What I Have Learned
One year ago, today, I published my first blog post. I launched Peace of Burlap with tons of love, happiness, and creativity running through my veins, with aim at sharing my thoughts, experiences, and stories to inspire others – and I have no plans of letting up. Moments of mindfulness can teach us a lot about ourselves – our feelings – and bring to light fears and sorrows, or excite hopes and dreams. Welcome to my year in review.
What I have learned…
I can do anything.
March 8, 2016, was also my first day of Yoga Teacher Training. I lovingly lived and breathed yoga for three months to complete my Registered Yoga Teacher 200-hour certification (RYT-200) with Life Power Yoga. Upon graduation, I was shockingly delighted to be offered a position at Life Time Athletic and I began teaching hot vinyasa and yin yoga. My experience is pure living proof if you believe it, you can achieve it. Work hard, but dream harder.
But I cannot do it all.
Teaching yoga, on top of my full-time career as a designer and keeping up with life, left me feeling unbalanced. After only a few short months, I made a gut-wrenching decision to stop teaching regularly. I still miss it every day – the incredibly fulfilling experience of watching a room full of beautiful, unique yogi-souls flowing to my encouragement without judgement. But I know I made the right choice. I whole-heartedly believe I will lead classes again, as I continue my own journey on the mat as a life-long student. Always continue to learn and grow.
Change is good.
For the first three and a half years of our relationship, Brad and I worked together. In fact, it is how we met. But last July, Brad transitioned to a new job. I was sad on his last day – left work in tears. But on my first day without him at the office, I found flowers and a sweet note, “Keep your head up and keep doing what you do so well. I am always here! I love you, Brad.” It is definitely cliché, but absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Being able to walk down the hall and see him mid-day was nice while it lasted, but now it is more exciting to get home to one another, share our individual days, and cherish quality time away from the office. Life is always there to catch you.
"Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different."
-C.S. Lewis
There is so much to explore.
Last year’s trips to Charleston and Chicago, and our most recent trip to Kentucky gave me and Brad the travel itch. We compiled lists of the states we have each traveled to. Most overlap, but Brad has visited four additional having been to 21, I have been to 17. We can soon add Texas to our lists – a Memorial Day weekend visit with friends in Houston is on the books. We hope to plan some more quick trips around the U.S. in 2017, and dream of the day we head overseas. Adventure is good for the soul.
I am patiently impatient.
Ever since my divorce, I have struggled with balancing my need to plan and knowing milestones in life cannot be rushed. The other night, Brad joked I would not wait ten months to get engaged. This self-proclaimed “wife-in-training” rebutted with he’s lucky if I wait ten minutes. Truth is there is no limit to how long I will wait (shhh…don’t tell Brad). Because true love is limitless, and I will never give up on the wonderful life we have created together. I am constantly bringing myself back to the present moment – beyond lucky, truly blessed. We are all right where we are supposed to be.
What would you learn? …If you reflected on the past year of your life. Take some time, today, and think about it.
