Why Haven’t You Heard from Me?
It’s been over a year since I posted something on my blog. Why, you ask? The answer is easy. I got a full-time job which made my blog turn into a different priority. A new job comes with more work at the office, being behind a computer, and of course it consumes a lot of time. So, the last thing I wanted was to spend more time behind it, even if that meant I did not get to follow one of my passions.
Nonetheless I decided to keep it up and not to change it to a “book shop only”. And, now I couldn’t be happier about this decision. #trustthetimingofyourlife
This springtime is for sure special, and my mood swings range from “will this ever be over?” to “it could be worse”. The unknow future holds so much insecurity these days. What will summer look like? Will we be able to go.see.do again? Will we be able to keep our jobs? I could go on and on with these questions.
At the same time, there is so much about finding comfort in the moment and being forced to accept this new challenge. Although the weekdays and weekends are different and hard, we are getting through it. It is hard to believe that we are entering week seven tomorrow.
We are home and are finding different outlets to keep us sane and calm. Some of them work better; others are not accessible or don’t work anymore. And that’s where my comparison to Spring 2017 starts.
What Was My Life Like in the Spring of 2017?
It was January 2017 when I quit my job at satis&fy, which was my life for over 10 years. Since I was pregnant with my first daughter, I couldn’t really apply for a new job right away and it also made little sense with a newborn on the way.
So, I decided to take time to figure out what’s next and try to prepare for it in some way. The tricky thing about preparing for something you don’t know about yet is that there is only so much for which you can prepare. Probably the best thing is to just go with the flow.
I had a few projects. The two biggest were to support a start-up and to write a book, Go.See.Do. – 10 Quotes to be Successful as a Young Professional, followed by some smaller ones. The minor ones included staying active and healthy, doing a few household projects, and being in the moment to stay sane in order to accomplish what life might send my way.
I learned so much about myself, my needs, and what to do to not run out of energy. I found peace and a feeling of accomplishment even if I didn’t work 80hours/week and didn’t receive 200 emails a day. I learned how to spend less money and how much more fulfilling it was to actually buy fewer things and to hunt for things I really needed. I put more time into creating, which involved cooking, baking, and crafting.
Also, I really got into yoga during this time. Another go-to relaxation activity whenever I couldn’t or didn’t want to work out was coloring. Hours and hours and days and days. Patterns, owls, flowers. Very few got framed, and many others got dumped after they were done. It was more about the process than the actual result.
I explored my neighborhood more and more and found so many hidden Portland treasures which made me love my current city even more.
What can I say? Looking back, it was the perfect time for me, a much-needed time. Perhaps it wasn’t always easy, but I came out stronger.
After my daughter was born, I discovered how much more I loved being a mum than I ever could have imagined. Then, I got an amazing job at Sport Oregon, where I work with a team that I really, really appreciate. Also, I love the work we do. Overall life is rather good.
Most of the days I managed to find a good balance between work, family, and life. I am convinced that the few months being home, not having a real job, and having time to myself and my chosen projects have helped me get to where I am today.
Lucy arrived over a month early, and her first three months of life were an extreme challenge, but it all worked out because in a weird way I was prepped for it.
I didn’t know any details on what to do with the preemie (and I am glad I didn’t). But I was mentally prepped to be a mum, to do everything that’s needed for this little bundle of love, and to know that I would need to take care of my mind and body in order to take care of my child.
That said, I always tried to make time for myself as well (and took her on countless stroller-runs). I fueled my brain space with my ongoing book project and my involvement in the start-up.
As part of my book, I came up with 10 quotes to be successful as young professional.
These quotes turned into my inner maxims. We created a calendar (stay tuned for a new, special edition launching July 2020) and post cards, and they still help me to make big decisions. They are good reminders and continue to keep me grounded every day.
What Does the Spring of 2020 Bring to My Life?
The irony is that Spring 2020 has quite some similarities to 2017 for me. I have another baby on the way. Yes, Lucy’s baby sister is supposed to arrive early July 2020. I am home again, and I also have two big projects: My job and Lucy at home. Besides that, I am trying to do the same thing as I did three years ago: stay active, stay healthy, do a few house projects, be in the moment (enjoy this special time with Lucy), and stay sane in order to accomplish what might be coming our way the rest of the year – on a personal and business level.
Things will be different; they will change again, and I don’t really know what lies ahead of us. I don’t know this baby yet. I don’t know how life will be with two kids. I don’t know what our summer will look like. I don’t know what my job will look like, or in general what life will look like in a few days, weeks, or months.
And again, the only thing we can do is to try to be as mentally strong and flexible as we can. There is no way out of this; we can only go through it.
That said, I currently find peace again in the same things I always do: fresh air, workouts, less stuff, less money, more time, more creating, more crafting. Here are my top 6 go-to’s now:
- FRESH AIR – get out there. It always helps! Walk, Run, Bike – just get FRESH AIR! Take breaks during your WFH day (video call after video call is not good for you).
- MOVE – even if the online workout is not the most fun, but you will feel so accomplished once it’s done.
- COOK & BAKE – you are what you eat. So please treat yourself with GOOD food.
- ORGANIZE – make time to clean, organize and get the house in order again. Especially when you spend so much time there right now.
- CREATE – craft, build, color, make something. Just try it out.
- BRAIN FUEL – work on projects that you are passionate about and that also challenge you.
To me personally, my go.see.do. quotes are so fitting again (and the collection also got extended), and I am so glad to have them to refer to. And guess what: I still love coloring. During the first week of quarantine my mum sent me a free coloring download of one of my favorite magazines, and I jumped on it right away. While I was coloring it, I had tons of flashback moments. The third night into it I thought “why not recreate your own templates with your own quotes and color those”?
Easier said than done, but as always, I enjoyed the process with my two friends who have also helped me to get my book launched and the online shop up. We came up with some quote freebies for you as well … get your free templates here.
Enjoy the process, hang in there, and get ready for wherever this crazy life will take us next. It will all be good if we are all good. Go with the flow. If it’s a crazy day, don’t get crazy, too.
Have a drink for me (or two), go on a run, or just color it out ;-).
Take care!!
Maika
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