Introducing The “Sunday Spotlights” Series

Introducing Sunday Spotlights

One of my favorite bloggers has a series called “Sunday Spotlights” where she’s able to chat about things going on in her life, the world, and share any continued discussions from social media (like linking resources, elaborating on questions, etc.). I enjoy reading these posts because and thought you might too. And so, this series, Sunday Spotlights, is similar to my monthly newsletters (sign up at the end of this post) and is a place where I can share the little things in life that don’t quite make it into a standalone blog post feature. I’m excited to use this space as a weekly digital diary and document what I’m discovering, enjoying, and how I’m challenged. I hope you will enjoy this blog post breaking up the larger topics that we talk about on this space too! 🙂

I mentioned in my March monthly newsletter that this space will be transforming a bit. I started my blog in January of 2014. Over the last 7 years this digital space has transformed as I have. The constant thread which is woven into each year and connects them is my passion and interest for social change. I felt very helpless in 2014 and overwhelmed with all of the things that were going wrong in the world and I wanted to do something––anything to help and make a difference. I learned there was something powerful in making that change I had overlooked. Utilizing my voice. And so, these last 7 years I have written articles about the topics, fun ways, businesses, and activities I’ve participated in and learned about that make a difference in our world. Towards the end of 2019, I began learning more about the state of the Earth. I had heard these buzz words around the internet and social groups: “sustainability”, “carbon footprint”, “the ozone layer”, etc. I nodded along and understood about 1% but I wanted to learn more. And so, began my journey of understanding my personal impact on the world and the purchasing power (we’ll talk more about this in a few weeks). On the blog, within the monthly newsletters, and via the posts on my social media, I invite you to join me on my journey of learning how to live more eco-friendly and positively impact the Earth and its inhabitants. I hope the topics I discuss, the easy-to-understand, budget-friendly, and fun strategies/resources I share will inspire you to also begin your journey.

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is one of the resources I’ve been using to increase my understanding of the environment and learn exactly how the choices I’m making and my life impact the world and the species in it. They have a phenomenal campaign going called “Rewild Our World”. The mission is to have one million people better connected to nature. Talk about a large goal! They have kids activity pages to print off for free, fun factsheets, and a 13k race + more!

Scroll to the end for:

• Encouragement for the week ahead

• Journaling prompt

Reflecting On This Past Week + Weekend

It wouldn’t be a Sunday spotlights post without shedding light on some of the week’s main events.

Antique pickup

This weekend my mom and I picked up my new table and chair set from Affordable Antiques. I’ve been having a difficult time working from home and have been uncomfortable with my current workspace setup––despite rearranging and purchasing new back supports. The past few months I’ve ended up forgoing my desk workspace all together and have taken over the dining room table. This was working for a while, but the table is rather high which isn’t great for longterm working and typing. My shoulders and wrists were hurting a lot. I love the functionality of working at a table versus a desk because I like being upstairs and caught in between two windows of sunshine instead of in my office in the basement.

Office & Home Gym Setup

And so, this discovery of my best working conditions inspired a bit of a mini home renovation (minus the demolition). The basement office is now a gym and my office is now in the nook off of the kitchen that never quite fit anything. It’s more o a breakfast/working space hybrid. I was in the antique shop (with a mask and distancing) and saw this small round table with four chairs and immediately knew this would fit the space and my needs. The set was under my budget, the ideal height, provided functionality aside from being cute. Plus, I like the idea of having a work space that doesn’t scream “office furniture”. A lot of the design inspiration I’ve found online were people using wooden tables as a desk and I think it looks so chic. If you’re a big Pinterest fan, follow me on the platform. I post a lot of interior photos, fashion, and travel. The interior board is my most popular with 9 million monthly viewers!

I’ve used the home gym (which sounds way more fancy than it is as of now) to complete three workouts and I really like the space. It’s a tiny oddly shaped room in the basement that is too small for a guest room and didn’t work as the office. There aren’t any windows in that room and I felt like I was working in a dungeon. I was so uninspired and felt “blah” being in the room without sunshine for so many hours a day. But, as a gym it’s perfect––no distractions for me to focus on instead of my workouts. I have a yoga section where I do most of my workouts on. I like standing on it while I do dumbbell exercises and bodyweight. The cushion of the mat (I use this one and have had it for 8 years.) I also have a spot for the elliptical and folded up, it fits wonderfully along this little half wall. I’m also debating on getting the peloton because I want to get better at cardio and I love cycling. Will keep you posted on this.

