Make this Advent Shine
Anticipation. Longing. Hope. I am feeling all these things as we enter into the Advent season. I use this time to reflect on the year, pray about the year ahead, and seek wisdom on how I am spending my time.
Everyday Gratitude
I’ll admit it, fall is my favorite season. It always has been, even before it became popular. One of the things I love about this time of year is how most people intentionally look at gratitude as they prepare for American Thanksgiving. But I am finding that this intentional gratitude helps me every day not only in the fall. Here are some ways I keep gratitude in the forefront of my mind throughout the year.
Never Travel Without These Ten Things
If you know me, you know I love to travel. Discovering new places, eating new food, experiencing new cultures – these things excite me. I am so blessed that I get to travel for my job. To explore the world and call it work, how wonderful is that?
After a bit of a hiatus, we are finally able to travel again. I admit I was a bit rusty when things started opening back up. I beginning to get back in the swing of things. Each trip I learn something new, and I am forever looking for hacks and tips to help smooth the way. I wanted to share some of the things that make traveling easier for me. Here’s my list of 10 things to never travel without.
Five Things I Have Learned During a Crisis
The world has been in upheaval lately. This has affected me and my job as I have been dealing with world events and their effects on the members of my organization that I oversee. There have also been a few individual crises of our members that have coincided with this general time of unrest. I have been running on adrenaline for almost two months. At times I felt exhausted and overwhelmed, unmotivated, and on the verge of giving up. Things are finally getting back to normal-ish and I am able to have more breathing room. I am now able to take stock of what has worked well and helped me through this difficult time. I hope these tips are useful for you, too.
Cherish
The things I truly cherish are not to be bought.
Revel
I live in a place that gets very little sunlight in the winter. It is gray and cold – short, dull days. It affects my mood. So much so that my first year teaching in the Czech Republic, a student told me I was smiling because the sun was out.
Pursuing Life
I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. Those are just disappointment and shame waiting to happen. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t need either of those things in my life. Several years ago, someone introduced me to having a word for the whole year to focus on and it is something I have adopted. It has served me well. I am continually amazed at how on-target each word has been for me.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
I just love this time of year. To me, the holiday season starts with my birthday in late October and runs until Epiphany. It may seem like a long time to you, but it goes by so quickly. It is a time of togetherness & family, to celebrate another year passing, to remember what we are thankful for, to anticipate the coming of Christ, and to start anew.
I ain’t afraid
I recently had a milestone birthday, the dreaded five-oh. Except, I don’t dread 50. I am excited!
Lovely Lisbon
Travel truly refreshes our soul and gives us a new perspective. I will admit, I am not a very good tourist. Seeing popular sights and herding along with the rest of the crowd doesn’t excite me. I prefer to wander the streets, get a feel of the place. Try new foods, have an experience or two. Just relax and be. I don’t have a set agenda but rather go where the day leads. An adventure!
Oh, I Try
I have a love-hate relationship with routine. The monotony of it bores me and I find it anything but stimulating. On the other hand, there is some comfort in doing things in a particular order. Thinking is not as involved because it is familiar and there is less chance of decision fatigue. I’m realizing that I prefer the word rhythm to the word routine to talk about things I do (almost) daily. It has a sense of ease about it, not as strict. My mind (and soul) rebels a little at the confining thought of doing the same things over and over.
Let’s Get Away: Part 2
Travel expands us in so many ways. We get to experience new places, meet a variety of people, learn about different cultures, and discover great food. It exposes us to different ways of thinking or even a slower pace of life. Traveling enriches us, causing us to grow in ways we can’t begin to fathom. I’ve become the person I am today because of my travels, and I am so grateful.
Let’s Get Away: Part 1
I’m a road warrior. I travel a lot for work and when I can, for fun. I relish seeing new places and learning about different cultures. Living in Europe makes it easy. Over the years, I have streamlined my travel process to make things smoother. Now that countries are opening back up, I want to share a few tips & tricks to help make traveling easier. This week we will cover packing.
It is well
I realized that this space I had unwittingly created was good. It was a much-needed break for my well-being. A time to refocus and reenergize. I am not going to feel guilty for listening to my own needs and giving myself a little room.
Cutting Through the Surface
Most people don’t realize that Theatre is the study of people. Learning what drives them. Understanding their underlying motivations is at the center of it all. One professor had us keep a journal, not of our deepest thoughts and feelings, but of what we observed of the people and world around us. What scenes did we see played out in real life? What were the situations people found themselves in? What did they really want? Why did they act that way? She wanted us to delve into others’ psyches and determine the answers or use it as an exercise to construct them for later use. I didn’t realize at the time how valuable this skill would be for me later in life.
Quality Time
Quality Time is something I value and this year that has been taken away on so many levels. I have only been able to spend time with my roommate and one of my colleagues. I am an introvert but too much time to myself is not healthy for me. I tend to get stuck within. Interaction does me good and forces me to focus on others which is oh so important.
People Keeping
I was introduced to the term “people keeping” a while back and it has intrigued me. It’s an idea that I can’t shake loose. I find myself holding on to it like a dog who won’t drop a ball, or like a child with candy in its grip. But it’s also something that I can’t quite discern, a bit ethereal.
The Goodbye Season
It’s the beginning of goodbye season and I am not mentally prepared for it.
Doors of Opportunity
I collect doors. Well, pictures of doors, not actual ones. When I moved to the Czech Republic, I became intrigued with them. There is something about the uniqueness of these entrances, especially the ones to old buildings.
Visiting Amberley
Amberley is a quiet, sleepy village about a 1.5 km (about a mile) walk from the station. It took us a bit to get our bearings and head the right way, but we figured it out and set off. All of a sudden, the way opened up to this little village and I can’t even begin to tell you how cute it was. My inner Jane Austen fangirl was going wild.
