We’re nearly halfway through 2018. WHAT. Yes. It’s not ok. Time moves with indecent haste.
I’ve been reflecting on the adulting resolutions I described at the end of last year, and thought I’d do a little check in for accountability’s sake. Brass tacks, they’re going ok. Honestly, overall this year is the best ever and I’m feeling way too blessed to be stressed (though stress levels are anticipated to change as my September 22 wedding date approaches). So, what were those resolutions again?
1. Learn to use a waiter’s corkscrew
Checked this one off. the. list. Two days after I wrote my resolutions post one of my trusty friends coached me through using a waiter’s corkscrew at my NYE party and I’ve been comfortable using one since! WIN. No, I’m not going to describe how to use one here, that’s what YouTube is for, but the key takeaway to remember when using a waiter’s corkscrew is LEVERAGE. 🍷🙌🏻
As an added bonus I also learned how to pop a bottle of bubbly on NYE (Yes I went 29 years without learning how to pop champagne, I do not know how I function either). Turns out you’re supposed to TWIST the cork out of the bottle. How about that. Anyway, so when it comes to opening all sorts of wine this year, I am on track. YAS.
2. Send cards in the mail
Yeah. About that. This one hasn’t quite happened the way I intended. Though I mailed 80 save-the-dates for my wedding and will soon be mailing the same number of invites plus a slew of bridal shower and wedding thank you cards. So that sort of counts?
Yet, I have not mailed a single birthday card as I had originally envisioned. Honestly, postage is EXPENSIVE and adds up quickly. So I think I’ll revisit this one post wedding. I’d love to get to point where I look at the month ahead and send a bunch of birthday cards to loved ones that month, but we’ll see. A nice bonus of getting married is that you end up with a comprehensive list of all of your loved ones mailing addresses, I’d love to continue to put them to use after I’m married, but I honestly don’t know if this will ever become a priority. We shall see.
3. Make a frame collage
This one is on hold. My fiancé and I will likely move after we get married, either late this year, or early next year, so there’s no point right now in putting a whole bunch of time, money and energy into my frame collage vision. Our apartment is cute and functional and works for now, we’ll see if a frame collage works with our aesthetic once we move to a bigger place. In the meantime, I’ve loaded picture frames onto my registry and continue to scroll the internet for decor inspo. 👌🏻
Some more 2018 thoughts
One thing I think I’ve gotten better at this year is STOPPING. I’ve always been a notoriously busy person, constantly moving from one thing to the next, always feeling like I need to do more of everything while trying to put equal amounts of energy into all of my hobbies (reading, yoga, blogging, social media, etc.) while also finding some way to balance work, love, family, friends, cats, fitness, you get it. This invariably leads to me spreading myself too thin, feeling like I haven’t accomplished any of what I set out to do, and potentially having a meltdown. Not fun.
I think I’m finally starting to understand that it’s important for me to take time to sit on the couch and stare at Instagram for two hours on a Saturday morning so I can recharge my batteries and keep on trying to live my best life. Sleeping and yoga class don’t always count as rest, it’s important for us to let our brains just chill sometimes before running off to the next thing. Sure there are 24 usable hours in every day, but energy is finite (this very much includes emotional energy). I’m grateful that I’m finally starting to understand that. This also helps me feel totally ok with the fact that I haven’t brought my resolutions to life the way I originally thought I would. Changing priorities is a strength, not a weakness.
So let’s pop some bubbly and cheers to trying. Here’s to making to-do lists that we don’t finish, and being totally 100% ok with that. 🥂
REMEMBER EVERYONE: we are all messy disasters and it’s fine, you’re doing great, and my favourite people are the ones who have been through/are dealing with shit because GODDAMN IT that is how you grow and learn
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) May 16, 2018
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