As the number of cases continues to rise, the whole country of Ireland has been put at Level 3 status. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) recommended a Level 5 status, meaning a full lock-down like before, only with schools open this time, but the government feared that would further exacerbate job losses and a crumbling economy. It’s been tough feeling like we’re sliding backwards rather than making progress toward getting our lives back to normal again. And with the death of RBG, the GOP’s hypocritical push to fill her seat within weeks of the election, and the strongman display of propaganda coming from the White House, it’s been a really tough couple of weeks, even by 2020 standards.

I, like so many others, are just trying to get by and live day to day without completely losing my mind. For me, this means really leaning into the Groundhog Day effect of this pandemic.

In my version of COVID Groundhog Day, the reset happens, not every day, but every week. On Sunday evenings I tell myself that starting Monday, I’m going to get up early every morning, work out, write. You know, take advantage of “me time” before Tom starts work. I also vow to start cooking more and eating healthier. I’m usually able to stick to these new resolutions at first. I get up with that morning alarm, I push myself to get on that mat, and I manage to crank out a solid first draft of my next submission to The Mighty. I order groceries to make some recipes I’m excited to try. But after a couple of days I lose all resolve. That work-out/writing time turns into an early morning nap and cooking more turns into ordering take-out for 3 meals in one day.

A quote from this timely article by psychologist and New York Times best-selling author Rick Hanson, really stood out to me this week:

“You are recognizing that your mind is functioning fine, no matter how nutty and not-fine the contents swirling through it are. Settling into this basic sense of okayness is a powerful way to build well-being and resources in your brain and being, and it’s a way of taking a stand for the truth.”

So I’m working on settling into my okayness. For me, part of that means rather than dwelling on the crappy stuff that comes from the news every day, I’m going to post about silly things I’ve had ideas for, but were set aside for a big news update. These posts will include some lighthearted content from my beside notebook archives.

Since moving, I’ve noticed the linguistic differences between Ireland and America. Despite the fact that both countries speak English, there are a lot of terms that differ. When I come across one of these new terms of phrases I write them down. I noticed differences in food-related terminology from my first trip to the grocery store, so food seems like a good place to start. I’ll skip over the well-known terms like chips and biscuits. Here are 10 food terms that are different between in Ireland:

Irish Terminology – Food

Irish Term	American Term
Bap	Sandwich
Pan	Sliced bread loaf
Aubergine	Eggplant
Corgette	Zucchini
Rashers	Irish Bacon (similar to ham)
Streaky rashers	American bacon
Mince	Ground meat
Rooster	Red potato
Tomato Sauce	Passata
Pie	Savory filling in crust (think Chicken Pot Pie)

Got a question about Ireland or a suggestion for another post topic? Leave a comment below!