I thought I would write a blogpost every day of the Covid 19 quarantine…..hasn’t happened. I write every morning without fail for at least 15 minutes; it’s a promise I made to myself a few years ago, and I’ve been pretty consistent with it, but I just haven’t felt like posting anything. One thing I discovered in my very busy work/travel/mom life is that I needed habits to ground me. I needed things I did every single day to keep me focused on what is important and to keep me creative. Now that my work/travel/mom life has become very different (it’s been 18 days so far), I’m feeling the need to shake things up a bit and change my habits and daily activities around a bit so that this staying home thing doesn’t feel like groundhog day. I’m insanely grateful that I have a home I love and people I love to share it with during this time - don’t get me wrong. However, I thrive on change; I thrive on seeing new places, meeting new people, experiencing new things. So, my next challenge during this “sabbatical” from regular life is to find a way to stay challenged in my own environment. How do I shake things up a bit right here in my own home? I follow a lot of interesting people on Instagram - one is Jesse Itzler who is a pretty amazing human. He leads a course called Build Your Life Resume where he challenges people to live their best life - a life that isn’t necessarily about one certain type of accomplishment, but building a life that YOU want to live, that you will be proud of. We have this limited time here on our glorious planet; how are we living it and what are we doing to make it the best it can be? He’s sent out a free “accountability” chart for the month of April - challenging people to look at three areas of life - Wellness, Business, and Family/Friends - and establish a goal each week. I like this idea and plan to implement it; will try to choose something different each week in each category.
One other trick I’m trying is moving from room to room for my work from home life. I’m on a lot of zoom calls; if they are ones I don’t have to be looking at the computer for, I’ve started taking them while walking. On a nice day, I move to the back porch and enjoy the birdsong. Sometimes I sit in the living room, sometimes at my desk, sometimes I sit on my bed in my room. The changed environments make me feel a little less trapped, and make me appreciate the various spaces in my home. I’ve also taken up cooking a new recipe several days a week - THIS has been a lot of fun. We’ve mostly been eating a plant based diet since the beginning of the year, and I have to say it makes me feel GREAT. (I will say we consider ourselves 90% plant based eating and 10% eat whatever the heck we want…we aren’t too rigid). There are soooo many amazing plant based recipes out there. This time has made me realize just how important mindset is; it’s truly the only thing we control. We can feel confined during this quarantine period, or we can feel empowered to embrace new things, to dig deep inside ourselves and to find a way to live our very best lives in this moment just as things are. I try to go back to the gratitude every single time. Every day I list ten things I”m grateful for; today I’m going to share them -
Grateful for
More time with Wilson - he’s growing up fast and it’s awesome to watch it
the sound of our neighborhood owl hooting outside my window this morning as I write
the symphony of birdsong in my backyard
the time to write and read
a job I can work from home with and work that I enjoy
a great partner who always has a wonderful attitude
some amazing new playlists I’ve found on Spotify
green pistachio pesto risotto recipe I tried last night
my dear friend Halle who brought me a bouquet of flowers yesterday
my health and all the health care workers who are taking care of the world right now
I encourage you to start this simple habit. Just ten things you are grateful for every single day. You can write in a paper journal, in an online journal, in your notes section of your phone, scratched on a napkin - whatever. Taking the time to reflect on the beauty of your life truly does bring you back to what’s important. Many people are struggling right now, many people have overwhelming challenges in this moment….no matter where you are, try to bring it back to the gratitude. It shapes your mindset, perspective, and ability to move forward in a positive direction. And- don’t forget to ask for help if you need it; we are all in this together. Sending love to all my beautiful people. Grateful for you.