The importance of being present + April recap

I’ve been reflecting this past weekend on this current quarantine season. There have been many feelings and emotions the past couple months – frustration, uncertainty, irritability, anger. And more positively – hope, happiness, contentment and ease. Many of them conflict. The organized person in me wants to make sense of it all, but instead of diving into that whirlpool, I am going to acknowledge the beauty of simplicity. While this virus is more complicated than known, this quarantine season has resurfaced the importance of being present.

A simple act of showing up is often buried in our fast paced, go-mode world. From long todo lists, meetings, quick dine in and outs, multi-tasking .. we may be there, but not all the way there. I know I am not the only Mom who’s titled herself a master multitasker. If I am not cooking dinner, whilst teaching the days lesson on high frequency words, and simultaneously planning tomorrow’s grocery list than who am I? I won’t discredit that feeling of accomplishment; It does feel pretty damn good getting things done, does it not?

Awards aside, there’s more to this drive and face pace than feeling accomplished. This go-mode is intentional. And whether we like to admit it or not, we ‘keep going’ to satisfy something. Whether that be someone’s approval, promotion, hitting a goal, or even our own search for happiness.

The social run of our society fuels our quest. Our ability to make an appointment, attend that meeting, grocery shop, go to the gym, or even get our hair or nails done – pushes us into auto pilot. And sadly, the transition from one task to the next turns quick. When we are stripped of our extras and life on convenience, we are naturally forced to be present. There’s no transition of one thing to the next. Just a simple stand still. And what I’ve noticed – while lacking all those extras – is that happiness and satisfaction is found when I stop believing it is somewhere else. It’s here, at home.

I’ve seen happiness in something so simple as Ellie’s smile. It lights up the room – tho I’ve opted a blind eye. I am always going. Always doing something. Always running an errand or planning my next todo. “Mom’s always busy”, they say. I may work from home, but I am always in go-mode, always in the office. Always somewhere else. If I stop to really look at her – those dimples, teal eyes, long lashes, her grown out hair. I’ll listen and actually enjoy that chatter I’ve tuned out so many times. She’ll talk (and talk, and talk) about the silliest things. The birds, and flowers, her day .. her smile becomes contagious. Being present surfaces a happiness and a heart of gratitude that I otherwise dismiss whilst busy. It may have taken a governed pause to recognize, but it’s surely something I won’t take lightly in the future. There’s beauty in simplicity, happiness in the present, and visibly more when minimal.

I know many states are lifting this stay at home order soon and this new normal we’ve grown somewhat accustomed to will be labeled our plan B. And tho I’ll be glad to resume a few extras into my day, I hope that being present is something I prioritize over any material distraction or expectation. How about you?

All said, it only makes sense to include our monthly blog recap in today’s post! ICYM any of my posts here in April, I’ve recapped them below. I shared an updated skin care routine, rounded up Amazon vacation favorites, styled casual outfits for Allume and curated an at-home mini capsule.

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MY UPDATED SKIN CARE ROUTINE

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ALLUME GUEST STYLIST

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AMAZON VACAY HAUL | APRIL FAVORITES

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MINI AT-HOME CAPSULE | SAVE VS. SPLURGE

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If you’ve noticed I haven’t been posting nearly as often on Instagram. Image quality and feed aesthetic is important to me. I haven’t been able to meet with my photographer, so I’ve limited photos to post. And if I am being really honest, I just haven’t felt like it. My focus (and mind) has really been elsewhere. I feel universally more are watching stories rather than scrolling these days, anyhow.

More so – For the longest time, I held the strictest standard when it comes to posting on my feed. I felt the need to post. Yes, consistency drives success but I don’t want to post just for the sake of posting. I want the content shared on my feed to be top notch, never mediocre. And it may not seem like it, tho a lot goes into posting on the feed. Taking the photo, editing, linking the items, writing the caption, tagging, hashtags.. it’s never a quick tap and done. If I am to prioritize the present, there may be days when I just don’t get to that ‘end of day’ post todo, and that’s okay. It goes back to letting go of those expectations and accepting where I am at and how I am feeling. We are all doing the best we can, and we need to give ourselves a little grace. And choosing to post every other day may just be the grace I need this season.

All said, instead of sharing each individual look shared in April, I’ve rounded up the top 5. Ya’ll gave these the most love! Outfits are linked with sizing details below each image!