Time: 06:22
I must not have heard the alarm this morning. Since I couldn’t fall asleep right away last night, my body probably refused to wake up before completing the sleep it needed. I woke up at 05:18. Still, I’m happy that I didn’t wake up too late.
Today, I have a book club meeting, cooking, laundry, and house cleaning. Honestly, I feel like putting everything aside and just lying down. I already started a load of laundry first thing in the morning. We open our eyes to housework. The work never seems to end until the evening. Back when I was working, I keep wondering, “How did I manage everything?” I guess I must have been ignoring some things. To be fair, I’m not overworking myself now either, but somehow I wake up in the morning and suddenly it’s bedtime again. Some days, I realize I don’t even have time left for myself because of all the chores. Once I step into the kitchen, I lose myself—while watching a series, I end up cooking several dishes at once. Cooking feels like therapy to me, but still, sometimes a person just wants to lie down and do absolutely nothing.
Yesterday’s coffee disaster, of course, came back to me as criticism from the family. My son pointed out that if either he or his father had done the same thing, I would have made a huge fuss. His father, naturally, supported him. I didn’t even bother arguing with them. After all, I have a son just like his father, and there’s no point getting into a debate with them. No matter what I say, it won’t change anything. I simply closed the subject by saying we’d get new chairs. We’ve been using those chairs since we got married anyway, but we needed an excuse to replace them—and I ended up providing it myself. To be honest, the chairs were already wobbling regardless of the incident. I had just been ignoring it since we didn’t use them that often. But now, instead of eight chairs, I’ll buy four. Yesterday, when we visited my younger sister-in-law, my mom told me not to mention the old chairs to my dad, or he’d take them to the village and stash them somewhere again. I had already talked to my dad in the morning, so he knew about it. While we were having tea and the topic came up, I told him I’d give the old chairs to burn in the stove. Otherwise, I’d throw them away. They’re beyond repair anyway, but since they’re wooden, they can be used as firewood. We agreed on that. And if he does try to keep them somewhere, I’ll make sure even the unbroken ones end up in the stove.
Yesterday, my son went out, my husband was lounging on the couch flipping through TV channels, and I was watching Homeland on my laptop when my younger sister-in-law called. They had just come back from an exam, and since my parents were there too, they invited us over for dinner. Instead of taking the car, we walked—and it felt really good. Honestly, her kids were good for me too. Especially the little one—so adorable, mashallah. He kept coming over and hugging me. My dear little one. May God grant them bright and beautiful futures.
Now that my morning coffee is finished, it’s time to dance. I’ll jump around for an hour and then take care of my chores. And here I am again, entering the endless cycle of “What should I cook for dinner?” Sometimes I feel like we, as Turks, might be overcomplicating this whole food situation. In other countries, aside from the healthy vs. unhealthy debate, people seem to get by with simpler meals—at least that’s what I see in movies and TV shows. But for us, it’s like: make soup, think of a main dish, then add rice or pasta for carbs, and of course, salad is a must. Oh dear, I think I’ve already exhausted my brain this early in the morning. The best thing to do now is to go clear my mind.