Hello Again

Adele... "Hello" ~ 2015

Hello again.

Where have I been? It's a complicated question. I've been working, living, thinking, traveling, struggling, hurting, loving, and remembering.

By all accounts, life is wonderful. In early 2015 I took stock of everything I was putting out into the world - Facebook albums, Tweets, Instagrams of everything, and blog posts detailing the moments in between. I felt drained, overexposed, and I had only myself to blame. So I retreated. I read dozens of books. I traveled extensively, making multiple trips to California (two to Anaheim, two to Los Angeles, and one to San Diego), plus Charleston and Gainesville for the weddings of two of my dear friends, Italy with my best friend Courtney to celebrate our 30th Birthdays, plus trips to Atlanta and Colorado.

I've been thinking a lot about what we put out there in the world. I'm someone who has always put my thoughts and feelings out there. I'm someone who's inherently nostalgic, every moment, trip, can be a memory in the making.

A year ago, my life was very different. Two years ago, even more different. As I look at the years I see different people... there's been a lot of change. My parents now live a block away from me. My husband and I have been together almost six years and we have two crazy, adorable puppies. Eleven and a half months at UNICEF and I can honestly say I've never, ever been happier in a job in my entire life. My weight has fluctuated too... so I also LOOK a bit like different people :)

The past month I've been very introspective... thinking a great deal about choices and the way we treat others. Wanting to be a better wife, daughter, sister, friend. I've seen more and more people confront unimaginable circumstances, processing more grief than they should. I've let some toxic influences fade out of my life, I've also flickered out of others. I still feel drained, but I think the turning point is coming. I'm putting my health first, putting bad habits aside, and focusing on making the very best out of my incredibly blessed life.

The truth is life is so beautiful and complicated and impossible to comprehend. The older I get, the less I take it for granted, but the more pressure I put on myself to fully enjoy absolutely every moment. There has to be a happy-medium, right?

As I approach writing in the blog, I hope it will be less a summary of activities and more of a conversation about the things that matter. This week I'm going to focus and take more time to meditate and pray. My goal is 15 minutes a day starting out (wish me luck!)

It's good to be back.