Monday 20 November 2017

Let's Regroup



I started writing this post back in August and the original title was 'Mid-Year Regroup' and now it's nearing the end of November. The time has come and gone to do any sort of mid-year regroup but I've made up my mind to return to a semi-regular blogging schedule and after more than six months of sporadic blogging a regroup is definitely in order!

I've managed to post an extremely general and not very interesting post once a month or so but nothing more than that so here's a month by month summary of what I've been up to since I essentially stopped blogging back in February.

February & March// This two months blend together in a lot of 'what the heck am I doing here'. My introduction to the new job and new community and all the newness was a struggle. I'm pretty sure the only motivation for sticking with it was pure stubbornness and a vague belief that everything happens for a reason and this is the place I was meant to be in this moment.

April// By April I felt a little more hopeful that maybe my 'yes' to this adventure wasn't a colossal regret. There were sprinklings of 'God Moments' and I found myself breathing a little easier, feeling a little less anxious and cautiously optimistic.

May// Some, but not all of the decreased stress and optimism followed me into May. Some days were easier than others but I still felt like I was in survival mode just making it through the day. I think I learned a lot during the month and was really excited that spring had arrived!

June// I was so happy that winter was really over. I spent a lot more time outside, going for walks in the evening and going with the flow. Looking back over the year the common thread seems to be that when I was 'going with the flow' life felt easier and happier. Maybe that's because I've been reading a lot of books and listening to a lot of podcasts lately on the theme of flow/living with intention etc.

July// The beginning and middle of July was pretty great. I felt like I was maybe starting to hit my stride and finding my place. I was house and pet sitting for most of the month and it was really lovely having pets to keep me company in the evening and having access to satellite T.V..  I was able to visit camp at the end of the month and that heavily influenced August...

August// I spent a lot of this month in tears and was kind of a basket case. After visiting camp at the end of July I had a whole lot of feelings. I did pull myself together coming on the end of the month, heavily infused by the fact I found out I would get to move in September!

September// At the first of the month I moved (again) to a new apartment! I'm anticipating living here for at least a year before I even contemplating moving again. It's much nicer than the first apartment I lived in, has much more privacy and I've been more interested in making it feel like home since I know I'm going to be here for awhile.

October// I had really great weekends in October and it was so nice to have that option. H. & R. came to visit when I was in the other apartment but it was pretty cramped and it rained the whole time. I love being able to host people and cook supper and have room for overnight guests! I let some negative people make me feel pretty terrible far often than I should this month. This has really been my first experience directly working with Passive Aggressive Negative Nelly's on a daily basis and it's a huge learning curve.

And there you have it, that brings us to November and things are still chugging along. I've never done a Q&A post before and I'm not even sure how many readers are still around there parts but I'll put it out there - if there's any burning questions you'd like to have answers to since I last blogged let me know in the comments and I'll compile a post!
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Sunday 12 November 2017

November Life



Personal Life// It's been a full two months since I moved and having a place that feels more long term has made a big difference. This month I'm modifying my evening schedule and even though it's only been a week I'm loving the amount of breathing room it's given me. 

Hobbies// I'm working through July in my Project Life album and seriously considering going weekly for 2018. It seems like a big undertaking and I also feel like I can make it work. My Blog is in need of some serious TLC, I managed to get rid of the unsightly PhotoBucket error images but now buttons to Bloglovin' and Instagram are also gone. If anyone knows how to fix that I'd appreciate the help!

Career// Some days I feel like it's starting to come together. Other days that statement couldn't be farther from the truth. I really need to do a full post dedicated on this topic. In general things are okay, there are pros and cons and somedays one of those columns outweighs the other. Likely, that's the way it's always going to be and it's a matter of deciding what to focus on in any given moment. 

Spirituality// Why are Bible Journal supplies so darn expensive?! I guess more specifically Single Column Bibles because I already have all of the other supplies. They all seem to be in the $50-$100 range BEFORE shipping. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places?  Other than that I still have a really solid bedtime routine and I've found some great podcasts that have help deal with life's stresses. 

Health// Reclaiming my evenings is going to make this a lot easier. I'm excited to meal plan again and have more control over meals. I've been doing much better in the realm of hydration. I did wind up with an autumn cold but I powered through and it only lasted a couple of days. I know I'm a much happier human when I sleep well so I try really hard to make that a priority and most days I'm successful. 

Goals// I've been reading a lot lately about the difference between goals and intentions (also a separate post) and it's totally reframed the way I think about accomplishments. While I continue to think about the implications of that I'm not making any new goals.

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