Good morning loves!! It’s Friday again! Faceless Friday is about to get weird, or better, or maybe worse, as the kiddo is now officially on summer break.  He is already mad that I am not melting chocolate to pour over marshmallows this morning because I am writing this.  Don’t feel bad for him, he has some he made last weekend in the fridge still, he just wants the big marshmallows and those are the small ones.  Josie dog is in on it with him, both staring at me willing me to type faster.  Let’s get this show on the road before I end up locked in my basement!  Welcome back to Faceless Friday! 

The Weather.  Specific things about the weather have been rocking my face off this past week. My air is not working in my car, so I’ve been thrown back to my early years of car ownership.  Windows down, music up, cruising back roads and getting my head right.  Honestly, one of the most therapeutic experiences ever and I am so grateful to be reminded of it.  I am grateful to live in an area that has a back way to everywhere, and grateful for a really good system in my car.  I am also forever grateful for the way trees grow over the roads and create a tunnel of shadow and leaves.  It reminds me of the South and feels magical every time I drive through one.  And yes, I go specific ways to just experience tree shadow tunnels.  And that brings me to the woods and being outdoors in general.  I have been trying to hit the trails as much as I can lately, it makes my heart happy and helps the body get over the pain of physical therapy a little faster.  I was so lucky to grow up in the woods, spending all day exploring, building forts, imagining and dreaming.  Nothing makes me feel as loved and cared for as being in dark woods and beams of light filter through like a message from the Universe.  Having dirt under my feet and nature in my veins will forever rock my face off.  

My Kiddo.  My 8 year old son has been FORCING himself to cry and be mad before school because he “HATES learning”.  This kid never forced himself to be upset as a toddler, so this is new, AND the kid is OBSESSED with learning.  He just doesn’t’ want to learn on someone else’s terms (honesty same).  So, we have been navigating these feelings very carefully because on one hand, yes he is frustrated because he has been over the schedule and having to go, but on the other he is literally forcing himself to stay in a pissed off mood… and for what. Like dude, you’re still going.  When I offer coping skills, he informs me that he “just wants to be mad”. Bet. Got it. So, we have been doing a lot of music therapy in the car.  This kid only wants to listen to metal music, but Momma is slipping some punk in there as I can.  He really loves the drums and honestly, if I am not careful we are going to be listening to speed metal.  I cannot get behind speed metal (unless he ends up playing it), but I love that when the world feels heavy and out of his control he, even at eight, can turn to music.  A few more brags: he is also really good at art, building things, and is absolutely the funniest kid I have ever met. Fucking hilarious already.   He is also empathetic, sensitive, kind, cool, and extremely smart.  All of the good things in one cool kid, who will hopefully take it easy on his old ass momma this summer… And being his mom? Rocks my face off every day.  

Friends.  I am in an emerging phase of my life right now.  Butterfly wings busting through and I’m all “oh cool, let’ see how these work”.  I have gone through these phases my whole life.  Into my cave, come back out like… oh hey so this is new… so I am forever grateful for the people in my life that just roll with it, support it, and don’t pressure any of it.   People that just love me without asking what I can do for them or how I can show up for them constantly, rock my face off.  Of course, it is important to have relationships that have balance but if all you are doing is taking from the givers, it gets old. People that keep showing up for me and my son because they support us and know that shit is hard ROCK my fac off so hard.   

Alright it is cholate marshmallow time (gross).  Let’s wrap it up with our list of other things that have rocked my face off this week: 

Coffee, music, animals, all my flowers coming up strong, warm breezes that are refreshing, running water, being on a well so I can make puddles for the birds when it’s hot as hell, the feral cats appreciating the bee sanctuaries I have set up on the property, my brothers, my neighbor stocking his fridge with all our favorite drinks so we can have treats, my  weedwacker, the milkweed growing like crazy, the bird nest by my living room window so I hear the babies, and YOU for being here again this week.  I appreciate you more than I can say and can’t wait to go on this next addventure with all of you!