Life Lately..

Nate and I went out for a date night on Sunday night. It was the loveliest time I’ve had in .. well.. I don’t know how long. We got all fancied up, went to our favorite sushi place, and walked around downtown for a bit. The outdoor ice rink is back for the holidays, so we assumed there would still be more shops open downtown at 7-8PM on a Sunday night but, nope! Even Starbucks was closed! The only thing open was this fancy little martini bar connected to one of the hotels – so we stopped in there for a bit and gazed out of the big windows at all of the people ice skating. And we talked, and that was nice.

I can’t tell you how refreshed I’ve felt this entire week after that one night of stopping and making a point to enjoy spending time together. Over time I’ve found myself just plain annoyed with all tasks required of adult life. Waking up for work, going to work, working out, grocery shopping, cooking, washing my hair, all of it – so horrible, so burdensome. I know that a lot of it had to do with everything going on with my Father-in-law being ill, but honestly I’ve always been that way to a degree. This week has been easier than the others, just from one little date night where we dressed fancier than normal and went somewhere new.

I’ve decided that I need to feel refreshed more often. I need to do things for myself that inspire me and make me feel happy. We can’t always go out on fancy date nights, and it’s really not even about that. It’s about that little spark that comes from doing something that makes you feel alive – learning something new, making something, taking pretty photos, feeling good about yourself, feeling special to your husband. Sunday night I felt special to my husband and even though I always do, it was just different and extra special. I’m going to start focusing on the personal goals within all aspects of my life and start living with a happy heart. Life is too short to sit around thinking about all of the things you want to do and all of the reasons you why you can’t. Just go to the gym and worry about washing your hair later! (Yes really, I have anxiety about avoiding things that will cause me to need to wash my hair.) Download a yoga app on your phone and learn to do yoga! Look up YouTube videos and learn how to play the guitar! Sit down and read a book. Try a new hairstyle. Go to the store and buy things for a new recipe that you’ve been dying to try, even if your husband wont eat it. Go out on a girls night! Just go do it! That’s my new motto! I think it’s a perfect life strategy to adopt on the day before Thanksgiving, don’t you? Time to start living a grateful life!