The Savoring #18 Super Bowl Edition

Kindly Take Politics Out of My Distractions

Los Olivos, CA (A property I dream of owning and fixing up.)

I’m sitting on my sofa watching the Super Bowl while putting together the finishing touches on this week’s Savoring. I had written a little ditty about how I had a photoshoot this week because I needed some photos that actually look like me after losing all my hair and how much I hate photo days because I’m such a harsh critic of myself when the Super Bowl started and I found something more timely to whine about.

I’m from Indiana. I love sports. It’s a requirement. I love winning. I hate losing. I love to cheer. I love to scream obscenities at the television every time my Colts play. I love the passion, the aliveness, the sense of community. Sports connect us even if we are cheering for opposite teams. They are a fabulous distraction.

Usually.

Like most things right now, the Super Bowl is dripping in politics. It’s not about community. It’s about who voted for who, who supports who. What a particular player said about the president being at the Super Bowl. About the president being at the Super Bowl.

Everything is about politics right now. Nothing is sacred. It’s all tainted.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be be paying attention. I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t be educating ourselves daily on the nonstop circus. We are living through some very interesting times and they certainly deserve our attention.

Just not all of it.

I want my sports to just be about sports. My commercials not interrupted by Fox News ads or CNN either. I want my mindless scrolling to be about cooking, pillow placement and jokes about why my husband can’t find the ketchup even though it's the only thing in the refrigerator.

I want to choose where I get my politics like in the good old days when you read the newspaper and watched the evening news. The nonstopness of it all is like being pecked to death by chickens.

It’s overwhelming. I suspect, by design.

It reminds me of when my older two boys were toddlers, only 18 months apart. There was no time to think. I was drinking out of a firehose. My only goal, to keep everyone alive. I would collapse at the end of every day. And start over the next.

I was exhausted. These are exhausting times. It’s not our job to hold it all.

Stay informed, of course. Watch, even better, read and educate yourself. Take any action you feel you need to. Then turn it off and walk away. Exhale, regroup and find some peace.

The Super Bowl wasn’t all bad. Though depending on which team you were pulling for, it might have been.

These Girl Power Commercials
The girl power was ON FIRE.

NFLFlag50.com asked us to make flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states. I’m in.

YourAtttentionPlease.com is bringing more awareness to breast cancer screening.

Nike reminded us You can’t win. SO WIN.

Dove always just seems to get it right.

This Beer Commercial
And because I am from Indiana, I can’t possibly not mention a funny AF Peyton Manning commercial. Technically it was Bud Light, but Peyton was in it. And Shane Gillis and Post Malone.

The Halftime Show
Those jeans Kendrick was wearing need to be in my closet. Actually, they might already be. The halftime show was incredible.

A few more things I’m savoring this week.

This Guy
Knowing how to find your light is important.

This Design
We are building a greenhouse. To be fair, JJ is building it. I’m just complicating it by over-designing it. It’s a skill.

We sourced some vintage windows on FB marketplace and through a local doors and windows reseller. Here’s the progress.

This Upcoming Travel
We are traveling this week to one of our most favorite places, Los Olivos. In the past we have stayed at the same cute Airbnb but it lacked character and outdoor space so we are trying out a new place this time. I’ve had my eye on it for a bit, so when the owner reached out on Instagram and asked if we were interested in staying in February, we readily accepted.

Follow along in Instagram stories for all the fun.

These Layering Pieces
I live in tank tops. Yes, even in the winter. I wear them under cardigans and sweaters. This is my current favorite. I’m also loving their long sleeved t-shirt. Great for layering.

These News Outlets
A couple of places to get the facts with less bias. Propublica and PBS Newshour.

This Nature Moment
I have been reading Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles. I’m not exactly sure what I think about it but it’s definitely made me pay more attention to birds. Today we were having a coffee outside at our local market and this bird landed right in front of me on a pot. I decided to take his photo and he decided to fly away. Made for a pretty incredible photo.

Did you watch the Super Bowl? What commercial was your favorite?