In May of 2011 my husband, Tyler, and I left our cozy city apartment to become caretakers for my grandparent's suburban home. I was super excited to get my hands dirty and turn my grandparent's nest into our own. Our goal was to make the most of what the house had to offer- recycle, revamp and reuse whatever we could. I had intended for Refeathered to be a real-time documentation of our projects and updates. Well, less than 4 months later the house was sold, we were on the move again, and I had completely pushed Refeathered out of my mind. As the end of September rolled around we packed up all of our belongings and moved to a nearby apartment complex.
As a teacher, moving during the first month of the school year is an insane thing to do. I was too busy to really notice the surrounding insanity, until the lull between Christmas and the new year. I paused and noticed the senseless habits I had yet again fallen into. I had promised myself that this year would be different. This year I would not work myself into a state of exhaustion where I all want to do when I get home is collapse on the couch and mindlessly troll the internet. This year I would not focus so acutely on my students that I neglect my own musical artistry. This year I would remember how to read books for fun, go for exhilarating runs, meet friends for coffee, see the visiting art exhibits, and paint my fingernails pretty colors more than once in a 12 month cycle. This year I had failed (to be technical, this semester I had failed). I was once again a brain-dead potato.
On that still, cool December day I sat and analyzed my habits. I had so sincerely wanted to create a balanced life. How was I allowing equilibrium to slip out of sight? I believe my greatest error was approaching each day as only a massive checklist of things to accomplish, not a sequence of things to experience. At the top of this list was anything work related. At the bottom? Anything me related. For some reason I had convinced myself that being ahead in my work was more valuable than anything else. I was sucking the potential out of each day with bullet points and making myself my lowest priority.
Once intended to be a home design blog, Refeathered will now be about my personal journey toward equilibrium. My goal is to make the most of where I am, what I have, find the true potential in each day, and find balance in my life. I am re-feathering my personal nest.
Thanks for reading. Please drop in soon!
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