December
December was simply wonderful. My husband and I went back to my parent's house for Christmas and we had such a good time being with family. I don't get to see my parents and sister as often as I'd like, given that I live in another country. We stopped off in NYC to see my sister's new apartment and explore her corner of the city on our way to my parent's house. My sister showed us such a lovely time, and we particularly enjoyed a fantastic lunch at Bono Trattoria in Hamilton Heights. I'd recommend it in an instant. We had a relaxing Christmas with family (although I missed the midwestern contingent very dearly--half of my family lives in Missouri), filled with fires in the fireplace, barbecue take-out, and our annual deep-fried Turkey. This year, my husband had the "honour" of being the one to submerge the turkey into the deep-frier in our backyard. This is always a really tense moment because the turkey could literally explode if you don't do it properly.
January
At the end of December, we flew back to the UK to have a second Christmas with my new British family (otherwise known as my in-laws). They always cook a goose, and we got there in time to snag a few leftovers, which was amazing. Then we drove back up to Scotland, and that's when things started to go downhill a bit. My husband and I both came down with the flu (which we'd picked up in America) just before New Years, and we were really sick for three weeks. We're both self-employed, which means no sick leave or holiday pay of any kind, so that added an extra level of stress to the month. When we were starting to feel better again, we both came down with the flu that's been going around Scotland. Given the extremely short days in northern Scotland this time of year, we've barely seen the sun and we've been too sick to even go outside most days.
I've never spoken publicly about it before, but I've struggled with my mental health since I was 14. It's something I'd like to write more about this year, starting now. This month of sickness and darkness brought me to a difficult place with my anxiety...and frankly it's been really tough. Just when I start to feel better, I encounter another obstacle in recovery. But that's life. And instead of thinking it as a series of obstacles, I'm trying to think of it as a series of triumphs over those obstacles. And I'm going to keep going and keep doing the things that make me feel better--whether that's brushing my hair and putting on mascara, or going for a run, or tidying the house.
Thanks so much for sticking around during this break. I really have the best readers in the world. Here's to another fresh start.
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