First impression of my SWITCH

Beginning of October I started a self-development training which has been making me think quite a lot about how my brain works, what scares me or moves me, and is helping me identifying the moments I feel my best and that I should pursue and those that suck my energy and that need to be minimized.

Week-end in Venezia, Italy

Last week-end was our last trip abroad for a while. I said that Tallahassee was our last holiday because although we went to Venice, Italy, it was only to help my mom on a wedding she was organizing and in fact did not really have the chance to visit the city!

Wedding week-end in Tallahassee

A week ago I was just back from Tallahassee, Florida, where I spent 4 days for my oldest cousin’s wedding, hereby concluding 2018 wedding season.

September’s resolutions & New routine

I have a tendency of being over excited about anything new  and then completely leave it after some time of intense dedication to it (be it a project, a hobby, a routine). I wouldn’t say that I am not consistent with my activities, just that when I start something I also plunge into it at 120% and dedicate all my free time to it (like I did for knitting & crochet for 4 months) and then I leave those activities completely, most probably because of intellectual exhaustion. However, some only temporarily. I am excited by trying new things, but there are hobbies that I actually love for what they are and which I pursue on more normal way after the first excitement. Hence the danger of September, a perfect month for resolutions after a slow Summer, which for me is basically a free ticket to make-your-schedule-as-exciting-as-you-want-everything-is-possible! Works for January too…

Today I discovered the Slow Cosmétique movement

Until a few days ago I was completely obnoxious regarding aromatherapy, self-made cosmetiques and essential oils. It seemed a lot like black magic to me (how can a few drops of something like essential oils be that powerful??) which really made no sense since I love DIY and learning new things. Why didn’t I look into it sooner?

Wandering on the 15th of August

For the (very small) minority of people who was NOT on holidays last week, when most of the people in France (and in Europe) were, it has felt like living in an end-of-the-world movie, wandering around a city with most of the local stores closed, free parking spots everywhere and, for the lucky ones, the temporary closing of the bar in front of my window doing karaoke nights every single day.

Back on 5 months full of projects…to be continued

After being away for almost  5 months, today is the day I am back to being a blogger. I have missed the creativity flow of writing every day and still I needed the time. I had so much going on I had to cut on some activities and although this would have been a great thing to have as I can share feelings and write about anything, I had zero creativity as my mind was concentrated for months on organising and planning.

Week 52 – Preparing Next Year’s Challenges

My 52nd challenge has been about carefully chosing my New Year’s resolutions, keeping in mind my experience of a year of weekly challenges that have more or less been achieved. Initially I wanted to look back at all the moments where I could have pushed myself more and that I could improve this year, like finding a job that fulfills me, learn to master a very expensive drawing tablet I got for my birthday, writing regularly on this blog instead of posting the 52nd challenge in February.

I certainly could have done more, but I could have also been less happy by pressuring myself even more than I did! Instead, I would like to write about 2 things that I read that have greatly helped me understand where my focus should stand this year.

Week 51 – The End of year of Challenges

It is good to challenge yourself but it is even greater, from time to time, to pause and look around at what you have accomplished. Writing the 52 Weeks Challenge in 2017 has been at times my salvation: at the start, I needed to share my pain and then, quickly enough, my happiness, share what I did to get back on track, what anyone could do to change things that aren’t working (starting with getting some help from a book, a friend or a stranger) but mostly show that one year can change a lot of things.

Week 50 – Finishing the year with some cultural activities

By the end of 2017 I could see all Christmas dinners and gifts shopping time piling up while the weather was getting colder and colder and I only thought about staying home and watching movies all evening. Then, I came accross some discounts on popular plays and I remembered that I actually like going to the theatre and that it is also a nicer way of spending a romantic evening than watching a movie while eating crisps and candies lying on the couch.