OLW - 2024 & Reflections

 

Do you pick one little word to work on for the year? If so, leave a comment and let me know what you picked! Keep reading to learn about my word for 2024 as well as my thoughts on last year's word.

My word for the year, as you can see above (thanks to Canva for the image), is 

BALANCE. 

This is not a word that I wanted or hope to have but it feels right so we'll see where it takes me. It's funny, how words choose you. I tried all I could to read lists of other words or see what else came to mind but nothing else was sticking. Darn it!

In 2023...

My word last year was Pivot, you can read all about it here. It also was not a word I wanted, again, the word chose me.  My life did pivot in a big way, mainly in regards to crafting. I traveled more and crafted less. It makes me a bit sad but also the traveling was really fun and I tried to incorporate crafting where and when I could. Some crafts are not easy to do from afar (like resin!) and so many projects had to be put on hold. Less crafting +  no longer holding Pinterest parties was probably my biggest pivot of 2023. I still have plans for my NiteOwlCreates Instagram account which I had hoped to launch last year but maybe it will happen this year? Fingers crossed!

Back to Balance.

I just don't know. My days are my own to do what I want when I want. I don't have kids that need my attention or help with homework or to be fed or taken to and from school. I do have a husband though that needs my attention occasionally plus my 3 cute cockatiels. I have throughout the year last year and I am sure before that as well, that I do not plan my time wisely. I procrastinate and save a lot until the last minute. Sometimes that pays off.

Like when I lost my wallet in Idaho when I was there for Christmas. I could not find it anywhere! I knew the last place I had it (Walgreens on Saturday). Did it fall out of the car when we went to Tony's parent's house, his sister's house, or the light maze in Nampa? Did it accidentally slip into the trash bag we keep in our car and we tossed it out in the Costco trash can while getting gas? I procrastinated and prayed and called Walgreens a few times as well as the light maze people with no luck. I hesitated to cancel my cards because I need them for a trip to Vegas next week + replacing a driver's license in CA costs money! I had no idea! Almost $40 and I totally did not want to do that. Thank goodness I procrastinated and found my wallet just a couple days ago. What. A. Relief!

But other things in life, I do not balance well.

99% of the time when Tony & I travel or I travel by myself, we leave the house 1 or 2 hours or later. I have had the whole week to prepare but I save a lot to do until the end or realize things that need to be done that could have been done sooner than the last minute but for some reason, I did not do them. I took too many breaks. I thought I'd have time.

So maybe that's what balance will look like for me in this new year? I know Tony would appreciate it so much if I could be ready on time.

What else could I balance better? 

I am sure my time spent on Airbnb work vs. reselling items around the house vs. cleaning and decluttering. There are times that I work on those things and there are times I don't work on them at all (mainly the reselling or decluttering...I'm always cleaning something!) So maybe some mindful balance in those areas.

If you have any other ideas, tips, or tricks on how to balance life with needs and wants, I'd love to hear them. Drop me a comment below!