It’s Friday High-Five, No. 101

What’s Happening

Happy Friday high five my Friends! In my last high five, I laid a lot on you. While I celebrated my 10-year Blog Anniversary I also shared some of my recent struggles mentally and physically. Today I wanted to share some of the upsides of my struggle.

As women, we take on a lot and often feel we need to do it all. We say yes to all the things, we make sure all the daily tasks of life are done, we worry if we are doing it right, and we want to care for everyone around us. We take pride in everything running smoothly. I don’t think those around us even realize how much we take on, the burden we carry (usually by our own choice.) The constant doing becomes our identity but at some point the burden gets heavy. The tidy (or not-so-tidy) stack we carry tumbles and we are left feeling lost.

I know this sounds miserable, and probably hits home but the truth is there is a silver lining when you lose your balance. Your load tumbles out of your grip but now you get to choose which things to pick back up. Which things are you carrying because you feel judged, obligated, or even fearful, and which things really bring you joy? Not just joy in the sense of laughter and fun but in the sense of self-worth and fulfillment. You may find you have wrapped your identity up in the things you do rather than the person you are.

As I realize this I am trying to take the time to be selective on what I choose to carry. I want others to be happy but I am learning not to sacrifice my own happiness to make that so. I’m learning to let go, total control freak over here, because being in control of everything also means you carry the burden. If the burden is spread around everyone’s load is lighter. We all know the old adage “You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself” but we all seem to ignore it completely. Well, I’m not ignoring it anymore.

I am still a work in progress but the progress I make will be intentional. What do I want? Am I doing this for others rather than myself? What really makes me happy? In the end, I may find a whole new me. I’m not there yet but I’m working on it and that is a high five!

Now let’s get to the rest of my High Five…

Friday High-Five

1. Favorite Follows: Daniel Mathis is not a minimalist.  Well, actually he dabbled in it for a while, but ultimately realized minimalism was a constant battle because collecting was in his blood… Ahhh a man after my own heart. He gave in to his passion and has been collecting with reckless abandon ever since. You can find his reckless abandon all over the internet but Instagram and Facebook are the best places to enjoy all his collections…and there are a LOT to enjoy.
2. What I’m Reading: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee. This book explores through science how the natural vibrancy of our surroundings could actually be our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy. I completely agree, surround yourself with things and places that make you feel joyful. I love the concepts presented in this book.
3. Shopping: Urban Garden Prints has always been a go-to for Art but now they are also printing Wallpaper. Printed on sturdy clay-coated paper, these beautiful designs will bring your walls to life. I’ll be sharing one of my own rooms clad in one of these designs really soon…
4. Artist Spotlight: Artist Taylor Cox incorporates blazingly bright color and texture in her work to create depth of space and movement. Merging abstract and figurative elements these paintings are so fun. Don’t let the details of the Sun Valley Slope image below fool you this textural swipe of color and snowboard are embodied on a tiny 6″ x 6″ canvas
5. Favorite Find: The Berkeley City Club pool is unlike any other hotel swimming pool in the world. Designed by Julia Morgan, this swimming pool is set beneath its original 1920’s vaulted ceiling and features original tilework from the time.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND GUYS!

Want more? Check out previous some Friday High Fives