Back today with another ‘worth mentioning’ post. When I introduced this format last fall my intention was to share quick and fun hits- a new pair of shoes I am loving, a tv show/podcast/ album/movie, a recipe or a new work out. The format has spiraled into an easy to digest temperature check on life. See here- where we started in October and here my most recent dispatch.
Today definitely falls into that reimagined category. These are thoughts and ideas that have been swimming around in my head lately. Some maybe worthy of a full post, let me know what resonates in the comments. And some more casual convo. With that in mind please enjoy July’s round up for Worth Mentioning.
1. A FINANCIAL AWAKENING I had a realization recently while trying to fall asleep. I often attribute my new-ish consumption mindset to living in Mexico and embracing a slower lifestyle, but that is not 100% the reason for the shift. I realized, in bed that night, that six years after leaving my corporate job I no longer have reliable or regular pockets of disposable just for fun income to fuel regular trips to Nordstrom or The Yo! Store. And as I was trying my hardest to fall asleep that hit me like a ton of bricks. I am not sure what I can truly connect that to or why this aha moment occurred, but it was actually kind of sobering. Knowing that my income is directly connected or dependent on my output, my networking, my outreach, my visibility, the scale at which my clients operate, the list goes on. I think I have subconsciously reprioritized the things that don’t rely on me operating at FULL capacity in order to free myself from needing to operate at 100% ALL THE TIME. If this topic tickled your brain in a certain way, I wrote about my consumerism and consumption earlier this year here and here.
2. THIS IS JUST A BLOG I am comfortably in the routine of writing each week. It feels good. It feels cathartic and I like showing up here. I have observed a lot of peers on this platform working hard to define their niche or make sure that their consumer value is as clear as possible. As a reader I can appreciate this. So I want to do the same. My substack, this substack, is just a public journal. I can forget that sometimes and get caught up in the gamification of the platform (ranked newsletters, monetization, notes, chats, etc.) But spoiler alert: this is a personal blog and I am 1000% ok with that.
3. WORK LIFE Returning to Portland each summer is good for business. I am more visible, more available and hungry to start new projects. The problem is everyone else is also on summer mode. I am waiting to hear back from a handful of potential clients, equal parts excited and anxious. One project would be essentially full-time for a handful of months. The project and team are exciting. Yet I already know I’ll miss the flexibility the second I don’t have it anymore.
4. PARENTING SOS Since returning to Portland, I have been solo parenting (with the built in support of summer camps & our Nanny M-F- thank god!) four out of the past five weeks. Mike has one more week in Mexico City for a shoot and then I hope his work has him sticking around a little more consistently! As I mentioned last week Felix is not really taking to bedtime at all. And weekends with the boys and no Mike are killer.
Although I can report that I was very impressed the other night when I took an important call just as we walked into a taco spot for dinner. I was caught up in troubleshooting and pacing outside the restaurant. I came inside to see where they had ended up and realized that they had ordered for themselves at the counter and were happily and peacefully seated eating their tacos. I didn’t realize my quick call had taken 20 minutes. Whoops!
5. SEASONAL DEPRESSION June gloom showed up late last week. We went from 90 degree beautiful days to a stormy weekend and 61 degrees at noon. I am so offended by this false show of Summer. The lack of blue skies and sunshine really affects my outlook, my motivation and my sanity. Can we please make the glorious summer that I literally pack up my life for happen already!? PS I miss my tan sun-kissed Mexican reflection in the mirror.
Thanks for reading. Have a great long firework and hot dog weekend. I’ll be celebrating all of this on Saturday and Felix turns FIVE on Sunday so its a big weekend around here. Tell me in the comments what resonates or what you want more of from me. Some of these feel like full posts waiting to happen.
xx LL
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