Hi Everyone! Just wanted to check in today and share an update. Back in March I wrote this post about life being more challenging than usual and my need to find a sense of balance. The good news: things have changed for the better! But things are also busier than ever. Keep reading for a personal update, a Mirror80 update, and some super fun photos that prove summer is anything but over (despite the back-to-school merchandise that’s being thrown in our faces)!
Anyone else get into serious trouble each time they go to Target? The pencil cases pictured below (and at the top of the post) are part of the Yoobi back-to-school line, but to me they just scream summer. You’re looking at the ice pop, shark and pineapple pencil cases, but you can use them to hold just about anything. I actually bought them to entertain my daughter on a summer trip (when you bust out something new every half hour, a car trip with a toddler is a lot more bearable)! Like what you see? there’s also a cactus and a unicorn (not pictured).
The pink plastic tote that you see above and the zip pouches below are from Target’s dollar spot. I haven’t seen the pouches there in awhile, but it looks like they may still be carrying some of the colorful totes. So why am I showing you a bunch of bags? In part because I love good product design, and these are fabulous. But they also represent my attempt to find more balance in life. Here’s what I committed to do each day back in March:
- reach out to one friend, even if it’s a short message
- tackle one small organizational project, such as cleaning 1/3 of my closet (no pressure to finish it all in one day)
- exercise and tone
- eat 3 servings of fresh fruit and/or veggies
- take the vitamin supplement I’m supposed to take every night but never remember to
- spend less time on the couch and more time on the creative projects I say I never have time to finish
- listen to music–it seriously motivates me
Here’s how the past four (almost five) months have gone:
Basically, the exercising and eating plan has totally fallen into place, and I’m making more time for projects (like writing fiction–yay) and doing things that inspire me (such as listening to music)! Some of this has happened because I’m really making an effort, especially with the writing and exercising. The healthy eating just had to happen because my daughter is now the age where she’s not drinking bottles of milk all day. She needs healthy food prepared. Many times a day! I make extra for me, and we’re good. And I’ve replaced a lot of my dessert cravings with dark chocolate squares. I also love a Kind bar when I really need a snack.
What I’ve learned about making a plan: it’s hard to commit to doing a number of things every day. Do I reach out to a friend and tackle an organizational project each day? More like each week, or a few times a week if I’m lucky. After all, there hasn’t been a “normal” week in quite some time. There’s always something beyond our control that comes up, like our daughter getting really sick one week…right before we traveled the next week, making it difficult to find time to pack, catch up with work, and generally stay organized.
But this is life, right? There are phases where “normal” weeks are very hard to come by. It basically feels like I’m behind all of the time. For me, balance isn’t going to look like it did when I was in a life phase that meant having more free time on my hands. It’s going to come from making sure I’m nourished, sleeping when I can, and just putting one foot forward, even when I feel like giving up. And if I find time to write another chapter for my latest project, that’s really something to celebrate! I’m not closing the door on the creative projects that matter to me. I just have to cling to them. This is the part about not giving up! Sometimes that’s all we can do.
Thanks for reading and for caring. Stay tuned as Mirror80 unveils a new “Nostalgia” series in the next couple of weeks. No, it won’t just be me rambling about growing up in the ’80s! There will be lots of great visual inspiration, and I really, really, really want to hear from you about the role of nostalgia in your life. It doesn’t matter if you were born after the ’80s. Leave me a comment below–it can be about music or design that made an impact on you during the most important times of your life, or (in following today’s post) it can be about how you find balance when things get challenging. Let’s chat soon! Kate
It was great to catch up on the blog after several months. Great expression and positivity as usual. Good luck going forward.