What's saving your life right now? -

One of my favorite book bloggers / podcasters, Modern Mrs. Darcy, hosts an annual conversation in February: What’s saving your life right now?

February can be a difficult month. Depending where in the world you are, it can be dark, dreary, cold, icy, dry, miserable. So, she encourages her readers to think beyond the gloom and focus on what’s keeping you afloat.

Here is what’s saving my life right now, in February 2026. And I’d love to know from you: What’s saving YOUR life right now?

Soup

It seems so small, doesn’t it? A cup of hot soup with a slice of warm sourdough slathered in butter isn’t life changing, is it? Actually, I think it might be.

As I write this, a pot of spaghetti squash soup (that no one in my family will eat because no one likes squash except me) simmers on the stove. Over the weekend, we had a roasted red pepper soup with melty grilled cheeses. Soup warms you up on these cold, dark days. If I have time to make it from scratch, my house fills with delicious smells. I simply love soup and could wax on, but you get the point. You could almost call me a food blogger. You shouldn’t. But you could.

Libby

I hate driving in the snow and ice. And in the dark. Which basically means I hate driving all winter long. I used to avoid reading on a tablet because I really wanted distance from screens after working hours. However, I’ve seen the light. I’m a convert. I love my tablet, and I love reading on my tablet because of Libby, the library app. I can finish a book and instantly check out the next one. It delivers suggestions based on what you like, and it even includes every magazine under the sun. Libby is saving my life because I don’t have to drive to the library and I never have a gap in my reading!

Current reads: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (on audio because it’s read by Lin Manuel-Miranda), the Red Rising trilogy on the recommendation of my favorite teen librarian, and Canine Enrichment for the Real World. Oh, and I just bought in hardback One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This so I can take notes and dig deeper as I read.

My friend, Jodi

Some of you probably know her or have followed pet-friendly DIY’s on her fantastic blog. What you might not know is that she has been my writing partner and accountability buddy since… I can’t even remember when. Many, many years. She keeps me moving forward. She keeps me sane. We share ideas and laughs and tears, and I’m honestly not sure I’d have written anything these past five years of “unprecedented times” without my weekly date with my friend, Jodi. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet, go follow her over on Instagram. Bunnies and birds are waiting to welcome you!

My “journal ecosystem”

I know, I know. We all have too much going on. We do. Our lives are stretched so thin. And while I am someone who actively advocates for less to do, fewer activities, more blank space… reality sets in. Between work and school schedules, there are so many things to juggle. There’s the cyclical stuff: vet visits, dentist appointments, eye exams, physicals, oil changes, dog training classes, swim lessons, karate, and so on. And then there’s the extra stuff that comes with kids with disabilities: developmental pediatrician, OT, PT, eye specialists, neurology, audiology, peds ortho, etc. Plus, of course, the unexpected: the Covid diagnosis followed by the flu, a cold here and there, several snow days, a vomiting cat, a limping puppy, a flat tire, and so on. And I need to buy light bulbs and cat food and order the dogs’ flea and tick meds, scoop the litter boxes, pick up prescriptions, walk the dogs, return a phone call, wash the dishes and the laundry. Are the girls’ library books overdue? When did I last clip Penny’s nails?

I am not special in this. We all have too much on our plates, I know. But if I did not have my planner, I would not get anywhere ever. Nothing would get done. It is my brain on paper.

I use the Hobonichi Cousin, which is ridiculously expensive, but it contains monthly, weekly, and daily pages for the entire year, plus places to track everything and blank pages to store information, doctors’ phone numbers, school info, and so on. Is it excessive? Not for me! I would die without it!

Then I also keep really detailed daily notes in this spiral notebook that I will keep buying over and over. I keep notes on appointments, what I’m reading, what I’m thinking, how I’m feeling, what I need to remember to do at some point, and so on.

My journal and my planner save my life every single day.

Cat Cuddles

I adore my dogs. I love when they squish up against me for warm snuggles, and I love when they climb into my lap for a snooze.

However.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, more cup-filling than a purring cat curled up into a cat loaf on your lap. It is soothing, comforting, and simply the best feeling to be the person of a cat.