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Reflections on 2020: The Longest Year

December 23, 2020 by Vanessa Whiteside Leave a Comment

When I think back on the last year, my first thought is “throw it out with the garbage!” It was not a year any of us want to repeat. Turning the page to better days sounds ideal, yet each day can be challenging. Listening to the news can feel like a weighted blanket of doom these days. For the sake of not sounding like a total Debbie Downer, there is an end to this madness eventually. I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

footprints

I don’t have the quick answer for how to manage stress during a pandemic. Many health and wellness articles give advice ranging from self-care routines to cocktail recipes and everything in between. The answer is somewhere in there. For me, I’ve taken it day by day and sometimes hour by hour, and what I’ve learned is that 2020 required me to get quiet and listen to my thoughts. To hear the good, the bad, and the sometimes noisy ones. It’s been a process, but what I’ve learned during this time has been immeasurable.

A few reflections:

A BUSY DAY SPEEDS UP THE HOURS

I was already a person who woke up before the sun and made a to-do list for the day. When we received stay-at-home recommendations, I saw it as an opportunity to tackle tasks. Of course there were moments of boredom, but I occupied my time staying happily busy. I grew a garden, cooked new recipes, and even went as far as chalking the neighborhood with positive messages. Staying busy sped up the hours.

QUIET EQUATES TO PRODUCTIVITY

Some people thrive in loud, buzzing work environments. I’m definitely not one of them. I write and strategize for a living and need to be able to hear myself think. When I’m in the zone and someone interrupts my stream of consciousness to talk about themselves, it halts my creativity. Last year, I had gone as far as using noise cancelling headphones at the office. Working remotely has been a blessing that I relish, and to be frank, my writing craft and productivity are better for it.

A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP IS KEY

Anything that I can’t seem to solve or that truly frustrates me is cured by a good night’s sleep. When my mood is exacerbated by the day’s news headlines about the pandemic or the economy, I’ve learned that it’s best just to get some rest and start fresh the next day. I admire people who say “never go to bed mad.” Clearly, they’ve never argued with me about something. Ha!

ALCOHOL IS LIKE A LOUD FRIEND AT A PARTY

I appreciate wine. I love craft beer. Somewhere along the way last year I began drinking too often. Alcohol helped me transition after work to the evening hours, joined me on the weekends, and well, for nearly most occasions. Like a fun friend you take with you as a guest to a party, alcohol eventually had too much fun and embarrassed me. Today, I’ve cut way back on my drinking and I’m better for it.

KINDNESS ENDURES

A tumultuous year of political differences, race riots, and economic downturn hurt a lot of people in 2020. Showing kindness to others was something I could do to make it a little bit better. From a simple act of donating to a charity to smiling through my mask at a stranger in a parking lot, I did what I could to be a nicer person. Because at the end of the day, it’s not what people say that you remember. It’s how they made you feel.

The year 2020 taught me to zero in on what it means to listen to my instincts and support my passions. To be a better version of me.

What have you learned about yourself in the last year? What lessons has 2020 taught you?

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: 2020, COVID-19, footprints, goals, health, life, life lessons, lifestyle, pandemic, productivity, reflection, self-care, sleep, wellness, work, year

7 Simple Reminders To Help You Live a More Delightful Life

February 2, 2019 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Not all of our days feel delightful because of life’s demands, and sometimes events take place that try our emotions. But on average, it’s fair to say that most days are what we make them. My mission is to encourage you to make them as delightful as possible!

Getting the most out of my time on earth and living in the moment has been a goal of mine for the last several years. I hope that through this blog, my zest for life is contagious. You deserve to live your best life through delightful experiences with people, traveling to new places, or simply adding actions to your day that thoughtfully and purposely add value.

How many of these experiences could positively affect you? Declare your life more delightful today. Think of the below checklist as a bucket list of sorts.

1. CAST AWAY YOUR CARES

Remember the last time someone asked you to join them on an adventure, and you declined the invitation even though you could have joined them? Why did you choose that path? Instead of limiting your experiences because of your inhabitations or worries, take advantage of the opportunity to let someone else plan your experience. When your friends or loved ones invite you to travel, attend a local event, or to a dinner party…SAY YES.

Casting away your cares means not overthinking the invitation but acknowledging that you’re trusting someone else to help make your life more delightful.

2. PUSH YOURSELF AND GO IT ALONE

Conversely, sometimes you must invite yourself to try a new experience when no one else suggests one. Sometimes, it seems like everyone is busy with life’s demands, and they’re unavailable to you. That’s okay! Plan your own fun.

