Balance, hard work, and play…

Posted by random olio

Does your life ever feel balanced? Often one thing or another is out of whack. Either we are working too much, or someone is consuming our time, or we are socializing too much and we feel the effects of the imbalance in our life. Yesterday’s Daily Om on balance hit home for me because it has always been something I have struggled with – finding a balance in my life. I love this quote from this Daily Om:

“Balance is the state that you achieve when all of the aspects of your life and self are in harmony. Your life force flows in a state of equilibrium because nothing feels out of sync. While balance is necessary to have a satisfying, energetic, and joyful life, only you can determine what balance means to you.”

Why does finding a balance seem to be so hard for so many? Is it because we have high aspirations and want to accomplish so much in our lives? Do we say yes to all things we are interested in, and there truly is not enough time in the day? There are days when I work long hours, write my blog, spend time with Chris, go for my run (and read at the same time) and crawl into bed and in a few short minutes I am asleep. I love all the different activities that fill my life, but there are times when too much feels like too much.

My issue might be that I immerse myself in the world I am in. I work hard. I have high expectations for myself. I do not like to give up. Ever. If only I could have high expectations for play. For learning how to relax. Chris does a great job at pushing me to relax each day, but it is something that I need to learn to also balance on my own. I often ask myself: Why is it so hard to relax? How can I better learn how to balance my life between work and play?

What do you do to find a balance in your life?

Tears of gratitude…

Posted by random olio

Chris and I moved over the weekend. I had not mentioned it before because it is not official until it is OFFICIAL! Saturday morning Chris was meeting the movers, and I was getting the keys to our new place. On my drive over it was pouring down rain. Ah, Portland fall weather. Everyone is driving under the speed limit. Ah, Portland fall weather…

In any case, I am driving to our new place, and Bob Marley comes on the radio, and I start to cry. Now, here is the thing. I do not cry that often. When I do it usually hits me hard. At first I cannot figure out why I am crying. I think oh it is this mellow song. Then I think oh you are just utterly exhausted. Then it hits me.

They are tears of gratitude. Oh gosh, they are coming down now as I write this blog post. Gratitude of the adventure that Chris and I just started. Each step we take in life together is always better than the last experience. We have been living in a townhouse, so buying a house has been something we have wanted to do for a few years. The real estate market had not been in our favor, but that has gradually changed. Without boring you with all the details, we just purchased a beautiful house.

What brought tears to my eyes was the excitement for what is next, gratitude for how smooth the transaction went, and awe of what “home” will be for many years to come. Lastly, I think the tears were just a glimpse of what my life was as a child to now. It is not that I never had an imagination for what was possible as a kid, but my life has given me so much more than I could have ever imagined growing up poor in the Midwest. I am so grateful for what life has given me. My husband, my family, my job, my home. Tears of gratitude. I wiped them away, and drove into my new driveway to meet my realtor.

By the way, if you live in Portland and need an amazing realtor, send me a note.

Clever Halloween…and tasty pumpkin…

Posted by random olio

So for some random reason today I got inspired to dress up for Halloween. I think the last time I dressed up for Halloween was at LEAST ten years ago. However, I cannot decide what I should dress up as. Of course I want to do something unique and original, but I am not sure what. Maybe I should just shave my head and go as Sinead O’Connor. Ha. Not really that original though. I want to do something clever, but somehow I think I have maybe waited to close to Halloween to be able to pull off clever.

So I WELCOME your ideas. Please share your ideas and comments below.

I was in a meeting yesterday and I kept having a craving for pumpkin. Something happens to me at the beginning of October when the leaves start to change colors and crisply fall to the ground. There is a noise of crunching leaves as you walk, a smell in the air, sometimes of fires in fireplaces or just the crispness of autumn. In Portland, there is still the fresh greenness, mixed with the colors, and of course the rain. With all that color and smell, I think of everything tasting of pumpkin. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, squash soup. Yum. I know I wrote about cranberry sauce the other day, but for me that just goes with Thanksgiving. Things with pumpkin I usually want to eat from October through January. Usually when I can no longer order a pumpkin spice latte, I know fall is over and winter has officially begun.

Just finished the loaf of pumpkin bread I made. Time for my next pumpkin recipe.

Happy weekend to you!

“How would you like your Graphic Design?”

Posted by random olio

Recently, I wrote a blog about “The Rule of Two-Thirds.” Last week at work someone shared the below image with me. I love it, because it is visual and it visually goes a bit deeper than The Rule of Two-Thirds. You might have to click on the image to see some of the areas that are in smaller font. It looks like it was originally designed by Colin Harmon, but the link does not work on his site, so I found it on this website for infographics.

How would you like your graphic design?

I like: the fast + great = you get what you pay for. Fast + free = trash. Fast + cheap + great = Impossible Utopia. Fast + cheap = Dipped in ugly sauce with haste and carelessness.

It is a great visual as well as conversation for individuals that ask for marketing or design services and they want it right now, or they want it cheaply. It is a great way to show clients what they will get in return for what they are willing to pay or put forth for your services.

I also think that while this infographic is titled: “How would you like your graphic design?” this infographic could be altered for many different situations.

Enjoy!

Random, coherent, middle of the night ramblings

Posted by random olio

Saturday night I woke up in the middle of the night and made a note of the thoughts that were in my head. When I woke up Sunday morning, this is what the notepad said:

“Think about the past. Strategize about the future. Live in the present.”

Wow. I wish I had more great moments like that when I am awake. Since I feel it is a great idea, I googled it to see if anyone else had that quote, and did not find anything. So maybe I have my first “quote.” Feel free to share.

I have been thinking a lot about who I am, what I believe in, what my mission in life is, and what I stand for. Not only have I been thinking about it, but I have been processing how I might eloquently put it all into words. A few weeks ago, I was doing an activity with my team at work and I had an ah ha moment. You know the kind. If you were on Oprah she might say she got goose bumps. It was a moment of clarity for me. I am not going to share just yet (yes you’ll have to be patient a little longer). I would like to sand the rough edges off my little mission statement. It is not yet ready for consumption.

Do you have your own mission statement? Just a few sentences you can share with others that tells them a lot about you. What are you passionate about, what pisses you off, what motivates you? Once I am done with the sand paper, I will share it here. I would love to hear from others about what steps they have taken to put together their own mission statement.