In 2017, I rediscovered myself during my #yearofyes. I had so much fun traveling, exploring, growing professionally, and meeting new people; but I needed to process my experiences and take some downtime to reflect.
So 2018 has been my #yearofrest.
During the New Year’s celebration, I intentionally scaled back from social media for a week, which was incredibly difficult, because my family and closest friends all live hours away. I find it to be a double-edged sword. My tribe gets upset when they do not see pictures of the kids and me, my surrogate mom worries about me when she does not know what I am doing, and I miss connecting with them. However, I can get sucked in to the game of comparisons, and the facade of being virtually connected often heightens my loneliness. I definitely do better when the apps are not on my phone or, if they are, the push notifications are turned off.
I committed to reading more. I suffer from anxiety, and reading helps me to stay calm. Plus, I just love it. My goal has been to read a book a month, and I am doing pretty well keeping up. I have discovered a new passion for audio books, which is perfect when I am in my car.
The other surprising component of my #yearofrest has been the practice of mindfulness and meditation. I was asked last year to begin incorporating emotional intelligence into my presentations. As I learned more about it, I realized what a blessing this tool could be for me. In fact, I now get to teach what I always needed to learn– living in the moment, self-compassion, empathy, and the value of human connection.
The year of rest has brought some adventures, too. I still love traveling– especially impromptu road trips to local restaurants and hidden treasures. However, I have tried to include my family and close friends as much as possible, because I am a firm believer in making memories.
This year, the kids and I played in the magical and rare snow flurries that fell on the anniversary of my Mom’s death; we spent Spring Break exploring Helen Keller’s home, Ivy Green; we found a real Coon Dog Cemetery in the hills of Northern Alabama; we went to Disney World; we watched the sunset while eating dinner over the Tennessee River; I found a long-lost family cemetery in rural Tennessee; my daughter, her best friend, and mine went to Tupelo, Mississippi and Graceland to celebrate my daughter’s 8th birthday, where we toured the Lorraine Motel and had brunch at The Peabody; I enjoyed a wonderful mentoring conference at the University of South Carolina; I spent a day touring a beautiful Gulf beach with my best friend, T; I was a Guardian in Honor Flight Tallahassee; I spoke at a conference in Naples and took my surrogate mom along; and my two best friends traveled with me to a conference in Washington, DC, where I also spent an evening exploring monuments with my former student Eric and his wife.
Life has been good. And intentional. I make myself relax and rest, and I savor moments of silence. There is a wonderful bakery not far from my office, and I love to take breaks and go over for a cup of white peach oolong tea and a macaroon. I soak up the smells and tastes and actually experience the warmth and sweetness, whereas before I would have just rushed through it to get to the next hurried part of my day.
And I pray. I always pray.
Don't Call Me Sugar! 