The Only Child Diaries Podcast
The Only Child Diaries Podcast
The Brochure on....Easy?
Joy doesn’t always arrive in a big moment; sometimes it shows up in a box that claims “25 minutes” and actually takes four hours, a friendly text from a great PT, or a yard that glows just enough to make strangers slow their cars. We set out to simplify holiday decorating after two hospital stays shifted our bandwidth, and we found a sweet spot between ambition and energy. With a giant Bumble from the 1964 Rudolph classic anchoring the display, seven inflatables, and a sensible trim of poinsettias, the lawn became a gentle celebration of resilience, community, and choosing what truly matters.
We walk through the real calculus of “scaling back” during recovery: getting help from a friend who can lift and assemble, honoring a body that’s still learning to sit up again, and embracing the small victories that rebuild dignity at home. Our farewell to Frank, our stellar home PT, marks a tender transition toward outpatient care, and we share the routines and mindset that bridge the gap. Along the way, the city’s holiday contest becomes less about winning and more about finishing something joyful, on our terms.
If you’re navigating a tough season, you’ll hear practical takeaways for right-sizing traditions, setting boundaries that protect your energy, and designing a celebration that sparks delight without tipping you into burnout. From neighbor reactions to the quiet satisfaction of a completed project, this story pairs twinkle lights with honest talk about healing, support, and the power of choosing one bright thing. Listen, share with a friend who could use a lift, and if the show brings you value, follow, rate, and leave a review so more listeners can find it.
Welcome to the Only Child Diaries Podcast. I'm your host, Tracy Wallace. Have you ever felt like you didn't receive the how-to brochure on life? That you didn't get enough guidance about major life issues? So did I. You don't have to be an only child to feel this way. In my podcast, we'll explore some of the best ways to better navigate adulting while doing so with humor and light. Welcome everyone to the Only Child Diaries Podcast. Today I'm gonna talk about holiday decorating again. Yes, again. If you've been listening, you know that I did well, I did decorate for Halloween, the front yard, and I really scaled back well not really. Well, yeah, I did. I scaled back the Christmas decorations because of everything that's been happening health-wise with my husband and his two recent hospitalizations. I just wanted to make it easy. Easy. Easy. Sometimes I wonder if that's really a word that I know. Hmm. Yeah. Um, so my friend Lauren came over. Um, that was what, three weeks ago? Well, it was Thanksgiving weekend, I think. And we got all of the Halloween stuff back in the garage, which in and of itself was a big deal. And we got some of the Christmas stuff out, and we put up the inflatables, we put up some lights with the idea that as time went on, I would put up some more lights. Not all the lights, but some of the lights. And then I got the email this past week from the city's um office where last year they had coordinated the holiday decorating contest, right? For residents. And they wrote me and they they scaled it back farther this year. So um today is the deadline. Last year it was something ridiculous, like you had to submit everything by like the first of December. Um, anyway, so I was thinking about it, and I thought, well, why not just enter, right? So being the overachiever that I am, I thought, well, maybe I should just kind of spiff it up a little bit. And uh I had bought this big piece for Christmas this year, this big new bumble from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer from the 64, the 1964 version. Yeah, if you know, you know. And in part, I bought it because Bill was in the hospital and I thought it would really cheer us up, and it did, just the idea of it cheered us up, but it seemed like a lot of work, and it's big. I mean, it's big, it's a statement piece. Anyway, Lauren graciously came back yesterday and put the whole thing together, and what's funny is if you'll remember, I was talking about the Rudolph uh piece last week, I think, and how it said that it took eight it well, the instructions advised that it would take about eight minutes to put together, which was absolutely ridiculous. This time the instructions said that it would take about 25 minutes to put together, which again is ridiculous. But I think it took Lauren um about four hours, maybe four and a half. It it took her even longer than 25 minutes just to get all the pieces out of the box. So that's what I'm saying. Anyway, um, I'm gonna finalize some stuff and send my pictures off tonight and cross my fingers. And if I don't win, I don't win. But we've already had people slowing down in front of the house to look, or that might be the open house that septic treat. But either way, I think it's kind of fun just to see people's reactions. We did put two more inflatables up last night. So let's see, we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. I think we have seven inflatables, which for me is kind of on the simplistic side, if you can believe that. Yeah, and there's a lot of lights, and yeah, I think a lot of things are easier this year, but I'll I'll post pictures and then you can decide. I think the other part of this week's update is that Bill, my husband, is doing better. Uh, he's getting stronger, he's getting up more, uh, able to do more on his own. He doesn't need a lot of help to get up. He's walking more in the house. I think he's still challenged by sitting up. I don't think his body's quite used to sitting up. He um will sit down and kind of recline, and that's easier for him. But a lot of the things that I've been doing for him, now he's kind of able to do for himself, which believe me, I'm very grateful for. It just makes it easier for both of us, and um, it gives him some dignity, if you will. So we're both feeling better about that. And we did have to say goodbye to our home PT guy, Frank, who was absolutely awesome. He really was a wealth of knowledge. He was very kind, very supportive, very positive. And not everybody that you get for home health is always like that. So Frank was great. And um, because we've scheduled outside PT, outside physical therapy, the two can't mix. And so it was time to say goodbye to him. And I cried. I cried as he was walking out the door. But, you know, he said that we could still text him or call him with questions, and he'd be there to support us. So that was pretty awesome of him to say, I'm not sure where we stand with the visiting nurse and the bathing nurse because they're we're not gonna start the outpatient PT until into January, and there's this gap, right? There's still some things that Bill needs help with, and um so anyway, um, but we're progressing, and that's good. So we're happy about that. Um, and uh oh yeah, now here's the thing that I am not as much of an overachiever as last year with the holiday decorating, because this year I've only bought, let's see, six poinsettas, whereas last year I bought like 20. So, right? So that's a big difference. Anyway, I have to go out and finish some stuff with the decorations and the lights, but next week we'll tackle another topic together. I hope you'll join me. If you like this episode, please follow the Only Child Diaries podcast on Apple Podcasts or other platforms you might listen on. And consider rating only child diaries and writing a review. It helps others to find it. Please share it with a friend you think might like it as well. Visit my Instagram page, only child diaries or Facebook, only child diaries podcast. Thanks for listening. I'm Tracy Wallace, and these are the Only Child Diaries.
