summer break

It's here, it's here!!  My summer break is here!!  School has finished for the semester and my summer of traveling, gardening, reading, and rejuvenating has begun!  Obviously, having three months off from work each year sounds blissful for most and I know my ability to take advantage of the time off stirs up a little twinge of envy in some.  I get it!  Goodness, I do!  But this stage of life didn't just happen for us.  I worked for years to prepare for this place that we're now in.  I completed my master's degree while working full time.  I paid for school as I went so that I could finish debt free and put the little money we did have towards an affordable house.  And we decided, and continually decide each year, that we'd rather live on less money and have the freedom to travel and truly enjoy our summers.  

Now, I know, for many working full-time all year long is not an optional lifestyle--it's an absolute necessity.  However, I also know that many of us find ourselves overburdened with bills and expenses (some of which really aren't necessities) and we then feel required to work a job that doesn't bring fulfillment or a balanced life. This is something that Dan and I are very passionate about.  I tell him all of the time, that I'd rather be poor and happy, than financially comfortable, but with no time or energy to enjoy that comfort.  So, we live in a little house with a very affordable mortgage and minimal household expenses, which gives us the freedom to do what we love and take more risks.  It's worth every penny we pinch at the end of summer as we watch our summer living fund dwindle.  Life is so much better when you take the time to really enjoy it, and sometimes to make that happen you have to sacrifice a bit in other areas.  

I'm reminded of all this every time I tell someone that I don't work during the summer and I see the look of longing pass over their eyes.  It makes me want more for them.  While summers off aren't feasible for most of the working world, there are so many options out there that are available such as working less hours or flexible schedules.  For me, having time for what really matters in life is far more important than having that extra bedroom or big kitchen, or filling my closet with new clothes each season and driving a new car.  For those who value those things or can easily have them, that is just fine, but for us, they're not what we want or need now.  

So, if you're finding yourself in a place of feeling like life is unbalanced or you don't really have time for the things that are truly important to you, then I encourage you spend some time evaluating and thinking creatively about how life could look different.  It may require living with less or lowering your living standards, but I think the freedom that comes with living simply is worth far more than any of the things that extra money can buy.  

making time to reflect

Teaching at a university means that April and May are a bit crazy for me.  As the end of the semester nears the grading begins to pile up and the meetings with students increase, all the while the regular day-to-day planning and teaching continue.  At times, the number of tasks on the to-do list seems to out number the hours and minutes in the day.  It's in those moments that I find myself starting to cut out other things in life, or at least putting them on the back burner until the semester ends.  Sometimes the things that slide are household tasks (who am I kidding...those are always the first to go!), then there's time with friends, and occasionally time with family.  This spring, however, I've found myself letting my morning reflection time go.  There just hasn't been time for it...at least that's what I've told myself and believed.  I've found myself repeatedly choosing the snooze button and restless sleep over a few minutes alone with my coffee and journal in my favorite chair.  I've told myself that I'll take time for that on Saturday, but then Saturday gets booked with projects or events that start as soon as the breakfast dishes have been cleared and when the weekend ends and the next busy week begins, I'm back to rushing out the door with breakfast in tow and coffee to go.  

But whenever I get into this rhythm of busyness and let my reflection time slip, after a few days/weeks I begin to feel out of balance.  I get irritable and easily frustrated.  I feel overwhelmed and feel like I lack clear direction/purpose for the day.  I just don't feel like me.  

You see...I've been journalling almost daily for the past 15 years as every time I've gotten out of my rhythm I've begun to feel this same way.  And while sometimes it takes me a few days/weeks to realize why I feel out of sorts, the realization always comes.  And when that realization comes a new, it always reminds me of the importance of recharging.  As an introvert, it is so very needed in my life.  My morning reflection time, is that time for me.  And when I'm consistent with it, it energizes me to get through my days of to-do lists and extroverted interactions.  

This week has been one of those realization weeks for me.  It's been a week of realizing that as full as my days and nights may be, they will be better if I take a few minutes to pause and reflect on where I'm at.  To pause and reflect on the day before and prepare for the day ahead.  It's not a moment to plan out the day, but rather to remind myself of what the day should really be about.  It's a reminder of the greater purpose of this life here on earth. 

one year down...

