Even Superheroes need snack time!

As the year reached a near end, and we are almost through 2025, I have been doing some reflecting on what happened in this past year.

There is a whole list of things, some good and some bad. But what is so surprising is that if feels like this year just flew past. It feels like just yesterday, I took my son to his new school, first day uncertainty, and small little crying faces around him, while he has the biggest smile on his face. He loved it there from the start. Big school for a big boy.

Then today I had to fetch his last report card for this year! I can believe it! What happened to the other 11 months of this year???

December months are always a good time of the year. The rat race slows down, schools close for holidays and many companies close too, for at least two or three weeks. Roads are quiet but malls and holiday destinations are filled to the brim with people spending Christmas bonuses and “resting”.

I never feel like I rest during holidays because we still need to plan and prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. We still need activities to keep everyone happy and busy. We go for walks, swimming and watching movies. Drive long distances and try new activities or visit new places. We still need to tidy up and keep a clean environment, while on holiday (it is not our apartment).  Not to mention when we get home and there is a ton of unpacking and laundry waiting…

But for me December is also a good time to rest and plan and prepare for what lies ahead. Not that plans always work out but it is a good start. Cleaning out cupboards, closets and toys, removing hording and clutter (how much junk do we really need to keep, we aren’t crows). But this is also hard work and sometimes it feels endless and mind numbing, but once it is done, life goes on and we start the process again.

This reminded me that we are allowed to take breaks. We are allowed to step away, stop and smell the flowers. We are allowed to skip the run because we feel tired. We are allowed to avoid laundry and dishes sometimes just because we feel like not doing them (it takes 25hours for my husband to decide to wash the dishes and at least 3 days before he will start doing laundry, only because his favourite shirt is in the wash). And then I remembered the closet is still jam packed because I chose to step away for 11 months and just shove the door shut.

Sometimes we need to do some maintenance. Every machine or device needs to recharge sometime. Even though you are not a machine, you also need to charge your battery. Rest isn’t a weakness but more like pressing an upgrade button. Naps and self-care counts too. I spoke to some people about “well-being” and I was surprised how many of them didn’t even know what it meant.

But well-being includes, clearing your mind, taking care of your body and thoughts and decluttering your life. Then I think about the closet again – I really don’t want to end up on a season of “Hoarders” because we keep all kinds of trinkets, letters, notes, broken toys that might be fixable one day and things we may need in future… Added to to-do list: Clean out closet. When? I don’t know yet, but it has to be before garbage day.

Superheroes wear capes and fight crimes and keep global peace but they also need snack time. They also need to rest at some point. Some movies and comics taught us that superheroes can drain their abilities when they over use them. And then they need rest to recover.  

Keep in mind, you are not a superhero. Maybe you just need a snack and nap. Take care of yourself and your well-being, even if it means to hide clutter behind a closet door. When you have time and energy and feel rested, then you can be the superhero you need to be and conquer the hoarding.