Reflections
April 2020 Reflections
Hey Love,
How are you doing? How was your April? Tomorrow will make April the first month of complete self-quarantine for me. I am fortunate of many things during this month. One of which is getting into a groove in my routine. This has really transform how I design my days. Prior to setting a structured routine I operated as I saw fit. This lead to many wasted moments. Although I was doing what I loved, I was not consistently productive; especially with the things that were important. Once I cultivated the proper habits I was able to enjoy the things I love and complete the tasks that were less fun, but more important. I'm thankful I made it a priority to really sit and evaluate what was not working for me and doing the necessary work to bring about changes I love. This month reminded me of the serenity prayer: the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can. I can't change the current pandemic crisis, but I can change how I function during it.
Simple Living
Hey Love,
5 Ways to Have Peace in Uncertainty
Hey Love,
A couple weeks ago I shared my quarantine, work from home schedule. I'm a system-approach type of woman; which means I'm constantly analyzing and evaluating how I can improve my workflow. I'm fortunate in this crisis season to have this option available to me. I'm also aware that this is not the case for everyone. You might be considered an essential worker and have been going to working since this crisis; and there are those who have lost employment. Maybe you fall somewhere on that spectrum. Whatever your work status is in this moment, one thing is certain, there is much uncertainty and anxiety. I'm fairly a calm person in moments of stress, however, as the weeks continue with no definitive end in sight my anxiety mounts. I catch myself daydreaming of all the things I'd rather be doing instead of being at home; and that only makes it worse. So today I'm sharing how I'm cope with this level of uncertainty.
Sleep
For all the obvious reasons, but also to get an early start to the day. This is even more important if you're at home with a flexible schedule. The urge to sleep-in can be strong, but get going on your day early and finish early; the feeling of accomplishing important task and getting to enjoy guilty pleasures-guilt free is amazing.
Cultivate Lovely Thoughts
I love the imagery of the mind as a garden. What are you cultivating? I love gardens, flowers, and nature. So thinking of my thoughts as the seeds and blooms of my field helps me to focus on the good. The power of a little gratitude goes a long way. Also, minimize exposure to stressors such as the news or certain individuals.
Express Creativity
This can be anything you desire. A simple arts and craft, cooking, dancing, or whatever brings color and joy to your soul.
Set Boundaries
Part of any successful schedule is consistency and boundaries. Boundaries in our day to day routine is essential. For me that's focusing on my work during the day and only allowing "free" time after 3pm. Set time, doesn't have to be specific, to savor the little things.
Remember that This Too Shall Pass
This is an uncertain and disquieting season for almost all of us. But it's just that, a season. How long it will last, I don't know; what matters is that whatever you're feeling, don't let it be you end all be all. Try to keep an objective perspective while still being present. I often think of this as an ethnographic perspective- where I'm in the situation, but not of it. Be mindful of how you're feeling and dealing, maybe record a video or write it down. Then let it go, good or bad.
I hope these reminders have helped you or inspired you to think of your own means of ushering in peace. Stay Safe and keep going, we're in this together. I'll see you here again for Sunday's post.
Faithfully,
Marie
Simple Living
Stay at Home Beauty
Hey Girl,
I haven't written a
beauty post in sometime and now felt like a great time. Being at home for the
past month has made it a great time to experiment and get better with certain
skills. One of the things I've been practicing is my manicure, still a long ways
to go, but I'm determine. I used to be better at doing my nails, but now I have
to start anew. Getting a manicure and pedicure, even just once a month, is costly. I've now decided to invest in some simple tools
and watch some YouTube videos to improve my skills by the end of this
quarantine. Along with my mani and pedi, I'm also making time to treat my skin.
Today I'm sharing some of my beauty favorites.
Devotions
Hey Love,
Easter 2020
Hey Love,
Happy Easter. I hope this beautiful Sunday is bringing you joy. This may be my first Easter post on the blog. I’ve also now decided to make my monthly devotional post weekly. So each Sunday I’ll have a short devotion here on the blog. I really enjoy reading devotions from books and blog so it feels natural and timely to add this on a regular basis. Easter is the perfect day to start.
This Easter of course is quite different from any other most of us have experienced. This is a day when churches are overflowing with visitors. Some make the pilgrimage to church only on this single day of the year. So it’s quite jarring to be at home. Today I have a few members of my family, ones I’ve interacted with during this pandemic, at home with me. Like many, maybe millions of others, we’re watching Easter service from the safety of our homes. This realization brings pause.
I think back to the last church service I attended before the quarantine; before we knew what was to come. It was a 5pm service and during the announcements the pastor mentioned that they would be adding 3 additional services just for Easter for a total of 10 services. That was just about a month ago, but it seems much longer.
Fortunately church is still going. The Word is alive and breathing. Just as our resurrected King is. Times are changing; as they always do. What remains the same and brings me comfort in this pandemic is that Jesus Christ rose and he’s the same. Faithful and True. This is the message on my soul. I hope today ushers in peace for you.
Happy Easter.
Faithfully,
Marie
Simple Living
My Quarantine Schedule
Hey Love,
Hope today is treating you well. Today marks Day 21, three weeks, of my self-quarantine here in Miami. I've been much more balanced and productive this past week than the previous two weeks. I have to admit, I initially did not understand the scope of the virus and did not expect to be quarantined, much less for potentially multiple months. My approach in the beginning was to take it day by day on standby awaiting to be called back to work in a week or so. I now know I'll be at home working through April and potentially the start of May. With that knowledge, I decided to curate a bit of structure into my days, to set a scheduled. Working from home can be haphazard, depending on the nature of the work. For me it's weekly Zoom meetings and endless emails to follow-up with. Then there's my personal creative pursuits, such as this blog, that I want to invest my time into. And of course, making time to just be without any agenda. I hope this schedule inspires your own; my chief purpose in sharing it is to inspire and to be more accountable.
Simple Living
What I'm Doing in April
Hello Love,
Here we are again, the beginning. Take a deep slow breath and slowly release it. It's April. The unofficial start of spring season. Blooms blossoming all over the earth. It feels different this season, as it should. This should be a month of leisurely walks outdoors among flowers and bees. But our life has forever shifted. Most of us are quarantined for indefinite future. Like the new blooms that were once unseen, underground germinating, so it the state of our lives. This quarantine season will come to a close, we will return outdoors, and life will resume. This month I'm actively choosing to apply nature's teachings. I'm using this month to germinate; to dwell, abide, and rest in my creative pursuits. This is a time to cultivate my creativity in meaningful ways, so when the "spring" season arrives, my blooms can blossom.
Here's what I'm cultivating:
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