Tuesday Tidbits Volume 1 Edition 1 Whatever 1 (It's the First. It May be the Last).

 "Your life is your last week."- Brian Dixon, Hope*writers

This quote was on an episode of a podcast I listened  and it really made me think. The podcast was about using Instagram to increase your platform if you're a writer (did you know I was a writer? Well... I'm not published but I'm striving to be a writer so I'm listening to and reading all the things about writing). I can remember when Caleb was younger and he would delete all of his Instagram posts every few days because it wasn't his "aesthetic". Apparently, that's a real thing. (Not deleting your posts. Having an aesthetic, a certain look to your Instagram). 

Anyhow, Dixon was talking about how if you wanted to know what was important to anyone who posts on Instagram in a snapshot of time, you can look back at their last nine pictures. We post about what we care about, so if you only post a pic a day to Instagram, your top nine pictures (which usually show up on the screen when you access through your phone) tell your followers what is important to you. Obviously, we don't all live on Instagram... or we shouldn't... and we also know that we post through the filter of trying to make ourselves look better, but... 

In using that as an analogy for life, what we do in the past week makes up our life... because each week builds upon the next. On thinking about that quote, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Is this a reflection of my life? A TRUE reflection of what I'd like my priorities to be? Did I spend my time the way I wanted? If not, how can I change that?"

This summer I've been trying to establish a routine. I'm doing some freelance work with a textbook company, so I don't really have the summer completely off, plus I'm finishing up a Pathophysiology class (prayers, please! I have a final tomorrow!). I figure a routine will help ensure I get done what needs to get done, while still giving me plenty of time to read, write, float in the pool, spend time with family, and other things that I really do want to be my priorities for self-care. 

Challenge: Look at your schedule/planner/Instagram feed and see if it reflects what you want to be a priority. If not, what do you need to remove or add? 

Quote I read on a post on Facebook- not sure of the source- "Imagine how dark the sky would be if there was only one star"

I've seen a lot of talk recently about comparison and encouraging each other. I'm a cheerleader at heart, so I want to be your biggest cheerleader! It's important that we spur one another along. It's even Biblical... there's a verse in Ecclesiastes about two being better than one so that if one falls there is somebody to help them up. I thought this quote was a beautiful example of that.  Too often we feel that if somebody is doing somhething, it may negate what we are doing, but that is so far from the truth.  We need each other... each one of us unique! 

Just to Make You Smile

Let me preface this by saying that I am not an animal lover. 

This cute, adorable face is Ellie. She causes me to have a crick in my neck most mornings because she likes to sleep on my head She also likes to read my Kindle when I reading in the dark. She wakes up at 1 AM and wants to play with her toys and is afraid of thunderstorms. It's like having a baby in the house again... but gosh how I love this dog. 

What I Read This Week

Come back at the beginning of August to get my reviews. 

The beginning of August... school supplies. Syllabi. Actual work clothes....

Oh my!