Spending this summer living on my own (while my husband has been away working in the States) has been a unique, fascinating experience (I haven’t lived solo since 2004). Many elements of my daily life are the same, or very nearly so, as when he's home by my side. Others have been more, or conversely, less, challenging, and some have come as total surprises (such as that I've had an even greater degree of difficulty sleeping than usual).
Ultimately though, I'm made the most of this summer and while I've missed Tony - who will be home in about three week's time - with every last ounce of my heart and soul, I've still been able to do a lot of work, a ton of introspective thinking, and also made some time to simply relax and unwind, even if it was just for half an hour at the end of the day while I painted my nails and watched Netflix.
Last month the smart, lovely, inspiring Madison from the blog Minnie Muse shared a fun list of things that had/have been filling her thoughts and days lately. This entry really spoke to me, especially since I've had such a great deal of alone time with my own mind as of late, and thus, inspired entirely by her post, I thought that I'd take a few mid-August moments and pen one of my own.
Dreaming of: Traveling. Realistically, if possible, to somewhere in BC or Alberta. In my totally hypothetical daydreams, to any one of a dozen or more countries in Europe that I've always longed to visit.
Moving back to: A greater degree of work-life balance, with actual days off (yes, I'm still struggling big time to create those for myself), an ongoing emphasis on more time spent outdoors, and not letting myself get so wrapped up in my job in the moment that I forget about the bigger picture that all of my tomorrows hold.
Reading: My usual – about five books, all history/vintage or science related, all on the go at the same time.
Watching: Some of favourite 80s and 90s sitcoms (like Home Improvement, Fraser, and Roseanne) on Netflix and YouTube. I can happily rewatch those over and over again, without ever tiring of them.
Eating: As much locally grown summer produce as I possibly can!
Creating: Aside from blog posts, not nearly enough. This is something I need to work on (and this isn't the first time this year, I've mentioned as much, I know). Crafting has always been vitally important to me, yet I struggle immensely to find time for it in the context of my current daily life, where work and family almost always seem to win out for me when it comes to what I spend my time and limited energy on.
Photographing: Flowers, the sun-kissed Okanagan landscape, and the occasional selfie, especially since my sweet photographer hasn't been here to help me document my outfits (see my Instagram for plenty of those things and many others, too).
Wearing lots of: Shirtwaist dresses, turbans made from long scarves, and the colour pink, which usually comes out in full force for me during the summer.
Listening to: Oodles of great classic rock, Motown, and big band - all genres of music that go hand-in-hand with summer for me.
Painting my nails: I seem to be hopping back and forth primarily between different shades of coral, red, and blue this season.
Loving: My friends, my family, my pets, and all of the other blessings in my life. Also, the fact that it's almost pumpkin-spice-everything season again! :D
Wishing I had a...: Way to inject hundreds of hours more into each day! As well as a self driving car (so that I could finally experience driving on my own). A few more months of summertime weather would be pretty fabulous, too! :)
Planning: This year's Halloween costume and party - there's less than 2.5 months to go and I can scarcely wait!!!
Thinking about: What, ultimately, really does matter to me at this stage in my life and what is just familiar routine (that could use some shaking up, I mean); some of my blog posts and outfits for the fall; how much I miss Tony; and about taking lots of nature walks while summer (and then autumn) is still out in full force.
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Thank you very much for writing your great "Lately post", Madison. I love the simplicity and relate-ability factor behind it and think that I may have to repeat this idea with new answers down the road one day - perhaps at this same time next year. We'll see!
It's always wonderful to have a snapshot of where your thoughts and days are at at any given point in time. I don't keep a journal or diary, yet I've long viewed my blog as such and genuinely adore recording views into my world here to look back on and see both how far I've come, and what has remained the same, since then throughout my site's more than six years of life.
If you've never written a "Lately" style post, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do the same, be it a one off event, an annual post, or even a far more frequent occurrence, such as every week or month. It's important to capture the present and let it help guide and inspire us in the future, and I really feel like today's entry will do just that for me.
Long after my husband has returned home and even more of the usual ebb and flow fills my days, I'll have this post to remind me of where my thoughts and dreams were at in the midst of a summer spent alone, but never lonely, thanks to my family, my work, and of course, Tony's love which keeps me company in the most beautiful of ways, no matter where in the world we each are.
