Day One Down

Happy New Year, long-lost but never forgotten readers!

I didn't quite manage to squeak in under the wire and get this post written on New Year's Day itself, but isn't that just a pretty accurate metaphor for my life as a writer? When it comes to blogging I seem to live in a world of half-formed aspirations and idling idea(l)s that sink to the bottom of my to-do list and quietly slip away into the night, only to return, ever more faintly, the next day. And repeat, ad infinitum. But that's ok - I have come to embrace the Law of Undulation in my life, moods, hobbies, and interests as much as is possible for a fickle, creative type like myself. (Which is to say, sometimes it bothers me and other times it does not.)

Today was a Good Day, for which I am extra thankful as it's always nice to get a little boost to start the year off right. Wilson and I balanced productivity (hanging a couple pictures, laundry, cleaning, making soup stock) with leisure (sleeping in, watching some Food Network, double movie date with friends) and by some happy coincidence it felt like just the right combination of relaxing and getting stuff done. I daresay even our diet followed the old "everything in moderation" adage with a kale salad for lunch and shared nachos/popcorn at the movie. One can only hope that this pattern will hold and 2015 will be a year where we get this whole "balance" concept down cold. Cheers to that, and to you! Here's to another 365 filled with God's good gifts, and each day a step closer to heaven, where the balancing act will be over! xoxo

Starting Over

There is something irresistible and alluring about the promise of a Fresh Start, the dawning of a New Day, the turning over of a New Leaf. Is it because we crave perfection or possibility? Or perhaps a little of both…

In any case, and without any further philosophising, today will be my Fresh Start for blogging! After yet another abysmally long hiatus, I am back. And, as always, it may be for a day, a week, or a year – who can say? All I know is it’s nice to feel the flow of words and creative juices once more. It’s been too long.

For the past few (ahem, more like six) months, I’ve spent a lot of time being sick. There’s no need to list all the types of flu (stomach and influenza, in case you were wondering) and other ailments that took me down but suffice it to say, it has been a fairly long and bumpy road. In fact, even as I write this I am once again getting over a cold, trying to make strategic decisions about exactly how much housework I can do without setting back my recovery by another day/week. I find it ridiculous how doing laundry and chopping vegetables suddenly become Major Life Decisions after one has faced many weeks of back-to-back illnesses. “Shall I sally forth into the wilds of my tiny urban kitchen to do battle with tomatoes and onions, or shall I resign myself to a sadder but more restful fate of eating take-out on the couch, once again?” – said no one, ever. (Until now.)

One of the positives of this unplanned pilgrimage into the Land of Disease and Contagion is that I have been forced several times over to re-evaluate my schedule and my priorities. This is no fun at the time, and generally results in minor panic attacks, tearful hysteria, temporary mental and emotional breakdowns, and phone calls to my Life Coach (read: father) with conversations that last for hours and get repeated multiple times over until I finally come to a Point of Acceptance. Cue another bout of sickness (which of course seems exponentially harder than the one which preceded it) and repeat, with similar results. One would think this process could be streamlined into something more along the lines of:

Me:  “Oh no, I’m sick!”
[Cry of anguish]
[Sob of despair]
[Wringing hands]
[to Father:] “Help, what do I do? I feel overwhelmed!”
Father: “Do not despair – you will get better soon. Perhaps you should reduce your commitments in the meantime…”
Me: “ Ok, good idea. I feel better now.”

Alas, it has not been so, and countless hours (literally, they were numerous and I did not count them) have been spent mentally tossing and turning as I pondered the meaning of life. (You may think I jest, but I’m actually serious. When you’ve been sick for a while and are facing the possibility of having to reduce your involvement in things you love and think are important, it does make you wonder what the point of your existence is.) 

But (remember I said there was a positive here?) thanks to this time of (forced) reflection, I have been reminded of some basic principles in the midst of all this angsty self-examination (such as, I need to stop defining myself by what I do!). I hope to explore those in more detail here, over time. (No promises, though, because see my track record of posting? Yeeeep.)

