Hi, there. I realize it has been ages since I last posted but, to be honest, social media has been the last thing on my mind recently. Normally I try to keep things really light on here (it is a blog about things that make me happy after all), but recently I haven't been feeling very sunny so I have kept quiet until I felt up to the task of being the obsessive, colorful person you have come to know.
It's been a tough year for the hubby and me. (Note: I have the best person by my side I could ask for; nothing like a few dozen crises to make you realize how much you can't live without someone.) We have faced a lot of professional challenges this year that have tested our fortitude, self-assurance and conviction. I am proud to say that we have both come out on top and are each looking forward to starting new exciting jobs in the very near future. For me, however, that means an insane push to the finish line with my dissertation, a push that has been incredibly stressful, a bit chaotic, and largely overwhelming. I am continuing to move forward and check things off my to do list, but sometimes it is hard to keep from getting knocked out by the tidal wave of work left to do in a very short amount of time.
On top of that I have been facing some upsetting health issues for the past several weeks that have really thrown me (and the hubby) for a loop. It's been hard to work through them (in fact, I am still working through them) and manage to stay productive and upbeat. Some days, hey sometimes most days, I just want to curl up at home with a Netflix marathon and pretend nothing's happening, nothing is on my to do list, no major life changes are barreling down on me.
But that only works for so long, right?
So I am checking in today—possibly one of the few times for the rest of the summer—to give myself (and you, by association) a public pep talk. Life stinks sometimes. It's messy and painful and stressful and—worst of all—often completely out of your control (remember the obsessive part of my title?). But giving up will get you nowhere and its how you handle the tough parts of life that define who you are and help you be grateful for the countless things in life that are good (and I have so many things to be grateful for on that end). So today's 'Off the Wall' desktop download is a quote by William Shakespeare. I am going to put it on my computer for the next several weeks and use it as a mantra as I work to get healthy and work to get this dissertation done. Because we all need a little reminder of what we are capable of now and then, don't you think?
Thanks for reading this update. If you want to download the wallpaper (for free) you can do so here:
Have a great week!