One year ago today I published my first post on this blog.  As with any new adventure, it was exciting and a bit nerve-racking all at the same time.  Personal blogs are so exposing!  I had had the desire to start a blog for years--I had even had a few false starts--but I knew that in order to write I needed a purpose.  When the idea for The Contented Bee came to me, I knew it was just the approach I was looking for.  I'm a teacher at heart and I so longed for my writing to be a way to teach and inspire others.  The idea of doing that through writing about the things that I am most passionate about (simple and nourished living), I new this blog thing could grow into something lovely.  

I've been surprised over this past year to hear so many positive responses to my posts.  Thank you to those of you who have told me that you read, told me what you like, and told me that you've found inspiration in my words.  That's why I write and those words of encouragement fuel my desire to write even more.  

I've also been so pleased with the number of readers and visits that I've had to this site over the past year!  It blows me away that I have had posts where hundreds of people have read my words!  It's humbling, really.  So, thank you.  Thank you to those who visit my site regularly to read my words.  Thank you to those who subscribe.  Thank you to those who who stop by occasionally.  And thank you to those of you who not only read, but also interact with me in this space.  Without each of you this space wouldn't have purpose--it wouldn't have life.  Thank you for allowing it room to grow and develop.

My hope for this next year of blogging is that my words would be able to reach further and make a larger impact.  Not because I've got all the answers---believe me, I don't---but because I think there's more to life than what society makes us think there is.  The simpler life is a better one, not an easier one, but a better one, and I want to spread that message as far as I can.  However, I need you, dear readers, to help make that dream a reality.  I need you to share this blog with those around you.  Share it, tweet it, pin it, like it, comment on it, repost it, do whatever it is you all do on social media.  Together, I'd love to make this grow into something amazing.  

On the right side of my homepage, you can connect with me via Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.  You can also subscribe by email to my posts using FeedBurner.   I'd love to hear from you!  Comment on a post or send me a message.  While I mostly write from what's going on in my own life, I love hearing suggestions as well! 

And so with that, here's to another year at The Contented Bee!  Thanks to each and every one of you.  You are are so very appreciated and so needed to make this what it is.  

~Megan

a taste of spring

What lovely weather we've been having!  Everyone around here is eagerly soaking in the warm temps and luscious sunlight.  Our snow is completely gone and the chickens and cat are constantly wanting to run around the yard.  I've even been able to start cleaning up the mess of mulch that the chickens kicked into our grass in the fall--and it's only March!!  I keep telling all of the creatures and plants not to get too excited (especially the bulbs that are starting to poke their heads out of the dirt)...it is only March, after all, and we do live in Minnesota...more snow is likely to make an appearance over the next few weeks.

But for now, we're happily enjoying this lovely spring weather!  Hooray!!! 

january quiet

January is here.  Cold, quiet, reflective January.  In Minnesota, January is generally our coldest month.  With temperatures often hanging out below zero degrees Fahrenheit and wind chills often many degrees below that, it is easy to have negative feelings towards this first month of the year.  However, I love January.  I love it because it's quiet.  It's the time of year where everyone hibernates just a bit more.  We've all spent lots of time with family and friends over the holidays and so there is time to pull away a bit more and just stay in.  It's a time to lay low and reflect.  Perhaps it's the newness of the year that prompts this reflection, or perhaps it's that this month is one of the only months out of the year that really allows time for reflection.  For me, February and March involve a lot of summer planning both for gardening and travel, April and May bring us outside a bit more in preparation for the warmer weather, the summer months fly by in a flash with fun and work intertwined from sun up to sundown, September grounds us again as school and work start up and the leaves begin to fall.  October's filled with warm clothes, bonfires, and preparations for winter, and November and December are, of course, filled with gatherings, making, and gifting.  So, that leaves January.  Cold, quiet, reflective January.  

This January, I'm finding myself reflecting on my relationships with people.  Those I work with, do life with, and love with.  This year I'm wanting to be more intentional with those people.  I'm wanting to make more of an effort to connect, not just about day-to-day happenings, but also about matters of the heart.  I want this year to find me going deeper in the relationships that surround me.  

What about you?  What are you reflecting on during this quiet January?