I spent the day Sunday mostly doing nothing. Seriously nothing. Teddy miraculously sort of slept in. I made coffee at home and went to Starbucks. I watched a couple episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, read a couple of chapters, and even took a nap. Teddy and I roamed Third Ave for a little bit because a street fair was going on and I can’t resist the smells of fried Oreos, kettle corn, or sausage. I forced myself to take a shower, to tame my hair, to put on makeup. Cabbed down to Lincoln Center for the Nanette Lepore show, which was amazing and I saw my favorite Bill Cunningham and, of course, it was definitely worth it. It was the laziest of days. My apartment went unorganized for another day and I completely forgot about writing Prep Talk altogether.
I rarely have days like that and it felt pretty nice.
Until Monday morning when there were about fourteen different straws that broke my back. I really love Mondays normally but I typically work for at least four or five hours on Sunday. Not doing anything on Sunday put me in a really terrible position for Monday. By 9 am, I was completely out of sorts. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Upset. I just wanted to crawl into bed and pretend like it was the weekend again.
The day had to continue on… I was fortunate (isn’t it funny how things work out even when they don’t feel like they are?) to be working that morning with someone who got it and could provide advice, wisdom, plus a good listening ear.
I’m in this super weird transitional point that can really be summed up nicely as growing pains. I’m all for the growing, but gosh the pain part of that is not fun!!! While I’m really looking forward to some of the things down the road for me, I found myself at a breaking point Monday morning as I put together a team. This type a girl has finally reached a point where it’s impossible to do everything that I want and need to do on my own. A good problem, but it’s definitely hard to relinquish elements of my life to other people.
So what did I do Monday? I essentially took a personal day. (Sounds ridiculous after doing nothing on Sunday, but I needed to do purposefully do some soul searching!) I cried a bit, talked to my mom a lot, put a lot of things out into the Universe (have you read Zen and the Art of Happinessyet?!), went for an hour-long massage, and then binge-watched Oprah videos on Youtube! Duh.
Isn’t it amazing that we can pull up videos, Ted Talks and Youtube videos and whatnot, of incredible people with the most perfect advice whenever we need it?!
I felt a lot better going to bed last night and was looking forward to clicking reset on Tuesday morning. And in case your wondering, it was a killer day. I woke up feeling totally renewed and a lot of thinks worked themselves out. Add in a couple of meetings with great people to get realigned on my path. (Even though I wish it weren’t the case, sometimes it’s just nice getting validation from someone else that you’re on the right path and going in the right direction… you know what I mean?)
Oprah is definitely someone I turn to, you know because I imagine her being my BFF, when I need inspiration! I love pulling up interviews she’s done, speeches she’s given, and I really love her commencement speeches (clearly). But there are plenty of men and women out there that you might find speaks directly to you. Find time looking through quotations, watching videos online, and if you’re lucky speaking to someone in person!
A long-winded post… all just to say, sometimes the answers you need are right under your nose. It might take a day or two, but it’s worth immersing yourself in inspiration, surrounding yourself with the most supportive people you can find, and taking time for you.
Great post – I am glad you feeling better! Those videos are really inspiring, didn't think I needed her wisdom this morning, but boy was I wrong, they made me feel super fueled!
I understand 100%! I'm going through this time of life where I'm trying to figure out what it is I'm going to do with my future, since I had to quit my job due to my health over the summer. I know some of what's coming up for me – a master's in English literature & writing and publishing my next 2 books – but getting there is really really difficult!
Oprah is amazing! I'm glad your feeling better & I totally understand growing pains. I'm at a stage in my life where a lot is changing. All good changes but still stressful at times. Sometimes I think about what my life is going to be like in 5 years and I freak out.
I wrote down a list of things I wanted to do for fun in 2024. I crossed off exactly zero of them (having a baby will do that to ya) and my only hope of accomplishing one would be to host a cookie exchange! I wanted to SO bad but I was also feeling exhausted after a long year (losing a dog, having a baby, running a business, etc.) and I didn’t know if I had hosting a party in me. I sent out the invitations and told myself I’d figure it out. There was no going back! It was SO FUN though and I will be doing this again. I feel like so much of the holidays as a mom is spent making the magic for kids. It’s Santa meet and greets, Christmas shopping, holiday pageants…. And then seeing Santa again (and again and again). THIS party was for us! 🥂
🎧 Five 5-Star Audiobooks I Listened to This Year ✨
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This year, I listened to some incredible audiobooks, but these five stood out as absolute favorites:
📚 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith: A beautifully written coming-of-age classic. I didn’t want it to end and could absolutely see myself re-listening in a few years.
📚 None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell: A psychological thriller with unreliable narrators that kept me guessing the whole way through.
📚 Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter: Part mystery, part family drama—flawed characters, a gripping storyline, and a chef’s kiss ending.
📚 All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker: A masterpiece of storytelling that starts as a serial killer mystery and evolves into something much bigger.
📚 Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors: A stunning exploration of sisterhood, grief, and imperfect people. The ending left me in tears (happy ones!).
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Holding on for dear life this December ❤️ I have had SO MANY conversations this week with my friends near and far and we are *all* struggling. I have to say, just knowing it’s not just me feeling the pressure of “end of year-holiday magic- cold/flu/stomach bug season-darkest days of the year,” has made it a little easier to handle. Don’t forget to take care of yourself, too 😮💨 (Telling myself this because I could use the reminder too!)
If I hadn’t already mailed our Christmas cards*, I would be ordering a reprint because this first photo is IT. ⭐️💂🏻♀️
*Actually only half because for some reason, I didn’t order enough? Our list must have grown over the past year or I just underestimated how many people were on it! I had to order more so the second half will be going out later whoops!!
Traded in my mom jeans for a @jcrew tuxedo this holiday season! Whether you’re dressing up, getting cozy, or picking out a gift for someone special, J. Crew has you covered! #injcrew #sponsored
Comment SHOP below to receive a DM with the link to shop this post on my LTK ⬇ https://liketk.it/509U2 #ltkholiday
Fried Oreos! I have yet to encounter a fried Oreo, but I'm looking forward to the day I do :p
— Alex at Cashmere Kangaroo
I love Oprah too – she's amazing!
laurenroseprep.blogspot.com
Great post – I am glad you feeling better! Those videos are really inspiring, didn't think I needed her wisdom this morning, but boy was I wrong, they made me feel super fueled!
I understand 100%! I'm going through this time of life where I'm trying to figure out what it is I'm going to do with my future, since I had to quit my job due to my health over the summer. I know some of what's coming up for me – a master's in English literature & writing and publishing my next 2 books – but getting there is really really difficult!
So glad you watched those videos!! xoxo m
Oprah is amazing! I'm glad your feeling better & I totally understand growing pains. I'm at a stage in my life where a lot is changing. All good changes but still stressful at times. Sometimes I think about what my life is going to be like in 5 years and I freak out.
Sounds like the PERFECT day! You are allowed to take those days every so often.. don't feel bad about it!!
xo ClassToCloset
Oprah has great advice!
Sometimes we just need to slow down and take a break from everything.
xo,
Amanda | affordablebyamanda.blogspot.com
Oprah is great! Just picked up her book "What I Know For Sure." You should check it out!
Great post! We all need some soul searching…I feel like I have needed a personal day lately as well. Good for you for taking some time for yourself!
xo, Taylor