Our evening took an unexpected turn when my husband’s leg was in a lot of pain last night after we left the movies.
A trip to the ER during vacation isn’t anyone’s favorite way to spend time and during covid times it means sitting in the ER for four+ hours all by yourself.
Even though it took him until 3am to see a doctor, it turned out that he had a bacterial skin infection so the long night was absolutely worth it.
Now we’re all enjoying our lovely little house in paradise by relaxing as much as possible. Powering our brains all the way down and letting our bodies rest and recover.
That’s what vacation is all about.
This is not the way we planned to spend this one but sometimes the universe has other plans and when the universe speaks, we listen.
Today’s been one of those days where I find myself context switching often. Major presentations at work, setting up tree people to come look at my fence, sitting on a work panel, setting up PCR tests for my kids so they can go back to school, packing, downloading data for my husband for an ML project at work, scoring my son’s test results, and 1-1 career conversions and more within an 8-hour window.
It’s a lot. And it’s the fullness of life. I am grateful to have this richness even if it’s hard sometimes.
Weekly Intention: I really failed on my intentions last week. Well mostly. I am still working on the boundaries. This week is a half week before I take some well deserved vacation. My intention this week is to ensure I can set things up to move while I am out and leave no one in a lurch.
This month’s intention is:August: Yes to Life: Time to get organized again, transitions are coming. Eleventh and Seventh grades. Get organized, plan, prepare and do what you need to do. Write down all your dreams. Make plans. I am working my way through this. I have bought new shoes for the kids, will buy more clothes and school bags etc. I am also hoping one more vacation will help us all start from a place of rest.
One way I will leap this week: vacations are always a leap for me especially if i disconnect from work.
One boundary I will set this week: i will not read email on vacation
One area where I will go deeper this week: rest.
What do I need to sit with this week? honestly i just want to rest and rejuvenate for most of this week.
I am looking forward to: our vacation.
Focus onCore Desired Feelings (lighter, kinder, enough, magic, wild): here’s to a week of lighter and magic and a little bit of the wild.
This week’s challenges: getting through the early part of the week without pain.
Top Goals:
Work: clean email, get cadence and strategy comms out the door, finish up perf reqs.
Personal: more journaling and art somehow, find another class, rest a lot.
Family: climb with J, get david to do class+ACT, do more SAT with N, adventure with all my boys
This week, I want to remember: everything will be ok and i will miss nothing.
I’m reading an ARC (advanced copy) which is a novel based on Thomas Mann’s life. I have never read “The Magic Mountain” or any of Mann’s novels and I am finding this book fascinating.
People are fascinating. The choices we make, the stories we tell ourselves, the secret lives we lead.
Earlier today I was listening to a podcast where the speakers are trying to talk about topics we don’t openly share. The topics themselves are innocuous but the way we talk about them is the same way we respond to “Hi, how are you?” when a friend passes you by on the street.
We don’t tell them the truth. Because the truth is that life is messy and people are complicated. And things that involve people are also complicated.
Any time people, books, movies share the true, messier nature of humans, I find myself deeply engaged. True connection can only emerge from being able to see each other as we are and accepting each other as we are.
And I find the complexity of human nature to be deeply curious. The more I see, the more I want to learn. Because we are messy, imperfect and marvelous in our uniqueness.
Yes to the mess of it all and yes to those brave enough to live and speak truths so that the rest of us can feel less alone.
The Best Part of this Week: The best part of this week was watching the sport climbing olympics with my husband every morning.
I celebrate: breaking my PMR on the bike this week
I am grateful for: my coach who’s been helping me help myself. [ i think this one bears repeating this week]
This week, I exercised: I’ve still been riding, climbing, doing core, arms, restorative yoga and stretching regularly.
This week, I said yes to: showing up for others.
I said no to: burning the candle at both ends as i woke up super early every morning.
I honored my values (love, learn, peace, service, gratitude): i am working on this. i think the one i want to lean in the most lately is love and peace.
Top Goals Review:
Work: stayed on top of email mostly, aligned on cadence, aligned on strategy next steps.
Personal: leaned into journaling and art a little more, found and did most of one class.
Family: climbed with J, did get david to do class+ACT, did more SAT with N
My mood this week was: this week, again, was tough and all over the place
I am proud of: my ability to sit with things and work to understand myself
I release: i am going to release all that came before this moment. i am here now.
Here’s what I learned this week: it is easier to give grace when i assume nothing.
well this was a wild ride. None of the characters in this book were likable in my opinion. So many of them were self-centered and narcissistic and trying to get revenge from each other or stab each other in the back. And yet it was an accident you couldn’t look away from. I could not put it down and yet when I finished it I was annoyed at myself for spending my whole day reading it.
I really loved the way this author wove her sad story with chronic pain into this beautiful book with charts and graphs and art. Even though the charts were humorous and light, the message of the book is anything but. The suffering is palpable and made me feel so much empathy for the author and I really admired her skill of being able to balance the light and heavy. I really loved the combination of the visuals and the text.
with gratitude to edelweiss and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Fresh Paint is a wonderfully inspiring book by Flora Bowley & Lynzee Lynx based on a workshop the two have created online. The book is a journey to discovering your own style through creating 100 small art pieces. As you embark on the journey they give you different perspectives and ways of approaching the journey.
There’s a short section on supplies but unlike many other books, the encouragement is to use your own stash and even experiment with unusual ways to make marks like vegetables, etc. There’s a lot of encouragement in this book to spend time exploring your world, your roots, your own natural way of being and adding joy to the process of creating. They take both an outside in and an inside out perspective to discovery and research.
The two authors have differing styles and so do many of the students whose work they share in each chapter to give you a wide range of examples and possibilities. I am confident that if you worked with this book’s kind, generous and joyful guidance and spent time creating the 100 pieces of art that you would be well on your way to finding your own unique creative style.
with gratitude to edelweiss and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
