Debt, weight, and the quiet work of moving forward
I don’t have anything especially profound to say today. I have plenty of drafts started and things I want to write about, but right now I’m lacking the time and energy to finish any of them. It’s just been one of those tiring stretches.
Lately, Caleb has been waking up between 5 and 6:30 a.m., calling from his crib to come sleep a little more in our room. It’s not a big deal, but I’ve been struggling to fall back asleep before it’s time to get up and ready for work. The exhaustion has been creeping in — just enough to slow me down a little.
But there’s also good news: my second nephew was born in the early hours of this morning! His name is Lucas James, and he’s the third little boy in our growing family. I keep picturing Caleb and his two cousins running around together at future family functions, wild and joyful and full of noise. I’m hoping to meet baby Lucas later today — or maybe tomorrow, depending on how his parents are feeling.
Lately, two things have been taking up a lot of mental space: weight and finances.
On both fronts, I’m seeing slow but steady progress — and that feels good.
We’ve been dreaming of a major kitchen remodel since moving into this house, and we’re finally starting to make plans. I’m not a fan of credit cards and try to avoid them as much as possible, but we did lean on one a little toward the end of my maternity leave. We also have a small Lowe’s balance from replacing our fridge last year. Right now, my focus is on knocking out those two small debts, followed by Jerry’s car loan — which will be paid off in July! Once those are gone, I’ll feel comfortable moving forward with the kitchen project.
We have the “typical” debts: a mortgage, student loans, auto loans (just mine after July!). But honestly? I hate debt. I’ve started reading some of Dave Ramsey’s advice on becoming debt-free, and while his full plan isn’t totally doable for us — we don’t make enough to pay off everything in full — I’ve been inspired by the debt snowball method: paying off the smallest debts first, then rolling that payment into the next one.
Little by little, we’re chipping away. And that feels good.
It feels good to see things moving in the right direction — downward where they should be, and upward where it matters.
Same goes for my weight. Slowly but surely, it’s going down. I’ve lost 28.2 pounds of the 70 I gained during pregnancy. It’s likely going to take another year to get back to where I started, but I’m working hard at it. I’ve been in weight loss mode since January 2012 — with the exception of my pregnancy — and I’ve learned that this is a lifelong journey.
The goal is just to keep going. Keep showing up. Keep making progress.
Downward and upward — all at once.
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