When did you last give in to your desire to spoil yourself? It’s not selfish. It’s self-preservation. If you want to see a blockbuster movie but no one is available to go with you, go alone. Feel like trying the new ramen restaurant in your city, but others don’t share your adventurous palette? Who cares! Get in your car and head to the restaurant. Push on.

3. CHANGE YOUR LOCATION

Life’s routines of caring for a household and going to work can sometimes bring monotony, a feeling my spirit tries to fight at every chance. That may be why I’ve lived in more than one state and worked in many professions. Can you relate to wanting to change your location? What’s stopping you?

Your well-being is often dependent on thrusting your endorphins into overdrive. If you’ve got a severe case of wanderlust and need to travel to a new locale, seize the opportunity. Feeling less than yourself at work? If those feelings result from not fulfilling your career goals, then changing where you work is just as important as the work you do. Change your location, and you open up a world of possibilities.

4. HONOR YOUR CURIOSITY

There is real value in allowing yourself to find the answers to many of life’s questions. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to introduce yourself to someone who is different than yourself? Have you always wanted to learn a new hobby or develop your career skill set? Sign up to take a class!

Honoring your curiosity keeps your brain active and helps you from just experiencing life as it comes along. What could you discover about yourself today?

5. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH YOUR FAVES

You know I’m a big fan of self-care, which often includes surrounding yourself with things you love and people you love to be around. You fuel your spirit when you cater to your desire to enjoy things (or people) that make you happy. Think of three of our favorites right now. Make strides to include them in your day.

6. IMMERSE YOURSELF

You must be aware of your senses to take advantage of life. For example, I wandered alone in their outdoor gardens when I traveled to an award-winning art gallery last year. I smelled the fresh herbs, reached out for a fluttering butterfly, brushed up against towering botanicals, listened to the drip of a waterfall, and captured it all on my camera to enjoy again later.

Remember to be present in the moment and immerse yourself in the experience.

7. LIVE IN THE MOMENT

Sometimes it’s hard to turn off our busy thoughts. Like most people, I sometimes have to remind myself to live in the moment and not plan for the next one or think of something I want to say. It takes practice and awareness, but you can also train yourself to focus on time.

While this post is more of a reminder than a to-do list, I know it will help you make the most of your experience and live more delightfully. Let me know how you plan to seize the day by commenting below!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: awareness, boredom, boring, bucket list, choices, curiosity, delightful, experiences, friendship, learning, life, lifestyle, live, living, motivation, mundane, perspective, self-care, thoughts

50 Ways to Break Up the Monotony of Your Life: A List of New Experiences to Try

August 13, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Recently I lost a close family member to cancer and during that time of grieving, I was reminded how fleeting life can be and that I wanted to seize every moment moving forward. I vowed to try something new, to push myself to show up to life every day.

My life had become a routine of commuting to work, sitting in a cubicle, and then coming home and repeating the same evening activities almost daily. Do your work days all seem to be a blur, and before you know it, you’re waking up on Saturday uninspired? I can relate.

So, I promised myself that I would incorporate new experiences into my day to break up the monotony and force my brain to fire off new circuits to positively impact my life and health. Some days I wake up and already know what new experience I will have on that particular day, and other days I refer to a bucket list of sorts saved in my phone notes.

Either way, I’m having a blast learning about myself, firing up my brain, and sharing these experiences with others. I’m feeling rejuvenated and showing up for life, a more delightful one.

Image: Pixabay

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau

We only get one life, and I plan to live mine to the fullest. This list consists of activities I recently experienced or that I hope to try soon. Not all of these experiences require spending too much money or require a lot of time. Perhaps you would like to stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone and try one or all of them too?

