Change of season has always been hard for me, especially when it comes early in the form of 5 inches of snow and 15 degrees. I thrive in organized chaos and find joy in adventures and new experiences...rarely allowing time for myself to relax & reflect. This season the days are shorter, the roads are harder to drive on and it’s teaching me to find peace & calm in slowness.
Change is inevitable. Change is constant. -Benjamin Disraeli
This week, Monday in particular (I hate to admit it), had me feeling less than blessed. I despise that feeling more than anything, because it couldn't be further from the truth. Sometimes we just can't help but feel stuck, in a rut or lacking motivation. I, in particular was lacking motivation and excitement for my beautiful life (which on Monday didn't feel beautiful). Not every day may seem beautiful at times, but there truly is beauty in every day, even in the smallest of things.
If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living. -Gail Sheehy
I felt slowed down, stuck, at a halt...sort of confused because I wasn't working on twelve different projects at once. I tend to overwhelm my own self sometimes. I finally had a break in the madness and I had just come home from a work trip in fabulous Las Vegas, non stop going and entertainment, going from 75 and sunny to 15 and snowy back in Wisconsin (one, two). Winter has come earlier than ever this year, we are setting new record breaking cold temps. across the country, not to mention the sun sets at 4:30 these days (three). I was out of the office, my workout routine had been altered and my eating habits less than impressive (four, five, six). It had been one year since I saw my life flash before my eyes in my car accident (seven). It has been a full year as Miss Wisconsin USA and I officially have been living post pageant life (eight). And more...but I don't want to depress you with a list of complaints. However, It's also important for me to be transparent and authentic and just like it was so easy for me to create a list of changes, I know you each have your own. My life is not always peaches and cream even if it looks like it may be. I try every day to be the most positive person in the room, to see the glass half full and love the life God chose for me and to treat every day as a gift. The reality is that some mornings it's hard to get out of bed, but we must keep going. All of these changes I listed above and others I didn't list seem to all hit at once, and on a Monday...imagine that.
When you're finished changing, you're finished. -Benjamin Franklin
I guess what I am getting at, is change can be good, bad, uncomfortable, unpleasant, scary, unknown, and for me it just is confusing sometimes. It's always going to happen and we can't let it get the best of us. Our experiences, different seasons of life and moments that pass, allow us to grow as individuals. I realized I have kept myself so busy, at times I don't even have the capacity to handle the changes going on around me. I have become so used to hustle and bustle and excitement chasing highs that I felt uncomfortable slowing down, dealing with life's changes and the ordinary daily things that...when I took a moment to experience, I found to be truly extraordinary.
IG🎨: @seethrunikki
Monday I received this beautiful image, unannounced and it was a small gesture of kindness in my day. I have never met the lady who made this for me before, but her vision was beautifully portrayed and it reminded me to appreciate the small things and not get caught up in the confusion of changes new seasons bring.
Finding beauty in the ordinary is the mystery to living a beautiful life. ~Danika Tramburg
Your Girl Next Door and So Much More,
Danika Tramburg