Mr. Man grows into a man more every day. He began fifth grade with confidence and has found his footing in his upper elementary class. His matter-of-fact approach to chaos and challenge are an inspiration to me. He is concluding his fifth year of martial arts training and is looking for a new and exciting physical activity to keep his body strong. While he loves video games, Minecraft being the latest obsession, we believe he will be one of the rare gamers with washboard abs. He loves physical activity, loves to challenge himself and has amazing balance and strength. A pull-up bar is soon to be installed in his room.
In the fall we moved to House of Eris West 3.0. We weren't looking exactly, but a good opportunity arose and we took it. More space, same price, two floors, utility room for washer/dryer. All on our list of must-haves. It's a quirky space that took us a while to settle into. We're still working on small design and decorating elements to make it just right. It seems the cats, Mr. Man and his moms are all pretty happy with the change.
Our family grew stronger and larger this year. My wife and I celebrated our long-awaited Tipping Point and we threw a big bash. My wife's man became my man, too, and we learned new poly lessons about sharing. I added to our tribe with a man of my own, who has his own wife. For those counting, that means my wife has two partners and I have three. Scheduling is a bitch, but our family has found a constellation of people who add even more to our already beautiful and rich life.
My wife toggles between periods of really good days and challenging bits. She started having a "good spell" around the time of our move and immersed herself in Occupy Wall Street actions. She had about three weeks of largely symptom-free days and for a moment I think we forgot she was chronically ill. We were really thrown for a loop when that ended. Nonetheless, this fall has been a productive time for her, both with activism, her spiritual practice and her business. She's on the verge of stepping her professional activity up a notch and we're learning the best ways to do that, hoping that her health will continue to cooperate.
For me, this year has been about promoting the things in my life that support my mental health. I've lost weight, changed my eating habits and have become much more active. I've been regularly bike commuting since August and have developed a love for Crossfit. I felt like I had a handle on things in early fall and decided to try life without an anti-depressant medication. The verdict is out on whether I need it or not. In the time since I stopped taking the meds, my boss died, my work life exploded and we moved unexpectedly. Things have certainly felt harder in the last few months, but I'd like to hang out for a bit longer to see how I do.
This year is also the year our family kicked the sugar habit. In early January we stopped eating processed sugar as much as possible. I no longer bake and we don't buy sweets or dessert when we're out. It is actually a pretty hard addiction to curb, but we've done very well. I think all of us feel much better when we don't consume sugar, most notably Mr. Man's mood seems more stable.
There are plenty of things that haven't changed. Chester, our needy, frat-boy cat, continues to pee in inappropriate places. Pumpkin, the black cat, is his same old ornery and feisty self. We continue to live happily without a car, with Mr. Man and I biking most places. My wife has the worst lot, stuck in the rapidly-deteriorating public transit system for hours every day ferrying Mr. Man to and from school. We continue to love vegan living, and added green juices to our diet this year with the help of a new juicer. Our life continues to be wonderful, full of both joy and challenge and a healthy dose of gratitude.
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