"Maybe couscous is incredibly healthy."
"Maybe it's part of a new 2021 health fad."
"Maybe she just really loves couscous."
Nope.
Couscous doesn't contain amazing "superfood" health benefits, although it does receive the "smallest pasta in the world" award. No new couscous health fads that I know of...but wait until tomorrow and maybe there'll be a new one. And I like couscous fine, I guess (plus it's fun to say!), but what I love about couscous is really that it is incredibly fast and easy if I'm in need of a side dish to add to my meal (5 minutes!). So why three massive containers?
To set the stage: I'm slogging through last week. I feel like I'm mentally working three times as hard to get a fraction of the work done - everything feels difficult to accomplish, and the harder I try, the more balls I feel like I'm dropping.
My family returned home after being away, everything was topsy-turvy, and we had no groceries (see yesterday's post about the dangers of not having groceries). After days of making do/eating out, I threw the girls in the car at 6pm, and said, "we have no plan and no list, but we've gotta get some food!" So we're racing through the store, doing the best we can, and I get to where the couscous is.
Do I need couscous? Am I out? Yes, I need it! Nah, I think I've got some - I'm good.
I leave that aisle, then only couple of minutes later decide I should've gotten some and send my girls back to find it.
We get home. I'm unpacking the bags and discover that we had bought TWO containers of couscous. That means I had already picked up one container immediately before sending the girls back to unknowingly get a 2nd container. I think, "How ridiculous, I'm losing my mind." Then I take the couscous to the pantry, and there in all its glory, is a THIRD full container of couscous. And something in me cracks.
I just stand there, staring at all of the couscous. I stand there for a while, actually, thinking, "This is my week. This is where I am right now. This is a perfect picture of how I feel." And I take a picture.
Here's the thing: in the reading of it, this story may not seem like much. Perhaps vaguely funny, but no big deal. Likely though, at some point, you've been there, too: at the end of your energy, staring at a pile of proverbial couscous, thinking, "how the heck did I get here and what do I do now?"
So what is the picture about-what does the photo mean? I get to decide.
When I first took it, it was probably more self-deprecating than anything else. I wasn't happy. But here I am, one week later, still standing. Starting 2021, I wanted to let Folks know -
- To be kind to yourself!...
- Don't feel too overwhelmed to jump into a new workout routine...
- Even a small amount of preparation can make big differences, and...
- There's help waiting for you if you want it.
I've put that couscous picture on every post I've made this week. So which is it - photo proof of my silly, flustered, human flaws? Or a line drawn in the sand marking what I can do if I just keep moving?
Folks, you don't need me to tell you that our 2021 challenges are bigger than overbuying on couscous. My bigger life problems have not evaporated because I've written a handful of posts this week. But I am here to say that those wellness goals you want to accomplish? YOU CAN DO IT. You want to get stronger, move better, learn how to eat in a way that better nourishes yourself and your family? You want to feel good in your own skin, less creaky, more energy? You can make that happen. And I would love to be a part of your journey.
I have the tools to help you set up your own workout program and help make it habit. To show you how to eat in order to effectively reach the goals you are looking for. To be your cheerleader when you have weeks like mine last week.
What is it you are hoping for from 2021? If you need a nudge to get moving in the right direction, let's talk. You can email me at folkfitnessnc@gmail.com.
Here's to US in 2021 - We've got this!
