Hi -,
Some women are in the motherhood chapter. The career chapter. The healing chapter, the starting-over chapter, the figuring-it-all-out chapter.
Me? I'm in the don't make life harder than it needs to be chapter.
The last few years were excruciatingly hard. Hard years have a way of clarifying what you're willing to carry and what you're finally ready to put down.
I'm also getting into the mature pregnancy age (unfortunately better known as geriatric) — not pregnant yet, but hoping in the next few years. Which is its own kind of clarifying of the infrastructure we'll need.
So I've been building my routines. Quietly, practically, without waiting for permission. I joined the gym — not when my schedule cleared (it won't), not after I finished everything else (there's always more). The gym got prioritized over cleaning the house. Everyone survived.
I've been having direct conversations with my husband about fair play — who carries what, whether the load is actually shared. It never feels good in the moment. Small ruptures. But eventually, stronger foundations.
And I pay for the meal service (yes, even I pay for Chiyo) that makes sure my nutrition doesn't become the first thing I sacrifice when everything else is hard. Because it's always the first thing. The fridge empties, the week gets away, and suddenly you're eating crackers at 10pm and calling it dinner. I really did build Chiyo for myself.
The framework I keep coming back to — in work, in life, in everything I say yes or no to — is two questions: Was this something I was energized doing? If not, was it just necessary for me to do?
Energized things get protected. Necessary things get delegated, streamlined, or made easier wherever possible. Chiyo is my answer to that second category when it comes to food.
I'm curious what chapter you're in. Hit reply if you're open to sharing.
