Work, World Cup, and New Hire: This is the “Regular Stuff”

Has Rihanna’s "Work" been playing in the background of your life all week? Because same. Just work work work work work.

This week was busy nonstop—handling regular orders, some bigger corporate catering in Chelmsford, and just trying to keep everything moving without losing our minds. Summer, yikes.

I’ve been in struggle mode this week and as of late, and I’ll admit I effed up pretty much everyone’s orders, so yeah, that felt shitty. But I made it right with everyone. Don’t hate me please. I’m just a girl with a lot going on over here, and while my brain is working overtime, I’m finding healthy ways to cope and reminding myself that I can handle it.

The Hustle Is Real

I also just started training a new employee on Thursday. She worked for a couple hours, and I could see my future with her. Like a happy Hallmark movie ending, which is exciting—and also very much using every last brain cell I have because I’m currently in a functional freeze. At least that’s what Google told me. Very exciting time right now, though.

Half of this job is hard to explain because so much of it is feel. Like yes, there’s a right way to fold the paper and place the fruit and build the box so it looks full and pretty and balanced, but sometimes I’m like, I swear it just makes sense in my head? I think she’ll catch on quick.

Seriously, it reminds you how many tiny details go into this business. The food-grade paper. The grapes that can’t be too wet. The flow of the box. All the little stuff. But seeing the Graze team grow does make the early mornings feel worth it.

And with all of that going on, I somehow still squeezed in extra workouts this week, which honestly felt necessary. Partly for my body, partly so I could have one second to myself and not answer a single question for an hour. Love everyone deeply, but I needed the hit of dopamine too. Thanks to my little sister for sending me these arm and ab workouts. They nearly killed me.

World Cup Watch Parties

Also, it’s kind of a massive sports week and I’m not mad about it. We’ve got the FIFA World Cup, the US Open, and SailGP all happening, which feels like a lot in the best way. Not me, babe, casually trying to keep up with all of it in between making boxes.

The World Cup was obviously pulling me in. Friday afternoon, I left work at 3 to watch a bit of USA vs Australia, and the energy was just fun. But then you’ve also got the US Open going, which is such a good background-watch situation, and SailGP this weekend, which I always follow because it’s intense and so fun to watch once you’re into it.

That’s literally why I started Graze. Good food, people hanging out, everybody having a moment together. Whether it’s a big grazing table, a watch party, or a small platterbox on the couch while you bounce between golf, soccer, and boats flying across the water, I’m into all of it.

After all that work work work energy Friday, I finally sat down with a Diet Coke and a large fry from McDonald’s. Don’t judge me; I worked hard this week, and cooking was not in the cards. That was the moment. Just me, George with his Happy Meal, some highlights, and one tiny second to breathe. Sitting there, I realized I needed to put something on the calendar for myself before my brain fully blue-screened—and that started me thinking about this little mantra I keep coming back to. I’ll get to it later.

Father’s Day

Also, happy Father’s Day to my dad and all the dads out there. Today was hard. I worked from 7AM to 8PM and my brain is basically toast, but it was a good kind of busy. I had a graduation grazing table in Sudbury, then went straight back to the shop to prep for meal prep orders, and weirdly enough, I was in a pretty good headspace through most of it.

I think, if I’m being honest, I stay busy so I don’t wallow. Because my dad passing still feels very fresh, and most days I catch myself just staring off into the void until I snap out of it like, oop, okay, work needs to get done, let’s be professional, let’s keep it moving... and then it’s basically emotionally spiraling one second and answering emails two seconds later. Yeah.

Thank you to everyone who checked in on me today. It doesn’t have to be fancy or deep. Truly. Just people holding space for me while I’m doing my best to keep it together means a lot. It’s hard to mask life most days, and it feels really nice to be supported when things are rough.

Bermuda: June 26 - July 4

I’ll be in my first favorite home, Bermuda, from June 26 to July 4. I’ve made some of the best memories there and it will always have a special place in my heart. I’m flying down with Georgie on Friday and meeting my brother and his family, which honestly makes it even better because Georgie gets solid cousin time and I get beach time, family time, and maybe five seconds where nobody needs anything from me. We’ll miss you, Mom!

So yes, the shop will be closed during that time, and meal prep is back on for July 6. I have absolutely nothing major planned besides letting Georgie live his best life with his cousins while I maybe disassociate a little, maybe stare at the water like the daydreaming Pisces I am, maybe just exist for once. That’s the itinerary.

Portland: Late July

The last week of July is a busy one. I’m basically sandwiching events with a long weekend away and then jumping right back into it, which feels very on-brand for me. I’ve gotten weirdly strategic about planning around work and play because if I don’t, work will simply eat my whole life like a gremlin.

I needed something on the calendar that wasn’t work-related, itinerary-free, child-free (next time, Georgie), with peak summer weather, an ocean nearby, freshly shucked oysters, and a cushy king-sized bed with a balcony waiting for me. And nope, I did not overthink it. I just booked it.

Honestly, I’m proud of myself for that. I’m not always great at stepping away for myself. I’m usually doing 1000 things on a trip, so it doesn’t really feel like a break, but I know I need it. And the shop will be okay. Sometimes you just have to let yourself have the break.

Ok, Let’s Get Deep

Here’s the mantra: show up for yourself always. Not in some perfect, polished influencer way, obviously lol, but in the real way. Booking the trip. Taking the break before you fully short-circuit. Choosing the thing you need even when your brain is like, ummm maybe just keep grinding? I’m trying to land there more.

And I think that’s the deeper part of all of this, under the hustle and the boxes and the sports and the pretending you’re fine when your nervous system is basically being held together by Diet Coke and vibes. You will always have more bills to pay, more responsibilities, more reasons to put yourself last. Ever since my dad passed, I’ve realized that the hustle will always demand more, and the checklist will never be empty.

Life is rarely convenient. We tell ourselves we’ll focus on what matters once the chaos dies down, but the chaos is the constant. We are perpetually waiting for a permission slip that isn't coming. It’s easy to live as if we have an endless supply of time, but the reality is that the "right time" doesn't exist. It’s not about how little time we have left, but how much of the present we’re missing by waiting for a future that will look exactly like today.

So take the trip. Eat the fast food (in moderation, lol). Move your body even if it’s just a walk. Let your brain reset. Be honest about what hurts, and stop abandoning yourself inside it. That’s part of showing up for yourself, too.

Just Real Life

I know I talk a lot about the chaos, but truly, I’m grateful. Busy is busy, yes, but it also means this little business is growing and people keep showing up for us. That means everything to me.

So that was my week. Work, training, extra workouts, momming, planning happiness, sports, maybe a little 10oz martini, and dreaming of Bermuda like the tired girl I am.

If you’re in your own busy season too, I see you. Take the drink, take the break, watch the game, do what you need to do.

XX,

Abby

Song of the day: The Shape of “Me” by Energetic Transmissions

She has been my soundtrack on these night runs—haunting, ethereal, driving. The sound perfectly mirrors the space I’m in right now. Honestly, the lyrics feel like an emotional conversation with someone who makes everything feel a little less overwhelming; that rare kind of soul who manages to quiet the static and make the chaos feel manageable, just by existing. Having that energy to turn to is exactly what keeps me moving.

That’s all I got in me for photos. 😆