June In Review: 2019

What was the most memorable part of this past month?

The boys finishing up school, Gray’s 8th birthday, and sending them on their first flight all by themselves. I was so nervous to not be with them but they did great and I’m so proud of them.

What were the three biggest lessons you’ve learned in this past month?

1. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that in the end, things always work themselves out, and I always make it through. I can’t say that I like the moments where I have to hold on and ride it out, but it becomes more manageable when I realize that it’s going to be okay. There are always going to be hard times but life isn’t always hard.
2. Making small changes can turn into significant changes. Since seeing my doctor and getting my bloodwork back, I’ve completely changed my diet. At first, it was difficult to go cold turkey on some of the food staples in my life but once I found a meal plan that worked for me and learned what I should be eating it got a lot easier. Now, picking healthy foods over junk food is natural to me and I don’t get down on myself if I do a little cheating here and there.
3. Another lesson I learned is that some people are just a lost cause. You can try all you want to please everyone but at what cost and why? There are people in my life who make me feel worthless and that isn’t right. People should never treat anyone like they are nothing because they don’t meet your expectations. I am who I am and I’m okay with me. I’m not perfect, I say and do stupid stuff all the time, I embarrass myself, I have regrets but I’m okay. There isn’t anything wrong with me but there might be something wrong with your expectations of me or that you have any expectations of me at all.

How are you different between this past month and the month before it?

I don’t know if I’m any different or if my life is just different. I feel more settled and my relationship with Nick is the best it’s ever been. The kids are doing really well and I just want this to stay the same forever.

What or who are you especially grateful for this past month?

This may sound weird, but Odin’s best friend. Odin has always had friends at school but after moving to Minnesota from Washington it was very hard on him. It took him much longer to make friends in his new school than in previous schools and Nick and I were worried about Odin all the time. Once Odin made friends things drastically improved.

Now that the school year ended, Nick and I just assumed that Odin wouldn’t see his best friend very much. Although they don’t see each other everyday they have been spending quite a bit of time together and are even planning a sleepover which will be a first for Odin. His friend even brought a group of boys over to our house just to introduce them to Odin. I’m so grateful he found his tribe and I hope they stay friends for years to come.

Name three things you can improve on next month. What are some concrete actions you can take to work towards these improvements?

1. Having better habits or routines. I still struggle with this one, and I don’t know why. Knowing that I like structure in my life, but creating a structure has been hard for me. A concrete action I could take is to create my own routine without counting on others to help me create that structure. That means that my habits shouldn’t be dependent on what others are doing around me. I need to do what I need to do, and maybe if they see what I’m doing, they will be motivated to create their own routine as well.
2. Although my diet has gotten significantly better, my exercise hasn’t improved at all. I live a sedentary lifestyle like a lot of people, but I know that I need to move each day. I want to incorporate some exercise into my daily routine. That means walking every day and working out a couple of days a week.
3. I need to work on getting out of my comfort zone. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing a day that scares you.” I don’t feel the need to do one scary thing a day, but I do want to do one scary thing a week. To me, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to jump out of an airplane or find a VI class rapid to go rafting down but just doing the small things that make me uncomfortable. Like having a difficult conversation or just talking to people I don’t know and maybe raft down a II class rapid just for good measure.

From 1-10, how do you feel overall about this past month?

Overall, I would give June a 7 out of 10. It was a chaotic month but still a good month. I can only think of one thing I would have changed, and that is how much we spent in June but other than that it was a great month and I’m happy with it, but I’m also excited for July.