Unexpected happenings, store-bought chicken, and a Jamaican card revoked?
I had such grand plans. I’d intended to do these regular musings to support my pursuit of joy. And I had planned to frolic my way through 2024 gaining stamps in my passport from San Francisco to San Sebastian. But unfortunately, life had other plans.
Since I last wrote a post, my mother had a serious stroke. After a few scary weeks, she was discharged from the hospital with a partial loss of mobility on her left side. She is completely housebound and I am her primary carer.
And so I was left with a conundrum, how am I going to write a regular piece on living joyfully when my life just got way more complicated and stressful?
But here we are. While I can’t spin my life into a tale of eternal sunshine and rainbows. I am still seeking pockets of joy among the gnarly complexities of life. I am still team joy-seeker and team anti-struggle even if my reality looks very different in the context of my new responsibilities.
Fast forward to the family party for my mum's birthday. Cue the panic mode. I love my family, but organizing anything extra after a long week at work was always going to be a big lift. So what's a stressed-out caregiver to do? I'll tell you what—I cheated. Yup, I waltzed into Marks and Spencer and bought three of their finest roast-in-the-bag chickens to slam in the oven. No cleaning of trays of chicken thighs and drumsticks till the early hours for me.
Now, let me tell you, in the Jamaican community, that move is about as welcome as a snowstorm in Kingston. Good food is really important. I’ve heard Jamaicans cuss down a wedding because the food was bad but desperate times call for store-bought measures. Remember what I said about looking for joy? My joy didn’t include an already exhausted me staying up all night to kill myself to cook jerk chicken from scratch (Side note:As well as the chickens, I still made rice n peas and baked Salmon so I am not completely wotless.)
Despite the sacrilege of going for the quick and easy option, the heavens didn't open up and strike me down. We ate, we laughed, we danced and had a great time. So yeah, my Jamaican card might be revoked, but hey, it made my life a hell of a lot easier.
📖Life Lesson
Hot sauce can make anything taste good.
💭Inspiration
🗣️ Quotes
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ― Maya Angelou
“Black Joy is revolutionary” - Unknown
✍️ Questions to ask yourself
Free from family, cultural or other external expectations, how might you do things differently? How might you achieve things while preserving your energies and sanity? What happens if you do less?