Earrings: J. Crew, sold out| Dress: HERE| Shoes: TopShop, old
Makeup by: NESS MUA
Photography by: K. Gill Photo
As I wrap up my very first year of living alone, I feel a sense of overwhelming gratitude. Despite challenges and unexpected events, I would be remiss if I didn't share that I have felt the guiding hand of my God and the universe supporting me at every single turn. No need has been left unfulfilled. Even my wants have been supplied for generously ❤ I am forever grateful.If someone had told me 5, even 10 years ago - that I would be living on my own in a strange city, I would never have believed them. You see, I went directly from my parent's house to my husband's house - before I was even 20 years old. This wasn't unusual where I'm from, in fact - it was pretty much expected. Fortunately for me, I fell in love with my best friend and spent many years indescribably happy with him. I lived out my dreams, I traveled the world, and I evolved into the version of myself that stands before you today.
Sometimes things change. It's no one's fault. It just is. I found myself in a position where I felt compelled to make a number of difficult choices. Nonetheless, I have absolutely NO REGRETS!!! I am so very THANKFUL for the journey of my life!
I was thinking about the past year the other day, I realized I've learned quite a few things living on my own, LOL! 😁😁😁
Here are 5 highlights:
- Bills come e v e r y single month. Actually, let me back up- bills come about every 20 days. Now that I have the joy of paying all of my own bills, I cannot help but notice their relentless frequency 😦 I told my great aunt, 'Paying bills is for the birds!' 😬😣😵
- The greatest and only fear of my adult life has been BUGS. Yet, this year I learned that I am capable of killing a bug, even an extremely large one 👀.... A large bug ventured into my apartment via an open window. It was HUGE, like the length of it was almost the width of my hand! Thankfully, my protective kitty companion Cotton Candy spotted it before I did, and in capturing it she did quite a bit of damage to its mobility before dropping it at my feet as some sort of gift... When I tell you that my heart raced, that would be the understatement of the year...Long story short: I finally mustered up the courage and strength to step on it and kill it. After a few minutes of prayer and deliberation, I picked it up and promptly deposited it into the trash outside. The moral of the story is: You have the ability inside of you to conquer your fears.
- Making your home your sanctuary is priceless. When I moved into my apartment, I made a promise to myself that I would protect the energy of my home, that I would not allow anyone to visit that could possibly disrupt the peace that I feel here. I kept that promise, and as a result, no matter what stresses seek to invade my mind - when I arrive home, in the stillness of my sanctuary, I feel a complete sense of peace. The energy remains undisrupted.
- Being an independent woman is overrated 😘 I have always had a measure of independence, however, doing everything all by myself for myself is also for the birds! I would happily delegate car maintenance, trash removal, and a host of other miscellaneous tasks to someone else! WHEW! It ain't easy out here!
- Being patient with yourself is essential. I am learning to be comfortable in discomfort. So many experiences are entirely new to me. For instance, I now take walks alone. Sometimes I dine out alone. Other times I find myself feeling low. It's not shocking - my entire life has changed. I've learned to allow time and space for myself to feel and work through the process.
Enough about me Babes! It's your turn! I'd love to hear about some of the highlights of your SUMMER 😍
Until next time,
Xx
