Today I am writing about something that may seem only tangentially related to my themes for the year, but it actually ties into several of them. I want to talk a little bit about battling with feelings of shame when you backslide in one area or another, especially living in a culture that is obsessed with productivity and progress. It can feel so discouraging to experience a regression of any sort, and no one really wants to talk about that stuff, which is why I feel like it is really important to talk about my own struggles with the backslides I have had this year. Continue reading
balance
Multitasking: How I Relapsed into Productivity Obsession and How I Recovered
It was shortly after I became fully vaccinated (and was oh so grateful for that), that I began to relapse into some old behaviors that never lead to good mental health. Specifically, becoming OBSESSED with productivity and putting way too many things on my to-do list. Continue reading
Why I’m Sending Social Media to the Corner this Summer…
I’ve written before and I am sure I will write again about my continued confused, complex, and rarely satisfactory relationship with social media and my smart phone. This summer I have tried to intentionally cut back quite a bit. Here’s the social media “diet” I’ve had myself on since around the time my son turned two: Continue reading
Celebrating REST
So it’s been a while since I posted! Mostly because I didn’t have a lot of time or wifi on our vacation. But now we’re home and I’m trying to play catch up on blog posts amid playing catch up on life in general (traveling always means SO MUCH LAUNDRY! Also, our yard did not like being neglected for over two weeks. whoops…) but this post is a good start and one I actually wrote while on vacation but never had a chance to post… Continue reading
Budgeting: Focus on what you’re budgeting FOR
It’s a little embarrassing to admit that the first time I really put myself on a budget was when I was in grad school. Before that budgeting either didn’t exist because I didn’t have to worry about budgeting much more than how I would manipulate my school lunch allowance to get maximum amounts of coffee without passing out from starvation (I had a stressful high school experience) or just the general mantra of I don’t know how much I’m making or how much stuff costs but I live by the basic rule of nope I can’t afford that and make myself miserable. Continue reading
Theatre and Parenthood: Why I didn’t quit one for the other
So, I made it through tech week! And opened and closed a show! Anatomy of a Hug is now over. And if you missed it, you missed something beautiful.
A production shot from Anatomy of a Hug. Picture by Brenda Jean Foley
When Bliss and Balance Collide
I think everyone, parent or not, struggles with a work/life balance. There seems to be a new article everyday on my Facebook or Pinterest feed either chronicling the problem or claiming to have the magic formula to solve it. The strange convergence of my passions, what brings me bliss, leads me to some less conventional problems and benefits and to a dearth of articles that are actually helpful to my life and schedule when trying to get on top of everything or rearranging the work/life balance. Why is it so tricky? Well… let’s talk about all the categories I fall into… sort of… Continue reading
Follow Your Bliss
See what I mean? Perfect ocean peace… no mention of riptides or sharks…
There’s a very popular saying of “Follow Your Bliss” that comes up a lot especially on Pinterest, in hand lettering, and in self help books or life classes. And while I’m pretty sure I agree with the spirit of the saying- that your passions will lead you to your vocation, I don’t love this Continue reading
Alphabet Resolutions 