trajectory of a life

what a difference a week can make. post-work me last Friday was nothing short of devastated. I had experienced a week that made me reconsider my recent career move — and basically all decisions I had made within the past month. it was rough.

while this week wasn’t perfect (is it ever?), when my head hit the pillow last night I felt accomplished and satisfied. there was one particular day I felt particularly overwhelmed but I communicated such with my boss and colleagues and it really helped. <insert lesson in vulnerability here> the following day, I printed a picture of a simple outline of an elephant and hung it in my cube, which will serve as my one-bite-at-a-time reminder. (side note: I love this sentiment but wish it could be applied to something other than an elephant — or, really, any animal. but at this time, and because it’s very relevant to a certain project I’m attempting to tackle, I went with the elephant.)

something else I did this week was to finally bring in some books and other items in an attempt to transform my new work space into something a bit more personal. it worked for now (work in progress) but made me realize I need to dedicate some time to familiarizing myself with my new office because the campus is really amazing and there are so many spaces of which I could take advantage instead of being chained to my desk. this will be a goal for the coming week.

another happy moment of note was finally spending some time outside on my new patio. since purchasing my home in 2013, I had dreamed of transforming the backyard into a usable space dedicated to relaxing, hosting friends and, of course, reading. I finally made it a priority this summer after watching what little grass I did have die and be replaced with weeds, resulting in a pretty undesirable state. yes, furniture is still needed to meet the ultimate goal, but a camping chair (or, whatever it’s called) did the trick just fine last night, allowing me to spend my evening reading and enjoying the space. it really is the little things.

“Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. Our fires are damped. Our drafts are checked. We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources.” ~William James, The Energies of Men

week in review
this week’s intention: patience
last week’s gratitude: TDP
what I’m reading: Ancillary Justice + Grit
hosted monthly Denver Creates writing group + wrote
enjoyed lunch + time with TSGT friends
drinks in Boulder +  time catching up a friend who recently moved
completed my civic duty by spending a day in the jury lounge
continued Italy planning
brunch with one of my favorite people
dinner + drinks with two of my favorite siblings
supported TDP in his new career adventure
Geniecast promotions
read a lot (continued gratitude to RTD for providing this time during my commutes)
wrote + posted silver linings
gutters cleaned + bad sod replaced
completed all required trainings – yay! (work)
productive + satisfying work week
connected with new colleagues
phone time with my sweet niece
yummy Tuscan dinner in the ‘hood with my TDP
weekday lunch + catching up with a good friend
reading time on my new patio
attempted to complete transfers of retirement accounts (harder than expected)
created August goals
locked myself out of the house 😦
yard work
continued writing project + one-year challenge
wrote + posted week in review + self forgiveness

weekend happenings + goals
dinner with friends
finalize Italy planning
Sunday funday with one my oldest friends
complete new budget + retirement planning (holdover from last week)
donate huge box of books to library
relax + read
move my body + walk/run