Random Ramblings
This is the first post back from my impromptu hiatus. To be honest, every Monday and Friday I’ve cringed a little knowing I had not put together a post. There are a ton of things that have factored into this. The two biggest being lack of motivation and feeling discouraged.
Although this blog was started to be my creative space, it was also intended to connect with people. I absolutely love when someone comments on the blog or on the varies social media accounts connected with Lexi & Lady. Without this interaction I wonder why in the world I am pouring so much work into content that goes unnoticed. Occasionally I have a friend or colleague say to me “I love reading your blog.” I’m always shocked because I never know who is reading my content and if they are enjoying it.
Today is simply a random rambling about life and things I’ve been thinking about.
Work
Like most of us, work takes up the majority of our time and energy which is why I’m chatting about it first. My boss has taken on new job responsibilities which requires him to be out of the office often and for extended periods of time. This adds a lot of extra responsibilities to my to-do list. I don’t mind because I like a full plate, but at the end of the day I find myself drained from the constant bombardment of questions from everyone. This lack of energy has also contributed to my lack of blog posts. For awhile I was doing really well with single-tasking, but that’s out the window at this point.
Since we have been an office of 2 staff members (my boss and I) for so long I have faced nearly every student situation imaginable. It is hard to train our new employees on every scenario they may face. My department is very much a learn as you go environment because of the nature of what we do. I often feel like I am failing to prepare them properly, but like I said, it’s a learn as you go thing. That’s how my boss and I learned too.
Health and Wellness
Earlier this month I had the flu and an infection. It was terrible! It has probably been 20 years since I had the flu and I don’t wish that upon anyone. I still have a lingering cough and overall yucky feeling which is keeping me from the gym. Might cough up a lung if I attempt cardio or any of the fitness classes. I certainly don’t feel like myself without the gym so I’m hoping to get back to that schedule next week. Prior to getting sick I was also clean eating which helps me feel 10x better. I love this clean eating taco recipe. Since being sick I haven’t stayed true to my clean eating diet and desperately need to jump back on it. Health and wellness are so important to me.
Dave Ramsey
The hubs and I are following Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. So far our journey has been pretty positive. Having a budget that we have both developed certainly helps. Dave classifies people as “nerds” or “free spirits.” Nerds are those who like the numbers, the spreadsheets, the plan, whereas the free spirit doesn’t want anything to do with the numbers and tends to forget the plan. Read more here. For your reference…I am Type A aka the “nerd” haha I am looking forward to paying off my student loans from grad school 🙂 Hence the lack of fashion posts…new clothes aren’t in the budget.
Underemployment
Up until last week I had never heard the term underemployment, but I listened to an Instagram Live which mentioned the term and I of course Googled it and found this article. Underemployment “can include workers who possess more formal education, higher-level skills, and more extensive work experience than the job requires, workers who are involuntarily employed in a field different than their formal education, workers who are involuntarily employed in a temporary, part-time, or intermittent employment, and workers who earn 20% or less than their previous jobs.” The article goes on to explain that because underemployed are still employed the general public doesn’t consider this to be an issue. However, being underemployed psychologically damages individuals who have “rationalize that they’re broken. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle of shame, hopelessness, and motivation.” This article certainly lead me to think about the millions of people impacted. Truly sad that the world isn’t able to recognize someones talents and experience and reward it.
What’s Next
What’s next? Like I said at the beginning, this is a place I like to connect with people and I haven’t felt that that is being accomplished. I’m not sure what to do to make it more of a community, but I’m open to suggestions and feedback. On my phone is a notes section with all the things I want to write about (probably 70 ideas). Maybe I’ll just pick one and go for it. Looking ahead, mid-November I’ll be sharing my first guest post collaboration. I’m really excited to have Taylor write a post for us.
Until next post…xoxo Becca
Glad you’re back! I’ve missed having your blog to read. I think it’s very brave how you are open about your life. I enjoy because I feel like it helps me connect with my more feminine side since I work with all men. It’s great to have a woman’s perspective. I love the fashion tops and ideas.
Chanda! I love that you visit frequently. I’m sure working with all men makes it challenging to be girlie (especially that group haha) so I’m glad to help 😉 Thanks for commenting.
I remember feeling the same way when I had an active blog. The counter showed people were stopping by but very few commented. So many lurkers. I’d be relating something to a random friend and they’d say “Oh I read about that on your blog.” It was frustrating to not be getting feedback. Then I embraced that the blog was a place for me to express and work through things whether anyone read it or not. It was certainly therapeutic in the year following losing Gene. And it has also served as a journal when I want go way back… Read more »
Hey Judy! You have been so loyal from the start and I love that about you. Such a cheerleader for everyone around you 🙂 You described the exact way I’ve been feeling. I certainly enjoy going back to older posts and reliving the trips, the recipes, whatever it may be. (Don’t worry, I’m the only one who sees the email addresses, not visible to the public)