It's Been A While.....How Are You...No Really...How Are You?
It really has been a while….Almost 10 months since my last post.
If you had asked me what 2020 was going to look like when I wrote my post on March 8th, never in a trillion years would I have been able to begin to fathom what the year was going to bring to us all….to our entire planet. When you think of it that way…our entire planet….it gives me goosebumps, but for all the wrong reasons.
I was able to sneak away for a weekend to a friends cottage this summer and as I sat on the dock and looked up at the stars one night, I was reflecting on a number of things and that’s when it truly hit me…That sense of ‘the entire planet’…..It was enough to bring tears to my eyes and made me take a few deeps breaths to collect myself.
Noting all of our lives have literally been turned upside town, twisted, shaken and triple lutzed (yes, I was a figure skater back in the day) how are you? And I mean REALLY…how… are...you?
I truly hope you are doing as well as you can. I’m absolutely certain there are days that are better then others and I hope you are finding ways to get through the more challenging days in a healthy and mindful manner. I appreciate that it can be difficult to do so, but if there is one thing the last 10 months have allowed for is the ability to take a step back and really come to realize who and what is important in my life. Who has been there to talk to, what has brought joy, what has brought sadness or disappointment, who has disappeared from my life….I hope that if there is one positive thing that has come from 2020 is that you have been able to examine your life and bring close those people and things that bring in goodness and let go of those that don’t. It sure has for me!
Overall, I’d say that I’m doing alright. I have a lot to be grateful for and I really try to focus on that on the days that seem a little extra crazy. I honestly have no idea how it’s December this week and I truly feel that 2020 has been a bit of a blur at times. I started a new job…twice…yes, twice during this time and wow, has onboarding been quite the unique experience. Meeting new co-workers over virtual meetings, learning the ins and outs of an organization via a computer and phone calls and working from home full time (which I am immensely grateful for, though there is something to say about human connection). I work in a field that thrives on human connection, being able to speak to people in person and face to face, to be able to read body language, have deep, meaningful conversations and all of that has been put to the test during this time but overall, has been a success!
And speaking of connection….I think you all know how much I love animals and feel that having a connection to them is extremely healing and cathartic. Well….as of April, I added a third fur babe to the family. If you follow me on social media, you would have already met Jackson and learned how I am officially a ‘foster fail’. This smart, sweet and loving pooch came to me via Fur-Ever Able Dog Rescue and it was literally meant to be. He has been such a wonderful companion through all of this for many reasons. First and foremost, he has the sweetest personality and to see him come out of his shell has been so inspiring. We still have some work to do around socialization, which has proven challenging during this time of physical distancing, but he has come such a long way and made great improvement. He’s a great motivator to get outside and be active as we both need to work on our conditioning this days! Overall, having the stars align to have him come home has been an extremely bright light these past months. Having him around to bring a smile to my face and to literally make me laugh out loud has been so fantastic!
I will admit, that laughter has been very helpful as there are times I feel as though I’m living in the movie Groundhog Day (and I’m sure that this is a feeling a lot of us share). I’ve gone from being on the road almost everyday with work to not having had an in person meeting in months. It sure has been a shift. One thing I have come to realize, mainly on my trips to the farm to see the two big fur boys, is how much I enjoy driving. How much thinking I do when I’m driving and how it allows me to clear out some room in my headspace. Those trips to and from the farm are really most of the driving I do nowadays and I’m grateful for that time to turn up the music, get behind the wheel and think….process…and clear my mind.
Another thing that has really been reinforced is the comfort of home. If you’ve followed my journey the past 10 years or so, you’re well aware of the fact of how I value and find the importance of making a house truly your home as an extension of you/your family. To make it that extension of you and your family, so that when you are within its walls you feel like you are in a comforting cocoon it takes being surrounded by not only the people but pieces, colours, textures and momentos that you love and are, in a way, an extension of you. I often write about how creating this type of space and environment takes time. To fill your home with what you love, what inspires you, what brings a smile to your face can take years and that’s truly what this past year has helped me realize even more so. I look around my home and I see a gallery wall of memories from trips that let me travel back to those experiences via those photos. I see a piece of driftwood from an afternoon at the beach, a piece of pottery from a local artisan, my table and desk that mean so much because my brother created and built them for me, cozy pillows and throws from a small business here in town and the list could go on and on. I’m grateful to have a space that I truly do feel at home in. A home that is an extension of me and what I love and I will admit, having that feeling in my 800sqft lil cottage has had an incredible calming effect this year.
Another thing you know if you’ve been ‘a regular’ to the blog and my social media (especially Instagram - Rustic Retrievals) is how important supporting local and small businesses is to me. If there is one silver (and maybe even golden) lining of 2020 is the positive spotlight it has shone on the importance of shopping locally and supporting our friends and neighbours and their small businesses. It has broken my heart to see shops/businesses close after years of their owners dedicating their heart and soul to their passion project. I have witnessed first hand how friends and family have had to constantly shift gears to stay afloat during these times and I cannot applaud them enough for doing so. One thing that has warmed my heart, however, is how the year has strengthen the sense of community, at least in the ‘town’ I live in, Guelph, Ontario. Yes, we have seen businesses close, yet we have also seen businesses start and thrive during these times. I regularly ‘shout out’ via my Instagram stories my favourite local businesses and small businesses across Ontario and I encourage you to do the same. Yes, if we can purchase their products, that’s amazing and supportive, but even sharing their accounts and stories through your own social media platform can go a long way as you never know who may see what you’ve posted and that person could turn into a new customer for that shop or business. I have promised myself I will blog more as I really enjoy the craft of writing and I will be sure to share many of my favourite small and local businesses in posts to come…so stay tuned. And in the meantime, keep watching my stories on Instagram to get your fill of small business goodness!
I could keep going and going as this sunshine really has me inspired today…but…I’ll leave it here.
I wanted to check in to see how you truly are doing provide a bit of an update on the year that has been 2020 and alllll the craziness that it has brought along.
I wish you all good health and please, be safe. We’re all in this together…we truly are…and we’ll all get through this if we keep that sense of community well being alive and well.
Take good care and keep your eyes open for more posts to come….I’m back at it and can’t wait to share so much more with you! :) xo