I feel the winds of change blowing (and I love it!)

Despite my darling husband sometimes playfully teasing me that the opposite is true, I am not afraid of change in the slightest and rarely shy away from it. However, that doesn't mean I necessarily go out of my way to introduce it into my life 24/7 either.

Like many of us, I have my usual routine. It isn't always perfect, and sometimes (aka, everyday!) there aren't anywhere near hours in the day, but it's mine and I can become rather steadfastly attached to it. Until, that is, I grow weary and restless with with it and certain other elements of my life (not, mind you, my “dedicated days” work schedule - that is life changingly amazing and not budging an inch any time soon!).

Ever since I came back from visiting Calgary in the fall of 2013, which was a profoundly important trip for me (as I delved into in this post), I've been doing an even greater amount of soul searching and introspective thought than ever before. I frequently feel like certain things need be altered, yet they remain exactly as they are because other bigger issues, points of stress, or worries come along and knock them squarely onto the back burner.

At this stage in my life, a few weeks before my 31st birthday, my heart and soul feel very, very open to change, as well as to both embracing new opportunities - whatever they may be - and getting in touch again with certain things that I love doing dearly, but haven't been kind enough to myself to make time for, in many instances, years now.

I realize that such statements sound a touch vague, and that's intentional. This isn't because I don't want to share the details of such with all of you, but rather because in many cases, I don't even know exactly what those changes will be yet myself. I just know, that like a runner bracing themselves on the starting line, I'm ready to burst forward and turn over a lot of new leaves - or so I hope!



{There is a certain almost palpable quality to the air when the winds of change pick up. I feel recharged thanks to it and am so excited to see where it will lead me this year and beyond. Vintage image source.}



That said, here are a few things that I'd really like, and am planning, to change in the coming months:


-Take actual days off. If we exclude days when my health keeps me bedridden and unable to do pretty much anything at all, which I don't feel should count because I have zero choice in the matter, I haven't taken a single day off this year and can (excluding our trip to Victoria last fall, which I did a lot of work related things on all the same) count on one hand the number I took last year.

Not kidding there in the slightest. And I put in long days. I mean like an average of 12 - 20+ hour workdays, which my health pays quite often, I know, but as a lifelong workaholic, it's genuinely hard for to be any other way. That said, I know, I know, I know oh-so-well that I must take days off at least once or twice a month and am going to try even harder to push myself to do so.


-And while I am, I'm going to craft. I love crafting, it's been near and dear to my heart my whole life, but you wouldn't know it from my blog. I have a dedicated craft room in our little basement that in recent times has doubled as my home office + photo studio + where I store inventory for my Etsy shop and I have not actually crafted in it, for all intents, for about 2.5 years. I literally shudder when I stop and reflect on that. I'm all for hard work, being driven, and pushing yourself, but every last one of us needs to stop and enjoy a hobby or two every now and then and I absolutely must get back to creating once more.


-I feel like some of my blog posts series and/or certain topics I cover are getting a bit staid/old (and not "old" in a good, vintage kind of way!) and aren't as popular as they once were, so I may be retiring some and/or introducing others later in the year.


-Speaking of my blog, looking ahead to late 2015 and beyond (aka, after this coming summer), I think that I'm going to scale back just a touch on my posting frequency. I madly adore writing and blogging and could do so almost everyday, but there is a great deal of behind the scenes work that goes into posting - as any frequent blogger who puts a lot of effort into their posts will quickly tell you - and in order to keep my blog and shop both going strong, I need to take a little bit of that time and apply it to other areas of my work and home life alike, as well as to those mythical days off.


-I need to spend more time outside. Sometimes that isn't possible and I fully accept that, but nothing, and I mean nothing, in the whole universe soothes my soul (as discussed in posts such as this one and this one) like connecting with nature and genuinely require that sense of serenity in my life.


-Worry less. Plain and simple. Tony recently reminded me of the importance of just going with life's natural flow and that's something I'm trying to embrace on an even deeper level these days.


-Weed out more "time sucks" from my life, be they online or off (this is something I've been doing for quite a while now, but there's always room to cut down on or entirely remove others still).


-Try a new wig. I love my current wig and it's been a very good friend to me for over 2.5 years (not literally the same wig, but the same model - I go through a new one every 3 to 6 months or so, just depending on the weather/heat and how often I wear it), but I've been jonseing for both darker and, even more so, shorter hair, so I'm planning on purchasing one soon (I hope) that fits this bill.

I've actually tried several other wigs since becoming a wig wearer due to medical hair loss in 2012, but none of them have worked well or looked flatting on me, so that's part of the reason I've stayed with my current one for so long (and why the others that didn't pan out haven't made it onto my blog). Time to at least try another wig - worst case, I'll return or resell it. No biggie - especially since I know that I can rely on my current one so long as its still being produced.

