I made room for the rosy this week. Did you?

Hello again friends.  Hey, thank-you for reading this new blog of mine! It feels really nice to be back in this spot.  Did you make any room for the rosy this week? By that I mean, did you look after yourself and see to it that you had some moments of joy, gratitude, and just getting out and living without a to-do list attached the whole time?  That's totally my weekly goal and I get it if you're shaking your head no.  My life is really busy, full, and blessed with a community of friends, family, and students to tend to. "Finding joy" or just doing things cause they're fun can easily feel like one of the first things to go when I'm looking at a packed day and week. Same with exercise! But both prove to be reliable for boosting my mood and carrying me through the day to day feeling lighter.  

When I pause and take ten to pick up my camera or journal a list of good things it feels like sitting in a really crowded, loud auditorium that's squeezed with people wall to wall but then that one friend comes in and somehow makes room for themselves too.  You know the friend-the one who is just joyful. The one who makes everyone in the entire row just glad to be even near them.  That's what chasing the joy feels like to me. Like a friend whose light sticks with you long after they've gotten up and gone home. What I mean to say is, this making room for the rosy-it's a gift to yourself that lasts.

Although I certainly didn't mean for this to turn into an advice column, I do know what's worked for me and maybe it could help you too? For starters, I know my boundaries as far as my time and energy goes and this frees me up a bit more to make these little breaks in my week for myself.  By breaks I totally mean taking 10 minutes here, 15 there.  It helps me be confident at the end of the day that I've stuck to what I need to in this season and that includes myself.

I feel like we really get this wrong sometimes, to be honest. Why in the world would I feel bad including a bit of extra happiness or joy in my day simply to nourish myself when I've worked a full day, taken care of the girls and the household needs, exercised, and been a good friend among a thousand other things. I once heard "you can't pour from an empty cup" and I wholeheartedly agree. Let's fill up our cups a bit this week, shall we?

The biggest game changer for me has been to prioritize myself too. It's changing the narrative in my head a bit, doing this. But I think it's well past time for that. 

 I added in some small ways to live just a little more fully among all the regular life swirling around the past few months. I just pick and choose!  

Things like: picking up my camera and going for a walk

stopping to pause by the roses on the table and photographing them

journaling good things

grabbing a matcha tea and drinking it with the windows down and music up

running (even if for a short distance)

sitting with a cup of coffee with a favorite show for 10 minutes in the morning

painting my nails

art journaling

trying a new recipe ( loove watching Half Baked Harvest's videos on Insta!)

asking for help from my husband and kids so I'm freed up a bit

meeting a friend once a month for dinner

lighting a candle as part of my evening routine

making my spaces (both my library and home) feel magical

reading

picking out an outfit I like (an epic outfit post coming this week!)

going outside while it's still light out

listening and singing along to music in the car

taking my coffee to work

making and completing a seasonal bucket list

texting a friend or two

washing my face at night/my whole routine

Topo Chico!

Flipping through Better Homes and Gardens

laughing at comedy on Instagram

reading blogs (Current fave: Cup of Jo)

You get the idea! 

(Isn't this just the sweetest? My hardworking husband)

What are your thoughts on the paragraphs above? 

Or what would make your rosy list?