  1. Go to brunch with your parent at a restaurant you’ve never tried.
  2. Drive a different route to work.
  3. Call up a family member you haven’t spoken to in years (or that you only text occasionally) and ask about their day.
  4. Reach out to a co-worker or friend who works nearby and ask them to meet you for lunch.
  5. Volunteer on a committee, for your church or kid’s school or a neighborhood association.
  6. Say yes when a friend invites you to travel to the lake, go camping, or site-seeing outside of town. Better yet, ask them to go with you.
  7. Eat local. Sip coffee at a local cafe or try the seasonal beer at a brewery.
  8. Style your hair differently than you did yesterday.
  9. Change up your fragrance. Wear new perfume or cologne.
  10. Pull your bicycle out of the garage and take it for a spin around the neighborhood after dinner one evening.
  11. Visit the library, walk over to a book category that interests you, and close your eyes. Run your hand across the shelf of books until you decide to stop. Remove whatever book your hand landed on and check it out to read it.
  12. Introduce yourself to a stranger and make small talk.
  13. Tour a neighborhood in your city that you never explore.
  14. Smile and say hello to a stranger on the street. You might find you have something in common with them.
  15. Don’t just sunbathe while at the lake or pool. Run and jump in the deep end with careless abandon. “Cannonball!”
  16. Desk yoga.
  17. Paint and sip wine at an art studio.
  18. Visit a festival and eat at a food truck. Ever tried bbq nachos? Curry chicken?
  19. Eat your lunch away from your workplace at a park.
  20. Try an adult coloring book.
  21. Learn new skills by taking a webinar.
  22. Grab some friends and sign everyone up to try an escape room challenge.
  23. Experience a local seasonal activity like riding in a horse-drawn sled at Christmas, making s’mores with the Girl Scouts on National S’mores Day or grab a map and navigate a corn maze at a pumpkin patch.
  24. Wear colored socks to work.
  25. Pick up a new hobby that doesn’t involve using technology.
  26. Create a date jar with ideas for date night fun. Draw a new idea from the jar this weekend.
  27. Buy yourself flowers.
  28. Travel anywhere you’ve never been before.
  29. Throw a party that coincides with a random food holiday.
  30. Follow a recipe for food you normally buy. No churn vanilla ice cream anyone?
  31. Visit a tourist attraction or museum in your own city.
  32. Pick fruit in an orchard.
  33. Point the car west and just drive.
  34. Stop and talk to your neighbors when you see them outside.
  35. Always go to the movie theater? Try a dramatic play production instead at a local theater.
  36. Lasertag. Paintball. Water balloon fights.
  37. Grow vegetables or purchase them from a local farmer instead of buying them from a store.
  38. Walk into a toy store and buy a toy to assemble yourself like a puzzle or box of Legos.
  39. Try a different way of exercising or use a different exercise machine at the gym.
  40. Watch wildlife anywhere but in your own neighborhood.
  41. Take a new car for a test drive.
  42. Walk your friend’s or neighbor’s dog.
  43. Host a potluck or food contest amongst friends at your home. Who can make the tastiest beef jerky, mac-n-cheese, or pizza?
  44. Let a local artist or friend sketch your portrait.
  45. Get a henna tattoo.
  46. Celebrate your city or town’s birthday. Take in the sites and buy cupcakes to celebrate.
  47. Try a Pinterest DIY project.
  48. Listen to a different radio station all day long.
  49. Take a tour of the city from the air.
  50. Do anything counter to your normal routine, and when a friend or family member suggests doing something you’re about to reject, say “yes!”

Have an idea of something I should try? Challenge me by leaving your idea in the comments section below!

lifestyle choices

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: active, activities, adult, bored, boredom, boring, bucket list, carpe diem, celebrate, create, DIY, do it yourself, family, fun, games, hacks, health, hobby, ideas, life, lifestyle, list, living, monotony, mood, road, routine, skills, things to do

What Nobody Tells a First-Year Teacher But Should

July 23, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

After over a decade working with school children in different roles, including seven years as a high school teacher, there are tips for incoming new teachers that college professors and building administrators NEVER tell you. What Nobody Tells a First-Year Teacher But Should is real-life advice they should have told you for success in your first year of teaching. After talking to fellow educators and some serious reflection, I’ve compiled this list of topics.

Note: This list was generated from my experience as a teacher and may not reflect every teacher’s experience. If you have veteran teacher advice to add, type it in the comments section below.

