#Sunday | For the Love of Life

Finally breaking radio silence!

Hello all!! After a much too long hiatus, I’m back!

In my last post I mentioned I’d be working through the weekend for a couple of weeks and might be too busy for writing. Well that couple of weeks quickly turned into a couple of months and suddenly I had so much new, fun stuff to write about that I didn’t know where to start. Without knowing where to start — I just didn’t.

The whole purpose of me starting this thing, as you read in my very first post, was to start chasing stars. Instead, in between bouts of busy, I stopped chasing those stars. In the name of relaxation, I mostly just sat back and… LOOKED at the stars, without actually getting up to chase them.

And I’ll be the first one to say –

If you’re also in that spot… THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.

Just don’t get stuck there for too long.

Which! Brings me to my Sunday Challenge.

You know that one thing that’s on your To-Do list that you just haven’t gotten around to? That ONE thing that just sits at the bottom of your list. It’s ok if you don’t get to it right away. It’s ok if it gets pushed further down when more important tasks come up. It’s ok if you never even really get around to taking care of it. But! You want to take care of it. It’s just going to take effort. You know THAT thing?? (Be honest! We all have one.)

My challenge to you:

Do SOMETHING that makes forward progress to getting it done, to accomplishing it.

A big step or a small one. Knock it off your To-Do list, or maybe just move it up on your to do list. Maybe get someone else involved that will hold you accountable, or even better- help you. Set a timeline. Set a reward for yourself.

Just…. (is it cliche to say?) …do it.

Getting this blog out, breaking through that barrier of “I’ll get to it next weekend” (which, sweet Boyfriend has heard me say for a couple months now….), is my step in the name of forward progress.

I do have so much fun stuff to write about. I’ll fill everyone in on what I’ve been up to the past couple of months- exciting work adventures, traveling across the country a couple of times. So much fun material to sift through, reflect on, and share with all the wonderful friends and strangers that take time to read what I have to say.

To all my family, my coworkers and friends that have asked if I’m still blogging, when my next post is going to be, what it’s going to be about, and hearing how much you enjoy reading what I write- thank you. Each comment and question has meant more than you realize.

So now, with Monday looming over us all, I’ll leave you with this.

The craziest storm rolled through my town this evening. Lightning every few seconds, crashing thunder- a wild storm even for us southeastern folks that are accustom to summer storms. In between sets of storms I noticed how discolored the sky was. You know that eerie yellow/green color when there are bad storms around? I walked onto my porch to look at the sky and ended up witnessing the most spectacular rainbow.

I think it’s important to note that THREE TIMES I went running back inside because there was still such sharp lightning coming from the storm! BUT! I got the picture! (#DoItForTheGram….??)

Fitting, I thought, to witness as I was planning on what to say in this post.

Monday is heading straight for us, ya’ll.

By the time I get in bed on Sunday night, I tend to have a fairly calm feeling of “oh boy… here we go again”. Probably a much too negative attitude about the upcoming week, but I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one.

I usually run through the list of my weekend To-Do’s, feeling proud of what I accomplished and planning when I will finish what I didn’t get around to. (My vacuum is waiting just outside my bedroom door quite patiently, and my dryer just buzzed at me – quite impatiently.)

Half of my apartment got vacuumed; half my laundry got washed and folded. But, my meals are prepped. I made it to the gym today, though I really didn’t feel like going. The kitchen got cleaned. I had dinner with a sweet friend last night, although declined dinner with two other sweet friends tonight in the name of “adulting” (a term I hate, by the way).

The To-Do list lives on to face the work week – but I’m ok with that. I feel rested, and accomplished for what I did do. Not a bad way to start a fresh week in my opinion.

Tonight as I climbed into bed (yes, with my tea for my friends reading this), listened to the rain, and scrolled through Pinterest, I saw this:

Even after scrolling past it, I kept thinking about it. Specifically, how hard it is to do. Specifically, how important it is to do.

One of the conversations I had with that sweet friend at dinner last night was about how hard it is – but how important it is – to be able to humble yourself for a bigger purpose. Fights with your significant other, disagreements with boss, fussing children. It takes a whole bunch of self control to step back and stay calm, instead of lashing out when you’ve already had a bad day. Or even worse, when you know you’re right. Being able to do so, she and I agreed, makes that situation better 100% of the time.

This week at work we’ll start one of our biggest events of the year. It’s some of the most challenging and rewarding times – some of the highest highs, and almost always some very low lows.

With Monday heading straight for us, with that conversation still ringing in my head, with this inspirational quote staring at me from my computer screen, I decided to make it my challenge for the week.

I challenge myself to treat the world better than it will treat me.

There are sure to be some challenging days ahead. BUT there are sure to be some amazing days ahead, as well.

By challenging myself to this, I’m agreeing to be bigger than whatever is making my day really bad.

I’m also agreeing to create an environment better than whatever is making my day amazing.

Honestly, I don’t know what is going to be more challenging! …Honestly, I actually find that pretty exciting.

Whenever it is that you’re reading this – I want to challenge you to create a challenge for yourself. It can be as big or as small as you want it to be.

Maybe it’s completing the WOW from last Wednesday. Or finally getting around to doing meal prep. Perhaps it’s taking the dog for a little bit of a longer walk than normal.

Challenge yourself to actually finish your to-do list.

Maybe your challenge is taking something OFF that list.

Complete that school assignment ahead of schedule.

Don’t have dessert with dinner. OR! Let yourself have dessert with dinner!

Maybe it’s the same as me – treat the world better.

Just find something. Something that is going to test you, that’s going to push you. Be intentional about it. But for the next seven days, focus on it.

Allow yourself room to fall short, but allow yourself the grace to keep going.

Let me know what your challenge is for this week! And let me know how it’s going! Whatever it is, you have at least one person in your corner cheering you on.