***I’m ALMOST back from my July break, and as I came on here to start brainstorming about what I might write about in August… I realized I never published this post I meant to put up the end of June. I have not looked back or edited it since I wrote it mid-June so please read accordingly and I’ll have new content soon!****

I wrote a bit about my goals update when we were 1/4 of the way through the year… and while we have a few weeks to go until we reach the halfway point of 2024, this seemed like a good week to revisit the goals I want to keep moving forward with and how other goals may need to pivot or be approached in a new way.

*Take pleasure in being present and creating memories with loved ones: Honestly, May alone makes it feel like I’m cheating on this goal or that it’s too easy. The
MAYhem of all the annual celebrations basically guarantees  fond memories with loved ones. But choosing to embrace the pleasure there did take some effort because May is flipping stressful. So I chose to try to slow down and be present, to accept the gifts, to celebrate WHILE in stress instead of waiting for the stress to be over or feel like I didn’t deserve to celebrate until all the end of year tasks were done. I shared drinks and good conversation until late into the night even when tired. I watched my kids share the best memories with friends. I took in the birthday, mother’s day, and anniversary wishes from near and far and just did my very best to make those memories stick and appreciate the moments. This applies to May and to this month as well! Lots of good memories going out after my show with cast and with friends who came to see the show. I pushed myself to keep going to group runs even as the temps soared to the triple digits (I make no promises about when they go above 107 though… I may not be that hardcore yet… or maybe ever…) and enjoyed that at least I wasn’t suffering alone. I went on some incredibly fun dates and watched my kids perform and laughed and cried as I said goodbye to one of my MOPS friends I’ve had for almost a decade.
The big area of improvement here is working on the memory keeping aspect of this goal. I’ve been way behind when it comes to organizing and using photos. I plan to spend the next quarter catching up on our family yearbook (I’m stuck back in February! yikes. good thing summer is the perfect time to catch up), organizing photos to back up the first half of the year, and updating our gallery wall. We also have some really fun summer memories planned!

*Find pleasure in my home and opening it to others:
This past quarter was SO busy I feel like I was barely home to open it to ANYONE. And when I was home it felt like the to do list multiplied by the second so… HUGE amounts of progress to be had here… I took a big step this past month with our annual purging of the clothes and switching to summer wardrobe and new sizes. We also set out our full limit of an SUV sized amount of bulk trash so progress IS happening even though it often feels like I lose more ground than I gain! Little by little… I know some aspects are going to get a lot less love now that summer is here (such as the yard- we had a fun time with our lettuce and flowers and artichokes in the spring garden but now the goal is just keeping our trees from dying in the insane heat and sun coming our way and all other outdoor projects are on hold until September) but others, I am hoping, we will be motivated to get a lot more work done on with being forced to spend more time indoors… of course that’s time with all the kids home from school so we’ll see what happens!

*Indulge in simple pleasures- use the good stuff!:
This is going well overall! I definitely still have moments. where I want to hoard the good stuff instead of using it, but I’m getting so much better and, weirdly, having it as a “habit” on my to-do list to check off is truly helping. It’s also reminding me that lovely, pleasurable things do not need to be saved for a special occasion! Any occasion where you are enjoying them is a great occasion. Some plans for using the good stuff this summer include: takeout pizza on china plates, more of using the “fancy soap” every day, buying cold treats on a random occasion, and more!

*Seek pleasure in the side-quests to level up:
Ups and downs here. I still have a list of things I THOUGHT I’d start working on and be making progress on by now, but they are SIDE quests for a reason, and it feels ike I can barely keep up with my must-dos. I do believe I am “exactly” on track with my arbitrary reading goal… but I think for the summer I am going to really shift to focusing on rebuilding a running and strength base and getting back to a more regular yoga practice. I can revisit that list I made once the new school year starts!

*Experience pleasure in what I create:
I have no idea what this looks like in the bigger picture or what this will lead to right now, but I AM trying to get back to journaling and free writing at least 5x a week this summer. I also hope to read a few more plays just to keep the creative energy flowing. Hoping that in July, while I take a break from blogging, that I will have a chance to do some of the crafts I’ve had gathering dust in the office!

And that’s my update! How are your goals going? Do you switch any as the seasons change? Do you have an easier time with setting monthly or yearly goals?! I am starting to think about how to best use my tools in this season of life that has less CONSTANT demands from super little kids and yet ever more moving parts as they grow and need so many different things and to be so many different places. The balance between goals for me and goals for the family is a difficult one, but also really exciting and fun.