For now, though, I’m trying to create a fresh start and be wise about my daily decisions. I’m striving to let go of the things I can’t control (really, I’m not in control of anything, although we all like to think we are and I’m no different in that regard) and just make the best use of my time that I can. I’m realizing that I will not stumble onto a Magic Formula/Schedule/Way to Do Life that transforms my life from bumpy and often disorganized to smooth and perfectly ordered. (I believe that is called Heaven…) And I’m trying to shift from a mindset of “let me make a better schedule to change my life” to “let me stick to a few top priorities, and make sure those are in the right order.” 

Sometimes it feels like I am the only almost-28-year-old who is trying to figure these things out, but in my saner moments I suspect that is not the case. I’m sure there’s at least one 30-year-old guy out there in the world who doesn’t have it all together, either. (That guy is totally my hero. Keep going, 30-something non-collected dude who is still figuring out life!)

It might be a crazy ride, but I hope you’ll stick around to hear about it and help me figure things out.

xoxo,

K

Happy October!

Am I the only one scratching my head as to how it's suddenly October 2013? I swear every year the days whiz by faster than the last...

Since I'm spending more time than I would like on the couch this week, recovering from late summer/early autumn cold #2, I thought the first of October (historically, my favourite month of the year!) would be a good time to bring you this delicious inspiration:

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal from: Budget Bytes

'Tis the season for all things pumpkin-y, and I have a feeling this simple yet scrumptious-sounding (and looking!) recipe will be making it into the breakfast rotation next week. If I can even hold out that long. Happy October, friends!

xo,
Kate

P.S. Looking for more festive fall flavour ideas? Previous pumpkin-obsessed posts here and here.

These Busy Days

For the past couple weeks, I've happily been in the position where I wake up looking forward to each day (well, more or less - can't say I'm really looking forward to the day I get my cavity filled later this week!) and looking back on the week with a sense of satisfaction. It's a nice place to be and I'm so thankful for it! As I mentioned before, I was starting to get kind of antsy by the summer months, so having a more regular routine and a lot more responsibilities outside of myself (ie. for other people) has made a huge difference.

Of course, I now have those overflowing days where I end up eating lunch around 6 pm and am more or less running from one thing to another, but I'm trying to avoid that as much as possible. I do hate rushing. Passionately! I'm sure it's unhealthy because it sends my stress levels through the roof, and when I'm over-scheduled, I also find it hard to be focused on what I'm doing at the present moment and give my full attention to it. Blegch, the high-powered rushing from one meeting to another lifestyle is clearly not for me!

Thankfully, though, I have a lot of control over my schedule these days. The trick is just learning to say no, graciously, when I realize that the day or week is already fully booked and that adding anything more in starts to follow the law of diminishing returns. (This is a trick I have not yet mastered. Someone teach me, please?)

I do have a few tricks that are working well, though. To wit, I've actually taken to blocking out sections of my agenda to make sure I include enough time to recharge from the more hectic moments of the week. I'm also ridiculously strict about keeping Monday entirely as a day off - absolutely no meetings or social obligations allowed! It usually doesn't end up being much of a day "off" since I'm generally cleaning the house, getting caught up on emails, and organizing the week ahead, but as an introvert, I look forward to that time all week because I know I can stay cocooned alone at home, and no one is allowed to enter my hamster ball!* Really, time off doesn't have to mean not doing anything productive, it just has to mean no human interaction is required. Knowing that alone time is coming gets me through the weekend, when I have to be "on" most of the time.

There's still a lot of room for improvement (especially in continuing regular workouts), but I feel much more relaxed overall, confident that I'm moving in the right direction and being smarter about how to use my time and fit my schedule to my strengths and goals, and not the other way around. I  just hope these happy feelings are around to stay!

*(Skip the intro and scroll to middle of page for the cartoon strip.)