What I Love About My People

I have been a real shrew lately. I mean, I have NO grace left to give and everyone around me knows it and feels it.

I, like so many of us, am feeling super stressed right now. Let’s face it – this pandemic has dragged on and on and on, and all the uncertainty that comes with it can wear on a girl. My normal response to stress is to become a shrew. I’m like a stereotypical caricature of the worst kinds these days – disproportionate responses to just about everything, wild mood swings, lots of yelling. It’s pretty fun to be around me right now.   

When I get like this and feel mad at the world and can only see all of the bad things happening TO ME (no worries – I’m inserting my own eye roll right here), I make a concerted effort to remind myself of all the things that are good in this world. And right now, that focus needs to be on my family.

So, in no particular order, here’s what I love about my people. (Please note that these are by no means exhaustive lists – they were just the first things I thought of.)

What I Love About My Husband, The Professor

• I love his twinkly eyes 
• I love that he’s tall so he can reach things on high shelves
• I love that he gives great hugs
• I love that he lets me be me
• I love that he takes my car for oil changes and tire rotations
• I love that he’s conscientious
• I love that he’s financially very conservative
• I love that he’s so strong
• I love that it’s easy to make him giggle like a schoolgirl
• I love that he calms me down
• I love that he’s a kind and gentle soul
• I love that he’s super chill
• I love that he gives me so much grace and is so forgiving
• I love his sense of adventure
• I love that he takes care of my emissions without me even knowing it
• I love that he’s dependable
• I love that when he on-court coaches me during a tennis match and I react *poorly* he lets it roll right off his back
• I love that he’s so smart
• I love that he *mostly* knows when to bite his tongue
• I love that he agreed to teach our oldest how to drive – or at least get in the car with her first
• I love that who he is at home is who he is at the office, based on what people tell me
• I love that when I overreact to something, he responds calmly instead of overreacting to my overreaction
• I love that he loves to travel
• I love that he values experiences and memories more than things

What I Love About The Oldest

• I love that she giggles
• I love that she pays attention to politics and is really starting to think about the issues
• I love that she’s a great big sister
• I love that she has a wicked sense of humor
• I love that she is self-motivated
• I love that she takes her school work seriously
• I love that she loves Math
• I love that she rolls her eyes when I sing her playlist songs badly
• I love that she loves volleyball
• I love that she’s loyal
• I love that she has cool taste in music
• I love that she’s so forgiving
• I love that she hugs me when I’m having a tough day
• I love that she’ll tell me if my make up looks like a clown
• I love that she owns who she is and no, she’s not going to help you carry in the groceries
• I love that she blushes so easily
• I love that even when we’re arguing, she’s open to what I’m saying
• I love that she’s organized
• I love that every once in a while, she’ll still love to cuddle
• I love that she’s cautious
• I love that she looks just like her daddy when she smiles

What I Love About The Youngest

• I love that she’s so brave
• I love that she has a huge heart
• I love that she’s intuitive
• I love that she loves to run
• I love that she’ll talk to me about the scary stuff
• I love her empathy
• I love that she’s silly
• I love that she works hard
• I love that she’s forgiving
• I love that she has character voices
• I love that even when things are really, really hard, she just keeps going
• I love that she’s a helper
• I love that her eyelashes are the longest things I’ve ever seen
• I love that she has a really sophisticated sense of humor
• I love that she’s an independent decision-maker
• I love her gooey center
• I love her sense of adventure
• I love that she’ll try and carry everything for everyone
• I love that she’s dependable
• I love that she cannot eat chocolate without getting it all over her face
• I love that she always keeps trying

When I feel like most things are going wrong, it’s energizing to remember what’s going right, though sometimes it’s a challenge to get there. Focusing on the good stuff will always bring a smile to your face, and the trip down memory lane is worth it.

These times are STILL unprecedented (will they ever get back to precedented times?!) and everything surrounding us is hard. Kids in and out of school, adjusting our lives around that, is that cough just a cough or is it COVID?, what are the long-term effects of everything happening right now? Oh, and there was an attempted coup in the US. It’s so much, y’all. Too much.

But taking a minute or two to really focus on what is good can turn things around. After I made my list about my husband, The Professor, I couldn’t believe I wasn’t doing more to try and make his life easier. He’s also under a lot of stress, even though he never lets on. He has become a dumping ground for me and the girls, and that’s terrible and not fair. Making the list reminded me of some of my favorite things about him and has motivated me to treat him better and remember that he really is my most favorite person on the planet.

I know things are rough for everyone right now, but we have to try and remember to be better to the ones we love the most. Make your own list, sort through your own memories, and remind yourself of the stuff that is good right now.

What are your three most favorite things about your three most favorite people?