&we unplug


Oh week of unplugging, how I have been dreading you so.

When I first took on the challenge, I thought I deserved a pass on this week, because my job relies almost entirely on being online, many of my relationships are long distance, warranting lots calling and texting, and blogging helps me stay connected to those I love.

But then, last week I had a conversation that I can't seem to shake. A friend told me: you can tell what people care about based on how they spend their time.

And yes, I spend a lot of time on the phone, because I care oh so much about the loves in my life that are far away. And I care about my job. And I care about being connected.

But I also spend a lot of time Instagramming. And Tweeting. And sometimes a little Facebooking. I.e. I check Instagram when I get in bed, and when I wake up. And OK. When I walk to the bathroom at work. And at stoplights.

Yikes.

That's not necessary. I don't need to see every photo my friends put out into the universe, the minute it happens.

And maybe, if I stop filling every empty moment with thoughts and images from the lives of others, I will more easily get centered and find the peace that I am so dearly missing during this running&yoga hiatus.

So here's to a week ahead of less Gramming and Tweeting. And this time, seeing really is believing. So when you don't see my social mediaing, you better believe I'm doing it.

[image via my instagram. ironically enough.]

oh weekend. you were great.

This weekend was just plain happy.
Great weather.
Some pumpkin muffin baking.
A gorgeous wedding at the Atlanta History Center with Phil.


And after a few weekends of travelling and weeks of busyness, the chance to catch up on things. You know. Clean sheets. Organized bedroom. Front porch swept. Those types of activities.
On Sunday, I sat on the porch with coffee and my laptop, and enjoyed the glorious weather, the sweet neighbors being out and about, and the fact that my flowers are still alive (mir-a-cle, I tell ya).
I hope your weekend was great, too!
[images via my instagram]

hoop

My roommate Katie was in a hula hooping club in college and, needless to say, she could hoop you under the table. She's got skills.

This spring, she taught me how to hoop - a hobby that really took off at the beach over Memorial Day. Not only is it a good workout for your waist, it also turned out to be a great way to make friends. Everyone wanted a piece of our hoops.

I hooped my way into Week 3 of Laura's wellness challenge. It isn't technically a brand new exercise, but it is a broken-foot-friendly-exercise, and offered an alternative to just arms and abs every day.

As someone who finds comfort in routine and relies on my daily run to clear my head, help me reconnect with what matters and find peace, it's been incredibly hard not to have this time alone&away from my desk (and everything). Although hula hooping didn't fulfill these needs, it was a nice way to be outside and feel a little bit of rhythm and routine.

I hope you had a good, stretchy week!

a place of yes

A friend recently mentioned to me that her mindset was to "start with yes".

Not in a yes-man-I-can't-say-no-ever sort of way. But in the sense of, when someone brings to you a problem or task, your first thought is: How can I help them with this? How can I make this happen? How can I find a solution?

And I thought it was a nice little idea. Because we're all in this world together, and the best thing we can do is look out for each other and try to make every day a little bit brighter.


image via