Thinking About Big Decisions

I wasn’t sure if I was going to include this in the Sunday Spotlights, but I figured it was a part of what I’ve been up to the past seven days, so why not? This week I spent time thinking about the future and what I keep landing on. The last few months I’ve been interested in going back to school. I took the steps this week to call and schedule a remote session to learn more about the requirements, schedule testing for the program I’d be interested in joining, and venturing out to see what this path would look like for me.

This Week’s Favorites

What I’m Watching:

Of course Chicago PD (love this show). I’ve been into Amazon Prime Video a lot lately. I used to think it was an inconvenience but 2020 changed by mind about it. As much as I didn’t want to subscribe to a channel or purchase a season of a show, I quite enjoy it…at least for crime shows. I rewatch those a lot versus dramas or movies. I didn’t know that when you purchase a season that’s currently airing, when the episodes are live, they will pop up next to watch. I find this quite convenient since I don’t have. DVR and usually miss the live episodes when they air. I find this helpful with shows that originally aired in other countries or are on GMT––like A Discovery Of Witches. I mentioned this show in my March newsletter and I LOVE it. It’s based on a book series (which I also want to read). They also filmed at Oxford University in the UK and the scenery is absolutely STUNNING! I’ve never wanted to teleport into a TV world more than when I watch this show.

Podcasts I’m listening To:

I’ve been diving into more podcasts. I’ve fallen a bit behind and haven’t had this in my routine since Summer. My favorites are On Purpose With Jay Shetty and Eat Blog Talk. My IG friend who runs WhatsHotBlog (a book/literary culture blog) recommended this podcast to me and I’ve been bingeing it.

Random Household Favorites:

My best friend Rachel and I are trying to get bette at putting ourselves first. We noticed that a lot of the times (like 75.9%) we’re sacrificing our energy, time, skills to pour into others and we’re operating on nearly empty. This isn’t healthy or sustainable long term. We both love helping and being team platers, but in order for us to really show up in those areas/roles, we need to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves and that we’re around not exhausted or sick to do the tasks. Rachel and I have been determined to find a routine that works with our days and makes us feel like we have more of a balance between our responsibilities, volunteering, work, and relationships. As part of my hunt for the new routine I’ve been testing out what it looks like to include new winding down rituals into my nightly routine. I’ve discovered that I absolutely love reading by candlelight or journaling with the candles lit/ spending time in the candlelight. My mom is letting me borrow her vintage 10 candle holder until I find one of my own.

I purchased a few vintage single candle holders this weekend and plan on doing more research this upcoming week about the most eco-friendly candles to use. I ended up purchasing these Beeswax candles with a 7 hour burn time last week and like them, but I was talking with Rachel (aka the candle queen) and she said soy candles might be more sustainable. I’m going to have to investigate to make sure that when I’ve used up these candles, I’m replacing them with something less harmful.

Looking To The Week Ahead:

As we enter a new week AND a new month, I encourage you to stop and reflect. You can write this down on a piece of paper, use these as discussion points with friends/family/loved ones or think on these independently or with your therapist. I’m trying to get better at carving out intentional space each week and month to pause and think on what worked, what didn’t, and set intentions for the days ahead. Within each of my Sunday Spotlights post, I will have this section where we can not only reflect but look forward to something.

Ask Yourself:

1. What did I learn this month?

2. What did I accomplish this month?

3. Where is my time and energy being spent?

4. What things may be holding me back?

5. What do I enjoy spending my time and energy on?

6. What do I want to accomplish this week?

7. How do I want to fill this month?

This Week’s Intention/Mantra:

“I am making the brave decision to keep going anyway”. –Morgan Harper Nichols

Subscribe To The Sunday Spotlight Series

Enter your email in the box below to be notified when I published the next post in the Sunday Spotlights series.