back-to-school

  1. Understand the deductions on your first paycheck and who the labor union rep is in your building. You may not be inclined to join the union, but knowing who in the building goes to bat for teacher and student rights is paramount. They help teachers negotiate for better salaries, supplemental pay, benefits, and calendar days and understand contract language.
  2. The administration wants you to sign up for anything and everything when you’re a new teacher, but you don’t have to do it to please them. You’re the new kid on the block, so don’t burn yourself out working after school as a ticket taker, basketball game scoreboard operator, or club sponsor yet. Several other teachers in your building are tired of these roles and are ready to give them up. Here’s the thing. You don’t have to sign up for anything if you don’t want to be considered a great teacher. Your job is to teach children well in your classroom, and if your after-school schedule doesn’t permit picking up supplementals, don’t feel obligated to do so.
  3. Teacher in-service days are bittersweet. Yes, you get to lunch with your cronies and have a break from school children. That’s great, right? However, most in-service days included helpful information presented to teachers in the first half of the day, and the second half of the day is spent watching the clock due to boredom. Districts typically use their in-service time to present technology in the classroom, standardized test requirements, and budget concerns. Some districts bring in motivational speakers who work for themselves, travel to schools, and inspire teachers. Bringing in paid speakers costs money, something many districts lack, so you can count on most in-service days spent grading standardized tests, meeting to discuss school policies and procedures, and listening to your district technology director present about computers.
  4. Not all principals are people-people. What?!? It’s true. Why are they working as administrators, then? Because they didn’t want to teach in the classroom anymore and couldn’t support themselves by simply coaching. This kind of administrator delegates by email from his or her desk. So, what should a new teacher do if they realize they work for that kind of principal? Seek the assistant principal or another veteran teacher/mentor teacher for advice. Often you can rely on other people in the building, including the secretary or janitor, to help you with your needs.
  5. The head janitor and their crew are invaluable to you and the students. They are the backbone of the building and know how to clean, run, and fix everything in the building. If you’re a coach or club sponsor, your students should thank them often. You tend to lean on the custodial staff to set up tables, clean the gym after your team’s game, open the bleachers for club picture day, set up risers in the auditorium, and so on. Thank you notes go a long way.
  6. The front office secretaries more or less run the school, and they’ll often let you know this during your first month on the job. Who will help you if you don’t know how to e-req textbooks? Who will help you find a substitute at the last minute when your kid is sick at home? Who’s going to balance your club or team’s spending budget? You got it! The secretaries. If they are brash to you during your first month on the job, it’s because the beginning of the year is a hectic time in the office. Happy secretaries are hard to find, so cheer them up daily by asking about them and taking an interest in their interests.
  7. You don’t have to have a perfectly decorated classroom or organized space by the first day of school. You will benefit much more by having a well-written syllabus and a policies form for parents to sign rather than color-coordinated cubbies and bulletin boards.
  8. When you find a great substitute teacher, keep requesting them. Some schools use an online sub-finder like Aesop, which allows you to rank their performance. Talk to other teachers in your building when you know you need a sub. Experienced teachers know which subs run a smooth classroom and are unafraid to discipline. Wouldn’t you rather have a sub who reads your sub notes aloud to the class than one who lets them sit around and play on their phones or talk? Request a well-respected sub for your first day off from work. Remember to leave well-written sub plans. Your building secretary often requests a copy of these notes. A substitute binder should be well labeled and sitting out in the open near or on your desk daily. The sub should find the bell schedule, lunch schedule, reminders, attendance roster, extra copies of the daily assignment(s), and an area to leave notes. They appreciate an organized teacher and will want to substitute for you again. Leaving a chocolate bar also makes them quite happy.
  9. You’ll be observed by your building admin often in the first couple of years of teaching, but then the frequency changes, or they don’t observe you at all. Depending on the administrator visiting your room during an announced or unannounced observation, they may stay five minutes or the entire hour. Some administrators eavesdrop by your door or cruise by the classroom and consider your observation. They never give evaluation feedback right away. When called in to go over your evaluation, ask questions. Reflect on their notes together and discuss opportunities for improvement. Don’t just sign the evaluation comments form and return it to your classroom. Ask questions. Challenge any comment you disagree with and discuss it openly with your administrator. Discuss your evaluation with a mentor teacher.
  10. Veteran teachers know how to double-dip and make the most money possible in their position. Ask them how to increase your paycheck. Suppose you have time after school to sign up for extra duty; determine which pays the most for the least time spent. You’ll still need time to grade papers at home at some point.
  11. Lean on other teachers if you have questions or are unfamiliar with the curriculum. They probably have lesson plans, advice, and curriculum maps to help guide you.
  12. If allowed to present during a teacher in-service, do it. You’ll quickly earn the respect of teachers in the building you never see, like the gym teachers or the art teacher. This is important so you show off your knowledge and confidence. Plus, it looks good on your resume.
  13. Ask for the classroom supplies you need at the beginning of your first year. Building administration is more generous when you’re new than later on when you ask for a new desk chair or filing cabinet.
  14. CYA. Cover Your A## by documenting every bad behavior incident, the reason for a particular assignment grade, discussion with a parent, and/or why a student-athlete or choir member didn’t make the team. You will be happy you did should a parent ask for a meeting with you and the principal, which rarely happens but can.
  15. You won’t always feel as exhausted as you do during the first couple weeks of school. Promise. You’re probably not used to standing and speaking all day. Your body isn’t used to these hours. It will get easier. Sleep in on Saturdays. Don’t forget to make up some “me” time for you.

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: advice, back to school, curriculum, education, educator, educator advice, lifestyle, new teacher, school, substitute teacher, teacher, teaching, teaching tips, work

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Hello! I'm Vanessa. Welcome to One Delightful Life, a blog created to add more delight to your life with delicious recipes, travel destinations, and lifestyle improvement ideas. Thanks for exploring my blog!

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