Good morning from the margin! It’s been two weeks-ish of less: less scrolling, less typing, and less consuming. It’s been so good for me. It’s provided so much more: more time with family, more time to breathe through emotions, more time to organize and declutter, more time to read and think, more peace, more time for all those little things I never feel like I have time to do.
For example(s): I taught Hailey to create our family albums and she is a natural. Plus it takes a HUGE weight off my shoulders to know I’m finally on the path to catching up with current times (working on 2021 right now). I packed away all our homeschool stuff from last year, consigned what needed to be consigned, planned out our 6th and 4th grade curriculum and procured it all. I restocked the Battery Daddy. I organized our art supplies. I made simple food and read Wild and Free Family. I stretched more. We sat down as a family and learned to play Dominion, and now we are all hooked.
Unplugging gave me the time, and probably more importantly the mental space, to think and feel. I thought about the expectations I put on myself that don’t really need to be there and don’t serve me. They just contribute to my overwhelm of not feeling like I’m doing enough, when in reality I’m stretching myself too thin trying to do too much. Prioritize and simplify is my goal.
Sometimes I get caught up in wanting a plan as to what I should write about (a content calendar, as the industry lingo calls it), but I realized that no one probably cares what I share (in a nice way). I’m not sharing life saving tidbits; I’m just sharing life– the ups and downs, good meals, mess ups, family trips, and favorite finds. I want to embrace this space for what it is, a creative outlet for sharing and connection, without always trying to make it more.
Some things I scribbled down in notes to myself over the past two weeks:
- Keep creating new dreams and plans at every age and stage.
- Don’t focus on saying goodbye to the past, but instead, pour your energy into building the next chapter.
- Expand your circle; make friends that are in every stage of life. Learn from them.
- What are the joys of the season you’re in? Do more of those.
- Allow yourself to feel all the things, it’s part of life’s process, but don’t dwell too long in the negative spaces. Change the channel and a go do something.
- Take it easy when it gets too hard; make it hard if it don’t seem hard enough. (Name that tune)
I very much have enjoyed the time in the margin and am grateful to have the opportunity to begin this summer season in a peaceful and present way. I’m determined to hold onto that feeling and am figuring out how to create balance. I miss sharing on here and on IG but I know I need boundaries. I’ve set app time limits on my phone and am figuring out how to ensure I live my life first, and share second.
This post was a little all over the place wasn’t it? Today is going to be a good one- swim meet for the kids, cabinet contractors coming to look at the kitchen, and simple meatballs in the slow cooker for dinner! Thanks for stopping by; wishing you a peaceful and joyful day. 🤗
