Soft Launch
Well hey! So, sort of some big news…
Today I am posting my 191st cold plunge on TikTok and YouTube. That part isn’t the big news, but let’s take a moment and celebrate 191 cold plunges!
👏👏👏👏👏
Okay, the moment has passed. In this video, I soft launch a few things, all at once, which… may not have been very strategic of me. That’s alright! Messy work is better than no work at all, in this instance. Let’s dig a little more into the three things I share in the video.
The first idea I introduce is switching my video format from vertical to horizontal. This would cater to viewers who watch my content on YouTube on a TV, for the most part. I really enjoy sharing my cold plunges on TikTok; that platform is the genesis of my regular, almost-daily posting habit, and I want to honor that and continue posting on that platform. Likely, I will start recording both ways using my phone and my camera, and work at editing on my PC. If you are reading this and watch my videos and have a preference, I would love to know what it is! Let me know in the comments below.
The second new idea was doing a “Top 3” list, and perhaps continuing that trend on Tuesdays. This was recorded on a Tuesday eight days ago, so I’ve already missed this week. However, I did like the organized sharing of thoughts, as well as actually talking about things that are on my mind instead of lamenting about the obvious intensity of the water temperature I am submerged in. I am open to your feedback about this video concept as well, so please share your thoughts!
The third new thing I soft-, but sort of hard-, launch in that video is my website- this blog, here. I encourage the viewing audience to come check it out, which is a pretty big deal, as I’ve been working on my website (in several different versions) since 2021 and haven’t whispered a peep of it to anyone but my husband. I guess you could say, things are getting pretty serious.
So! If you don’t know me, please check out my bio and read a bit more about why the heck I’m doing this in the first place.
In the spirit of brevity, I’m going to conclude this post. If you watch the videos I post, let me know what you think about my two video ideas! Consider this an invitation to check out my YouTube channel, Living With Christy (if you haven’t watched yet).
Until the next one,
Christy
Power? I Barely Know Her...
Sometimes things pop up, seemingly out of the blue, and we are forced into figuring out how to handle them.
Yesterday morning, a storm developed suddenly and caused damage to homes, trees, and power lines in the area I live.
This caused our home, among others, to lose electricity indefinitely.
My husband and I slept on the living room floor last night, in front of the window AC unit we plugged into our noisy generator. I’m very grateful for our noisy generator, as it has kept the perishable food in our refrigerator/freezer from ruin.
The floor was hard, and it was difficult to sleep last night. It felt odd to sleep in a room other than our bedroom, and our cats shared in the confusion of the disruption of our home’s normal flow.
Pete, our large, long-hair white cat, went back and forth between rubbing his nose on my face and climbing onto my husband’s back. He was rather confused at the whole situation.
We are in a much better situation than many, and I hope our power will be restored today. Sleeping on the floor has left me feeling a bit fatigued, so I’m a bit “low energy” overall.
If something goes awry today, or things don’t quite go your way, I encourage you to move through the disruption with grace. We must continue on, despite the setbacks and difficulties, so let us proceed with shoulders back and eyes lifted.
I will also be proceeding through this particular day with caffeine and some Tylenol.
Until tomorrow,
Christy
Monday Scaries
Yes, the “Sunday Scaries” are a real thing. These feelings of anxiety and dread about the upcoming week are very real! The appointments, the meetings, the jam-packed schedules, the minimal down time, the end of free time as we know it once 6 AM Monday arrives…
Okay, that last part was a bit dramatic.
Perhaps you’ve experienced them, or can relate to the feeling? I didn’t realize the “Sunday Scaries” was a thing until I read the term on social media, about 8 years ago. Upon learning this phrase, I have grown to identify with it increasingly.
I’m a homebody. Most times I enjoy being at my house, like this little cartoon depicts. I would love to be that person who enjoys being out and about and active with their time. Realistically, I find myself wanting to wind down at home.
It’s not that I feel true fear of what is to come in the fresh week that is to come. It’s more a sense of nervousness; as though I anticipate that Monday begins with a tidal wave of big, complicated problems that will need to be sorted out at the speed of light. By the time the fires from the weekend are under control, the newness of the week and the demands that come with it are in full force.
These feelings, just for one day, are enough for me to propose a shift in the term: rather than solely calling Sunday “Scary”, I would suggest Monday is the worse of the two.
Sundays still feel full of hope to me, in a way. While there is a tinge of sadness and dread, Sunday comes with a feeling of freshness; the time to prepare for the week is here!
An ideal, successful Sunday, for me, includes:
going to the grocery store/restocking the fridge and pantry
meal-prepping for the week
cleaning the kitchen and dishes and putting everything away
catching up all of the laundry
washing and replacing the bedding
dusting and wiping down surfaces
vacuuming and mopping the floors
planning out the week’s tasks, to-do’s, appointments, meetings, etc.
Notice I stated this would be an ideal, successful Sunday. This doesn’t mean that my Sundays include all of the above. I would like for them to!
It’s hard to be consistent and spontaneous. I like to be spontaneous, but at this point in my life I am not set up to have a lot of spontaneity.
With the weight of the personal projects I am working on, and the growing desire to devote more of my time and energy into these projects, I am in desperate need of a schedule- a routine that will help me get the things done that I want to do.
A white board would likely help in this scenario. I want to go home and white-board out what I need to be doing/getting done and get my priorities in focus.
Divine Timing
While listening to a podcast yesterday, I heard a speaker share an idea that instantly stuck with me.
The context was the timing of her having children, later in life. She said that she hadn’t been fully healed (or, healed enough) from the traumas and the experiences she had gone through earlier in life, so the timing for her to have her two babies was absolutely divine.
Conscious of this or not, she hadn’t been ready- emotionally or otherwise- to fully be the parent that she wanted to be. The fact that she did not have children earlier in life, despite her wanting them when she was younger, felt like blessed timing to her.
It replenished hope in the idea of divine timing for me. I am a woman of faith, and I believe that I am not missing out on anything that God has in store for me. I also believe that He is never late, and He is never early- His timing is absolutely perfect and specific for my life and the plans He has for me.
Be encouraged- if you are waiting for something, or hoping for what feels far away or impossible… the timing might not be right, or your blessing might be right around the corner.
Until tomorrow,
Christy