Quarantine brought me back to the present. It put everything in perspective. It brought to light the true priorities.

If there is one incredible thing to come out of 2020 it’s going to be the perspective. The way priorities are set. The notion of what really matters. The beauty in the present moment {yes, even the ugly ones}.

How can you best manage the fitted sheet?

Just fold it.

Quit focusing on matching the corners the exact way someone else has. It may be their best way, but it might not be yours. 

I have been in awe of k-12 educators over the last week as I’ve lead and sat in on multi district {virtual} professional development sessions.

Life will always be busy and throw curveballs. Some more familiar than others, but all of them will likely test you before you recognize the lesson in it.

I fell down. A lot. But I got back up and tried again. And again. And again. My wrists hurt. I sprained one. Almost put a hole in a wall. Kicked a tree while practicing outside. But I needed to tackle a new skill to remember that we can do hard things.

This {really long, wordy} blog is serving solely as a memory for the day I am sad I have to rush out the door to work, can't make the kids pancakes because I have to drop them off early to latchkey/school, and feel guilt for not being at the bus stop every day to greet them.

Anxiety is like a blurry tunnel where all you can see is what you hope is a way out. What does anxiety look or feel like? It can vary from person to people, but for me it’s several things. Raw, real, transparency into life with anxiety.

As the tears came so did the clarity. It didn’t stop the tears, but those went from sadness to the release of control. I was tired of being sad/frustrated/worried, while always trying to be strong. I needed to feel the feelings as I always encourage others to do.

Note to self: feeling like you're getting hit with a lot of rejections only means you're taking that scary leap in putting yourself out there.

It's the same concept as failing forward. Or going for no. No is the answer; yes is the destination.

Life has suddenly taken on a new look. The way we communicate, interact, learn, and work have all changed. With that comes great excitement, but it also brings incredible exhaustion. Now is the time to find your voice allowing you to say, “no”, and to know when to be able to walk away.

Self-Education is a real thing. It's a way to learn from people that have "been there, done that" and can provide their own knowledge and insight that a book may not be able to. Why do you think YouTube tutorials are so popular? Or digital courses created by people just like us? It's a way to cut to the chase and get the information we need.

Folks, it’s a sinus infection and acute bronchitis. Exactly what I expected, so please stop giving me looks. COVID-19 isn’t the only illness people are battling. And while I’d love to be hiding at home, I have to get my meds and report to work still.

Let’s be mindful of what we hear, share the facts, and follow guidelines. If everyone continues to live out of fear, assumptions, and creating their own rules, we won’t have the evidence to show if this model of quarantine will work for future viruses. Call me crazy, but I like to focus on facts over fear.

Just when I was letting my frustration with my commute bleed out into my joy of my work, my family, and just my overall happiness, I realized I had an opportunity to pivot. It was my One Little Spark to change.

I was recently talking with a friend about making major life changes. We were talking about how amazing it can feel, yet at the same time there comes this sense of confusion.

How many ideas have you had that got you so ridiculously excited, then as soon as you started to pursue it you stopped. You caught your breath and thought, “holy s%it. What am I doing?” You became overwhelmed by the time and financial investment, as well as the reality of not everyone finding your idea nearly as groovy as you do.

Finding creative expressions in unexpected places inspires my soul.

Vacation.
One of my favorite parts of life. Though I don’t look at them as something I may or may not get to do. To me? They are not an option. They are a necessity.