June
Soft clothing. Untamed hair. Linen sheets. Golden mornings at the beach. Iced coffee. Beach reads. Saturday mornings at the farmer’s market for that lush and colourful fresh produce. Watermelon and feta salad on a hot summer’s day. Evenings on the balcony with a glass of chilled rose. Concerts. Cocktails nights. Carefree weekends and spur-of-the-moment plans. Summer has a way of awakening a sense of elation that flows to the core.
Lately |
I disconnected the last couple of weeks in order to reconnect with the things that truly matter. I found myself at a point where I was giving myself a hard time for not doing enough and I was constantly trying to play ‘catch up’. I felt stuck and unmotivated. I assumed external factors were the culprit of my state (rainy May was really getting under my skin) but on those rare sunny mornings while having my coffee that ‘feeling’ was still lurking over me. Sticking to my daily rituals helped to keep things at bay. Those few rituals helped me to have a little structure.
One morning, after having made my coffee, I randomly picked up Susan David’s book and dived right in—I immediately felt seen and understood! According to Susan, this stir of emotions comes down to having a lack self-compassion. A mindful practice about being warm and understanding towards ourselves when we have difficulties or feeling inadequate. It’s turning compassion inward just as giving someone you care about the most heart felt advice. How we deal with our inner world affects everything.
“Compassion gives us the freedom to redefine ourselves, as well as the all-important freedom to fail, which contains within it the freedom to take risks that allow us to be truly creative.”
“Emotional agility means being aware and accepting of all your emotions, even learning from the most difficult ones. It also means getting beyond conditioned or preprogrammed cognitive and emotional responses (your hooks) to live in the moment with a clear reading of present circumstances, respond appropriately, and then act in alignment with your deepest values.”
I always go back to this post as a reminder of my why. It grounds me and reminds me of what the Art of Life means to me when it comes to life and work. I have not finished her book just yet but I’m taking lots of notes! It’s a definite read!
On another note—veggie garden is ready! Despite the rainy weather, I managed to plant cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. I also planted seeds of leafy greens called vlita (green amaranth) that my mother-in-law gave me and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my efforts will be successful.
On the Calendar |
Rainy May put off my spring cleaning so it’s all finally happening this coming week. I’m currently in the process of purging/reorganising and simplifying things around our home and it feels rejuvenating! Less is more is the motto!
Mom duty is a little extra these days as it’s exam period for our kiddo and he needs that extra help during this time. If I’m needed, I’m there! Moms gotta do what moms gotta do!
I’ll be redefining certain things on the blog and my social pages. I’m a bit excited and scared. I’m pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone by also implementing self-compassion about my ‘what if mistakes/failure’. The goal is to be more bold!
You’ll be seeing at lot more of content on things that I’m loving and eyeing in the upcoming weeks. Thank you for being here!
Hope you have an amazing June! xxx