I've kept busy these last few days, so my brain wouldn't go too far down the rabbit hole of the impact the supreme court's decisions will have on good people and our society. I battle with that often, the feeling of needing time to process feelings and emotions compared to being able to hop right into action right away, but I have learned to take each day as it comes and make sure I'm not pouring from a draining/drained/empty cup.
Despite being awake for a few hours in the middle of the night, I'm feeling a bit rejuvenated this morning (yes, I am drinking a half-caff, but I've only had about two sips 😜). I cleaned out our laundry room/storage shed yesterday and bathed Mando afterward, and those two tasks helped me feel incredibly productive and accomplished. I can get overwhelmed by cleaning (#ADHDlife), but I also try to look at it strategically because I know it makes me feel SO good when I commit to regular chore schedules.
After returning from Oregon, I got into a random cleaning and organizational mode even though we'd cleaned before we left. There's something about coming home after time away that makes me want to up my cleaning and organizational game because I got in that mode again when I returned from Birmingham. Since those trips were pretty close (I left for Birmingham seven days after coming from Oregon), I feel lighter with the cleanliness and overall organization, which is exciting since I wanted to start July with some structure and a system to start my first full month of freelance-driven income.
It's also exciting because we have two trips planned this month, so there will hopefully continue to be additional growth and evolution to these processes. I feel more organized and prepared for this trip partly because of the work, organization, and cleaning I was inspired to do last month, which I hope means I'll feel a bit more organized and settled during these getaways!
I picked up this awesome book, "She Explores," at the Little Professor bookshop in Birmingham last week. It spoke to where I feel I am in my life and where I want to continue moving. I want to explore the physical places around me more - I always have. If I'm honest with myself, traveling, exploring, and learning about the world is what I've always wanted to do with my life. But ya know, I gotta like pay for that somehow, and I'm potentially finding ways to do both work and travel. So this book is part inspiration but also part motivation for the times when it gets tough to manage or what I'm hoping for doesn't end up the way I wanted or thought.
I'm looking forward to learning from this beautiful collection and getting the next book by this collaboration of authors, "Women and Water." I grew up on the Florida panhandle's river, springs, and beaches. I knew my mom couldn't swim and wasn't a huge fan of water, but she didn't want that for us. My dad was always in the gulf or the pool with us - mostly because even before I can remember, I had some natural connection to the water and was ready to swim before I actually learned how! I just learned he didn't like swim lessons or swimming during gym (I love that public schools had pools back in the day). Between our Florida adventures and spending many summers at my grandparent's lake cottage up in Wisconsin, I assumed he loved the water, so I was shocked when he talked about not liking swim lessons or swimming. I must've scared the crap out of my parents - one of my earliest memories is from when I was two or three, and I bypassed the little kiddie wadding pool the hotel had and just jumped straight into the big pool with my dad hot on my heels. He said our love, especially mine, for swimming definitely changed his attitude toward it, but it's made me want to dig further into this intrinsic motivation to be a part of the water.
Alas, it's time to get the day started! I mentioned in a previous check-in that we got a different kind of oat milk while out in Oregon. Well, we bought it at home at our local Whole Foods, and I have to say, I like it better than Trader Joe's unsweetened vanilla oat milk. The brand is Planet Earth, and I hope to find more of their offerings here in town, as their website shows they have a good variety of products! The taste and texture are smooth and creamy compared to other unsweetened vanilla non-dairy options, and it is enjoyable on its own. I've had it with coffee, cereal, hot cocoa, and evening treats like chocolate, and so far, it's passed ALL the tests!
Happy Monday y'all!
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