3 Things I’ve Learned This Month

Summa, summa, summa-time.  That’s the song I think of when I think about July ending and August beginning.  I hate to see summer ticking by so fast.  This has always been my favorite season.  There’s just something about that warm night air, ice cream cones, driving with the windows down and, of course, sun kissed skin.

As I reflect on this past month, I thought why not share a few lessons I’ve learned.  The older I get, the more I realize that time is fleeting.  As a kid, time passed so slowly I thought I would die.  I would watch the clock tick so slowly every day, just waiting for class to let out.  As an adult, I find myself begging the clock for a few more hours every single day.  Funny how that works.

As you know, we spent the month of June traveling, so our return home made me realize that Dorothy was on to something with her sparkly red heels…

There really is no place like home.

I craved my own bed after about two weeks on the road. Don’t get me wrong, traveling is wonderful, but there comes a point when you just want to be back in your own space. This is especially true if you’re a homebody like me.

Alright, so I’m not naturally a morning person.  Morning people baffle me.  I’ve never understood how someone can hop out of bed in the morning with a burst of energy and take on the day.  I need time to get moving.  And caffeine.  All the caffeine.  But then I had a baby and realized that I had no choice but to become a morning person.  I walk into the nursery each morning and see our sweet angel full of smiles, my heart just about bursts open with joy.

I’ve learned that a morning well spent sets the tone for the rest of my day.

Here are three things I’ve been purposely doing each morning:

• Starting my day with devotions.  I use the She Reads Truth app or this devotional because I love my mornings at the beach.  Quiet time fuels my soul.
• I diffuse Joy essential oil in my kitchen.
• Drinking water.  Hydration is essential and I find that when I start my day off hydrated, it’s easier to remember to stay on track the rest of my day.

I’ve been practicing nightly yoga for pelvic and back relief.  Girl, I’ve seen such a difference in the short time since I’ve implemented this into my daily life.  If not for any other reason than just a few minutes of “me time,” I think every woman should do yoga regularly.  I just find a video on YouTube for what I need that day and do it at home.  Some days I do yoga twice, other days I barely get it in once.  MacKenlee loves when we do mommy & me yoga together and she serves as one heavy little arm workout, lol.

And my final lesson…

I am my own biggest hurdle in life.

I’ve been trying to stay aware of my inner dialogue, and man, I’m tough on myself.  Tough is the wrong word.  Actually, I’m just plain old mean to myself.  My guess is that you are too.  We women tend to be our own worst critics.  How do we change that?  We stop and listen.  Really listen to what we’re saying to ourselves.  We insult our looks, our weight, our intelligence and so much more.  Would you say those things to another woman?  Absolutely not.  But for some reason, we’re comfortable talking that way to ourselves which is wrong.  So very wrong.  You and I, we’re daughters of the King.  We were fearfully and wonderfully made.  And guess what?  God doesn’t make mistakes.  I encourage you to listen to your self talks this next month and give yourself grace.  Self-love isn’t talked about enough and it’s definitely not practiced enough by most women.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you learned this July.  I’ve gained so much through our conversations and urge you to engage in this community of precious ladies.  We all have more in common than you may think. 🙂