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Again, these are just a few things. The real key here is somewhat less about specifics and more about being open and ready for change. Hopefully most of it will be positive, but even if some negatives happen, I'll embrace them and hunt down the silver linings that they house, for there is one in very nearly every situation in life (that's been a guiding principle of mine ever since I was a child).

Spring, which we're about 2/3rds of the way through at this point (can that really be?!) is such an important time of rebirth and growth, and I think that is a big part of the reason why, amidst the April showers and May flowers, I've been feeling the winds of change blowing lately.

I'm really glad that they’re out in full (gale) force and hope that they'll continue to propel me forward for a long time to come!

Are you also feeling ready for change in your life this spring? What sorts of things would you like to see happen for you on that front in the weeks and months ahead?

This year I’m going to…

Shining like a newly minted penny, a fresh January start is upon us and for a while - maybe a week, a month, or even the rest of the season - the world seems to spring to life with possibility and a desire to embrace change, start afresh, and set to work on bettering ourselves.
 
I'm not a New Years resolution maker. Never have been, doubt I ever will be. If I want to change something about my life or myself, I just do it. Right then, right there, or at the very least, as soon as possible. I don't procrastinate, I don't typically fear change, and I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and do some (proverbial) heavy lifting, when life calls for it.

That said, it can be both beneficial and enjoyable to kick off a new year with certain areas of your life, plans and goals at the forefront of your mind. Last year, I launched 2013 with a list of adjectives that I hoped I would embody more than ever in the twelve months that followed.

It wasn't that I hadn't been those things before, but rather that I wanted to live them to an even greater degree. Though some took a while to really hit their stride, and I'm still working to bolster others to a greater degree, I'm genuinely happy to say that I feel, a year onward, that I really did embody each of them to a greater degree. During, and in the months after, our trip to Calgary, for example, I found myself being braver, more confident and adventurous than I'd felt in many years, and I absolutely love this!

I, like each of us, have very little clue what this year will ultimately hold in store, but I'm really hoping it puts 2013 to shame. Was last year all bad? Thankfully, goodness, no, but it wasn't always the bee's knees by any means either, and as (call it coincidence, if you like) I tend to have better years when they fall on even numbered dates (as in 2014 this year), I'm really hoping that the year that sees me turn thirty in July, will be an incredible one.

Along the way, there are certainly things that I plan to do more, or less, as the case maybe and today, for my first post of this great new chapter in our lives, I wanted to share some of them with all of you. So without further ado, may I present a quick overview of some of what I hope, I will, and will not, be up to as we embrace and celebrate each day of the coming year.


1. Sweat the small stuff less!: Yes, we've all heard, and likely said a time or two, that we're going to do this, but last year I made a conscious effort to really live that mantra, and and it helped to noticeably reduce my personal stress levels (I'm a natural worrier/prone to really internalizing stress), so I'm going to try and sweat even less of the things, that in the grander scheme of life, don't matter much, if at all, throughout 2014.


2. Spend less time online: I absolutely flat out love, and could scarcely picture my life without the internet (a point I discussed last fall in this post), especially because I'm so frequently bedridden/housebound, but it's neither healthy (fresh air does the body wonders!) nor getting the most out of one's existence to spend a massive amount of time online every single day, and so this year, I'm going to make a conscious effort to purposely set aside a day or two every now and then when I don't even so much as flick on my computer, and may even take the occasional blogcation entirely. The web rocks, but so does the real world, and that's something that's become all too easy to forget at times in today's world, where it seems like we're connected to the internet 24/7.

3. Buy more items in person: Now granted, I doubt I'll ever stop shopping online entirely and have zero desire for such to be the case, but getting the chance to shop for vintage in person in Alberta, as well as a few locations (chiefly the city of Vernon) locally last year, really drove home how nice it can be to hold, inspect, and if applicable, try on an item before I buy it. My town doesn't have any vintage clothing stores, so I'll always do some of my wardrobe shopping online, but I'm also going to try to simply tuck more of my personal budget aside to spend when I get the chance to travel again and/or attend some of the antique and collectible fairs that happen each year throughout the Okanagan Valley.

4. Take care of the mending pile that built up in 2013: I do try to stay abreast of my mending, but it seems like a fair number of garments have developed minor issues that need attending in the past few months, and whether I take care of them myself or have them fixed by a professional, by the time spring returns, I want my mending basket to be a ghost town again.


5. See more of the world: I'm a realist. I know that my chronic medical problems will always severely limit the amount (and duration) of traveling that I can do, where I can go, and what I'll fill my time with once I get there, but last year's week in Calgary reawakened a sense of wanderlust in me that I'd nearly forgotten I had, and and which now wants to try, circumstances permitting, to take at least one trip each year. It might not be to the furthest reaches of the earth, but that's a-okay, just as long as it's something that strikes me as fun and exciting, and which, hopefully, holds the promise of at least a little vintage shopping! :)


6. Try new things and push myself outside of my comfort zone: I like to think of myself as a fairly brave person - I've certainly stared my own personal Goliaths in the eyes and knocked them out on many occasions, but sometimes it's great to throw yourself headfirst into something totally new, wholly different, and which even scares you silly. A few months ago I read a quote (I wish I'd bookmarked it at the time) that said something to the effect of that "Nothing is never as frightening as the first time you do it", and that sentiment has lingered with me powerfully ever since.


