of course, since no blog post of mine would be complete without lovely pictures (of moi), I’ve added a few here from a lovely lunch I attended in SF a few weeks ago. And some more photos following the lunch that Lulu took of me as I ran around doing errands in my 5 inch heels and this white dress that I so adore:)

Happy, happy everything as we all move towards a new year!!!! Thank you again for your love and support. I wish each one of you a healthy and happy 2019 filled with bread or croissants or whatever it is that provides you the most comfort in times of stress. Let’s all take it easy, enjoy the present and be kind to each other. Love you all a lot. Hugs and prayers, The Stirrer.