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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

It’s March!

We made it folks. I know there will be a few more storms on the horizon. I’m aware that I’ll still need my jacket and possibly even my snowpants. I’m not lying to myself or encouraging toxic positivity. I recently learned that toxic positivity is the belief that no matter how dire or difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. I’m simply focusing on the fact that we are closer to the end of the cold than we are to the beginning of it, and that little tidbit makes me happy.

With March comes Spring Break, St Patrick’s Day and the 3-year anniversary of when our world shut down for “two weeks.”

Remember that? I sure do. It was wild how something that was happening on the news was now in our backyard. We needed to shut down and isolate ourselves. Two weeks turned into a few more weeks, and then a couple more…

As much as I’m able to go with the flow, I enjoy the predictable. I like being able to plan ahead.

With that being said, I leave for Spring Break in a week, and I still haven’t booked any hotels for our road trip. I’ve gone online at least a dozen times and read the reviews and compared prices and offerings. I’ve mentally played out a few scenarios, and I’ve finalized the dates that I’ll need reservations. I know where I’ll be, and I have a general overview of what we’ll be doing. So in essence, I’m prepared. There’s just a few pieces I need to solidify.

I know that not having a hotel booked by this time would drive some people crazy. I do believe I’m driving my mother slightly bonkers by not being more ready. That’s OK though because I feel good about things.

As a recovering people pleaser, my mother’s nervousness about my trip would in turn make me nervous. I would get panicky and ultimately do the ostrich thing and put my head in the sand. I would have so much to do and I wouldn’t know where to start, and it would overwhelm me to the point where I froze. I would usually take a nap or start an unnecessary project instead of tackling the important task that needed to be done. Fun fact, I’m a recovering ostrich as well.

I’m learning how to take a deep breath and see the big picture. I have lots of important things on my to-do list. There are only so many hours in a day, and there are only so many hours that I actually want to be productive. I realize that it’s OK to watch an hour of TV with my family at night. It’s OK to let some stuff wait till tomorrow. It’s OK to have a messy house if that means that I get a bit of free time to enjoy this life I’ve been blessed with.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears in the Tribune every Saturday.