7. Not let other people's problems, which I have no actual firsthand roll in, stress me out so much (or take up so much of my time): Every day I receive dozens of different emails (and Facebook messages) from people, most of whom I've never had contact with me before, or whom I know only in vague passing, asking me about different things - be it relating to medical topics, vintage, or simply life in general. Often, I find, complete strangers eagerly share a good chunk of their life story with, and pour out their problems, to me. I realized, like a bolt of lightning from the heavens one day last September, that, while I am usually genuinely glad to help anyone I can out, at times it can greatly bring down my own (naturally upbeat, happy mood) to constantly be brought in on strangers problems.


I'm not a professional shrink, a priest, or a bartender, but I need to learn to think and react more like these folks, and not internalize and stress so much over issues that, heartbreaking or worrisome as they be, are not my own. I'm happy to listen and provide advice when asked, but I can't do that to the best of my ability if my mood has turned grey because of problems that aren't mine to begin with.


8. Keeping hunting for more of the items on my vintage list: Last year I put down on virtual paper twelve of the things that were, at the time, topping my vintage wish list. More than half a year on, I've crossed two off so far. There's no time frame on this list (which included many more items in addition to those twelve), and the hunt is certainly part of the fun, but I would like to tick at least another one or two off throughout 2014.


9. Cancel magazine subscriptions I don't get a great deal out of any more: I absolutely love reading magazines on a wide range of topics, and subscribe to a few different publications. Some knock my socks off month after month, but last year a couple took a real nose dive in terms of both page count (they slashed their number of pages in half) and content that felt relevant to me any more. Though I do love supporting paper magazines, for the sake of my budget, I'm going to bid farewell to those that no longer make my eyes light up when I spy them in the mailbox.


10. Take more naps outside: I know, that's a somewhat unique sounding one, but as I mentioned in this post last fall, I've always been wild about sleeping outside. We don't have a yard or a deck of our own, but my parents have both, so pillow in hand, I'm going to headed that way come the warmer months for some much needed outdoor zzz's.


11. Look for even more ways to stretch a dollar. be financially savvy, and bolster our income: Like most people, I've made some mistakes in my life when it comes to handling my finances, but overall, I like to think that I'm good with money and that I can be resourceful, diligent, and wise when it comes to financial matters.

As many couples do, my husband and I have certain long term goals, and some shorter term ones that require budgeting (like traveling) that I truly want to see happen in time, and I'm going to try even harder this year to focus on turning those dreams in reality. It might mean making more sacrifices, forgoing momentary wants for longstanding desires, and being ruthless with our budgeting, but I don't mind at all. In fact, I'm happy to do it, because I know what I want to see our life blossom into later down the road.


12. Ask people for things: As someone is who is, typically, astronomically shy, scared to the point of losing the ability to speak by confrontation, and incredibly self-conscious, I've never been good at asking for what I want in life, even we're taking about something ludicrously simple like having the string beans passed down my way at the dinner table. Bigger things? Geeeshhh, you might as well forget about it, unless I give myself an Any Given Sunday worthy pep talk in advance.

Enough of this! I'm a grown woman who has forged her own way in the world, (humbly) accomplished a great deal in my 29.5 years of life, is bright, insightful and and able to speak up when she wants something. The worst thing you can hear usually, really is, "no", and you know what, that usually isn't the end of the world, and more often then not, I'm starting to learn, you'll be surprised by how often you get what you ask for it.



{Hello, 2104! I'm ready for you and have plans, both big and small, to fill each of your awesome new days with. Vintage photo of actress Barbara Stanwyck via Joan de Beauvoir on Tumblr.}

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Though I could keep going, and certainly will in my daily life, I'll cap today's list at twelve entries, one to represent each month of the coming year. Every one of these things matters to me, they wouldn't be here if they didn't. Some are more pressing or important than others, and will, naturally enough, see my focus turned to them more frequently, but I do truly plan to work on every last one as often as possible.

In addition to these things, something that is deeply important and which I make a conscious effort to do every day of my life is to take stock of my blessings. Be they big or small, new or as old gifts, I find my life is enriched and made more joyful by the simple act of being appreciative of all the good, the love, and positivity that flows through my world.

I have high hopes for, and great feelings about this year. A voice deep inside says that it's going to turn out well. Maybe that's just the perpetual optimistic in me, perhaps its because a new decade (my 30s) will kick off in a few moths, or it could be because such really is going to be the case.

Whatever comes to be, through thick or thin, on awesome days and sad ones alike, this year I'm going to do all of these twelve things and think that the sheer act carrying them out will, in and of itself, help make 2014 an unforgettable year.