So this is April's photo topic for day 2. And yes, I started on the 6th (5 days late) and already missed a day (yesterday) so I'm going to play catch up today with some quick hits.
It's strange how little I have listened to music in the last few years. I used to listed to it all the time while I was driving around Michigan for work. But when I started working more from my home office or flying around the country for work, my casual listening sort of was put on hiatus. I more of a t.v in the background kind of girl - horrible habit and something I'm trying to work on during this quarantine stuff. So this picture (that really isn't a picture, I know it is a screen shot from my phone so totally cheating to try and catch up) reminds me that as I work on not having the t.v. on all the time - that a step down may be to just turn on a playlist and let that inspire my day instead. Day One of the April Photography Challenge (which I'm obviously a few days late starting) is to take a picture of something funny. Humor has been hard to find lately as we all shelter in place and distance ourselves to help stop the spread of Covid-19. It has been rough and weird and quiet. But Bridgette, as always, makes us laugh all the time. She is very clumsy and still at almost 2 years old has a ton of puppy habits that seem so odd in a giant dog. But this shot of her giant paws in one of her favorite sleeping spots in the house makes me laugh and was something we all found funny when I took it earlier in the month. So it becomes photo number 1 of the 3- day challenge. Keep being you B!
It has been 7 and a half years since my last post. In some ways my life today is very different than it was in 2012...and in other ways it is amazing how consistent my life is. I am still the mom of the coolest kid on the planet (sorry other mom's but he is wicked awesome and hilarious), but he is now taller than I am, shaves and is learning to drive! I still love giant breed dogs, but our current dog is no longer the faithful Cookie Monster but is Miss Bridgette the squishy beast - still a St. Bernard, still sheds like crazy, but definitely has a personality all her own. I'm still partners with the greatest guy - but now we are engaged (wedding date TBD and in no hurry) and we own a house together. But 2 big changes, that have frankly rocked my world in recent days are why I am revisiting my blog and taking a second stab at things...1. the world is in crisis. We are dealing with Covid-19 - aka the Coronavirus and it has paralyzed the world. The pandemic has dismantled our economy and thrown our lives way out of whack. And 2. due to the state of the economy and the restaurant industry being in shambles, my job of 11 years was eliminated. Frankly I am finding myself a bit lost.
So yesterday, after a good 10 days of trying to figure out my place in the world while binge watching Netflix (OMG have you been watching "I'm Not OK With This" or "Sex Education"?? You should be) and eating lots of ice-cream, I decided to approach this week with a fresh outlook. Although this virus is horrendous and challenging everything we know and hold dear, it's timing in my life is rather interesting. In recent months, I have been feeling irrelevant. I didn't feel like I was leaving a mark on the world. Mostly in my professional life where I seemed to be in a rut, but also in my personal life. Call it depression or mid-life crisis, but I think I always thought I would do something big with my life...but truly still have no idea what that BIG thing was. Now, as we are all sheltering in place to help "flatten the curve" and doing our part to make the outside world safe again, it has given me a new perspective. Each of us leaves our mark on the world every day by the things that we do and the things that we say. Our "big" moment doesn't have to be something that makes us famous or monetarily wealthy, our big moment can come from the simple things we do every day. And it is often during a crisis that we realize the positive impact we have had on others that when added together show you that you have done BIG things. I want to look back on this historic time and be proud of how I handled myself. I want to know that I did my part, however small, with the resources I had available at the time, to help the greater whole. When you add up all of those small things you find that you have left your mark on the world and that is enough. So with all of those new thoughts and words of wisdom in my head, I have decided to spend some time each day working on this old blog. Like last time, I am still trying to find a way to bring balance to my life - and what better time to pay attention to work/life balance than when work has been taken away. I have started some online courses in things that I am interested in learning more about (photography, writing and wine oh my!) and am starting a new 30 day photography challenge to help me stay focused. So here we go...Part 2 of Beckoning Balance begins today! Stay happy, healthy and safe everyone! |
about me...Hi, I'm Michele. I am starting this website as a bit of a self search for uncovering how to create balance in my life. Want the nitty gritty details about my life? Probably not. But I am sure you will get all you need (or care) to know from the posts so enjoy. Archives
April 2020
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