Just a thought… I always joke and laugh when people ask me what’s the key to my long marriage and lasting love. I always say ‘stay gone!’ and there’s a lot of truth to that. [Dolly Parton]
Welcome to a brand new week and the second half of my favourite month of the year.
You know, sometimes when things feel stuck, it’s up to us to move. Like instead of waiting for things around us to happen, we have to do what we can, change what’s possible, and create new opportunities.
I lost sight of that for a few weeks at the end of June, sinking into the mire of depression that hits all of us from time to time. Fortunately I don’t suffer as some do; I can see what’s happening and know that it will pass. This time I decided to try something old and something new.
The something new is getting back to work: yes, I’m already busy with three podcasts – and in case you missed it, our Gracefully & Frankly with Lisa Brandt and me is growing, and we’re going to do a Facebook Live event on August 8th at 8 pm eastern time (08-08-at 8 pm is an easy way to remember!) and you can learn more at our G&F Facebook page. So there’s plenty cooking there.
But I’ve decided to try to get more listens to my sleep stories too: now that there are over 100 of them and there are only so many princesses and royalty-free short stories I can mine, I am working to put a relaxing video to each story (it’ll be footage I have shot or found myself) and post them to a special dedicated YouTube channel. Plenty of people, myself included, watch or listen to meditations on YouTube, admittedly made much less annoying by eliminating ads via the premium feature. So, why not sleep stories? Please, please sign up here (I won’t bother you, I promise).
And if I can find a way to allow banner ads or some passive way to add income to keep funding my travel passion, I’ll do that. It will never interrupt your rest!
This is a mighty steep learning curve I’m on, but between hot flash-inducing frustration at not having a millennial in our lives to walk me through how to do this, and the fear that all of the hours of extra work involved in adding video will amount to no discernible increases in watches, listens and yes, income, I’ll persist! I need the distraction. And work has always saved me.
And for the “old” to which I’m turning? Well, that would be travel. Not the long trips that I love so much, but I’m running away from home today, hopping on an island ferry and going to one of the local Gulf Islands I’ve yet to visit: Mayne Island. Ironically, our house is just off a street called Mayneview. So, while we could see it, neither Rob nor I have visited.
Rob’s chosen to stay back and continue to work at the condo. Discovering that our new place’s washer/dryer set is too small and our dishwasher too old, we have appliances arriving this week. I had hoped to find a cabin somewhere, but living in a part of the country that people flock to in the summertime, it’s not easy to get a spot with just a few days’ notice. So, fingers crossed, the resort will offer me the solitude to edit, to write, to rest and rejuvenate. There won’t be alpacas like the last place to which I escaped, but who knows? I may make other animal friends.
My two furries from home can’t come, as there are no more pet-friendly spots available where I’m booked; Rob has generously agreed to take on full care of Dottie and Livi so that we can all be free of each other for a few days.
Being happily married for this long means recognizing when you need a break. We both know this is not like us: short fuses, impatience and just an overall feeling of fedupedness with our lives and each other. So I’m creating a little space between us – something we both need. And when he says I should think about going away, I never ever take it the wrong way. To me, it’s another sign of love: living the promise of our wedding vows to “encourage your own fulfillment as an individual.” Will I miss him? Sure. And that’s part of the point.
You have a good week. Because good WiFi is a necessity no matter where I travel, I’ll be bringing back a favourite Drift with Erin Davis sleep story tomorrow and a brand new Gracefully and Frankly Episode 82 on Thursday, where we talk earthquakes, good “personal” vibrations and the celebs we’ve lost in the past week, and a few behind-the-scenes tales. Talk to you soon!