Welcome back! I hope all of my friends in the States had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. We had a lovely spread on Thursday that lasted us through the weekend. What an excess! And totally worthwhile. Now I’m feeling rejuvenated and ready to check in with my one little word for the year. As always – thank you to Carolyn for hosting this linkup each month.
Last week I decided to embrace the holiday and take the week off from blogging. I was being pulled in so many directions and didn’t want to feel resentful about not being able to use my early morning time at my desk with my computer, so I made the decision to surrender to the wackiness of the week and preemptively take this expectation out of the mix.
It turned out to be a good idea. My two youngest kids consistently got up before 5am (we still haven’t adjusted to the time change) and I would have had very little time at my desk so blogging wouldn’t have been possible anyway. What a relief to know that I didn’t even need to worry about publishing any posts!
It did make me wonder if I should surrender my expectations around this blog. Is it essential? Waking up at 4:00 every morning is quite an investment of time and energy. Not to mention that the kids seem like they’re never going to adjust to the time change and are currently waking up as I type these words at 4:50am. It’s something to think about in the coming months.
I can’t believe I have just one more month with Surrender. 2022 has sped right by me! I wish I could stay and write more this morning but I’m being called away. And I know better than to put off pushing ‘publish’ until the post is ‘perfect.’ That will never happen! I hope to be back on Wednesday with an update on my reading life. Until then – take good care!
The Cozy Burrow 
Wait, what? I am hoping that surrendering expectations is what you’re talking about and not surrendering the blog. (Otherwise, I might have to come and visit you!) 😉
LikeLike
Ha! Who knows what I’m talking about?! Certainly not me. I’m just really frustrated with this time change because it has thrown everything off-kilter. 4am should be early enough for me to get up and spend at least an hour writing! Instead, I’m always feeling rushed and incomplete. I’m sure I’m not abandoning my blog but also want to release some of the pressure on myself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m all in favor of you releasing pressure on yourself! (And I highly recommend Haikus here and there. They’ll up your completion rate considerably!) Take good care, Katie…your presence is precious!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome back and I hope that rejuvenated feeling lasts at least a few days! Surrendering expectations is an ongoing challenge … recognizing that you are the one in charge of them is a great first step. I’m constantly reassessing and shifting course and I don’t have two littles vying for my (early morning) attention!!
LikeLike
Thank you, Mary! I know that I have really high expectations for myself but it’s such a hard habit to break. Most of the time I don’t even realize that all of my ‘expectations’ aren’t required for every person in my particular position, if that makes any sense. So I’m going to spend 2023 thinking about what’s essential in my life and I’m looking forward to that.
LikeLike
I’m glad the week and the break felt good, Katie. I felt similarly in September when I took the better part of the month away (to focus on our son). It was a good amount of time b/c I actually felt *ready* to come back. (But half-way through, I considered…as I do, cyclically…do I stay or do I go? And, if I stay, what is my purpose for staying?)
Glad to see you embrace Surrender here just by pressing Publish!
LikeLike
I think taking the week off was a very wise choice, and I’m glad it was an enjoyable holiday week for you. It boggles my mind that you get up at 4 a.m. at least in part to blog — that’s some serious dedication! As much as I enjoy reading your updates, I think there are many things that are more important than a blog post, and I hope that when necessary you will surrender to them (see what I did there?).
LikeLike
Wow! Up at 4 a.m. to write a blog post is amazing to me (and I am an early riser). Sounds like taking the week off was a great idea and I hope your rejuvenation feeling can continue. I also hope you do not surrender and stop blogging!!
LikeLike
I have found that from time to time it is essential to blogging breaks. Over the years, I have also found the need to cut back from three posts a week to one. Unless, of course, something exciting happens. A good decision as one post a week really works for me. Hope you find a way to continue blogging despite having an oh so busy life.
LikeLike
I am glad you are thinking about self-care. Do what is best for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Linda!
LikeLike
I love how people can be flexible and do what makes sense for them in the moment. I’m not so good at that!! 😉 Thank you for your kind words and wisdom, I will be taking them with me into 2023!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel like I may never adjust to the time change either. Maybe I have something in common with your small people. I love reading your posts but breaks are also good for us.
LikeLike
This time change stuff is so difficult to manage! The fall time change used to be my favorite, but that stopped as soon as I had kids. They are now up an hour earlier and don’t care that it’s still considered night time, ha. I hope you adjust soon, Juliann!
LikeLike
The time change struggles are real. Sigh.
I would miss your voice, Katie, but you need to make decisions that work for you in your life. I think Surrender has been such an incredible word for you this year!
LikeLike
Thank you, Kat! Yes — surrender has been a really good word for me. It’s so nice to just give myself permission to let go of the struggle when it’s not necessary!
LikeLike
As long as you are getting something worthwhile from blogging then continue. What might be easier to handle is feeling you need to post to a schedule. Post when you fancy! I love your posts, and just want to remind you how inspirational you are.
LikeLike
Posting when I fancy is very difficult for me! But you’re right, flexibility is key right now. And thank you for your kind words. You are also inspirational and I’m thankful for your friendship!
LikeLike
I’m glad you had a good break and good Thanksgiving.
I only post once a week because I just don’t have the time – or maybe I just don’t *want* to post more than that, ha ha! But I have one kid and he’s 11 and hardly needs anything anymore, lol. So with your three littles at home all the time – I don’t know how you do it, honestly. All this to say, if you take breaks or cut back, we would certainly all understand.
I feel like I mostly post to keep up with my blog friends around the world. I would miss you all so much if I quit entirely!
Anyway, good luck figuring out your blogging schedule and I hope you have a great week ahead!
LikeLike
Thank you, Laila. I would also miss my friends if I quit entirely and I wouldn’t want to do that. And I love blogging! It’s just figuring out when/how and keeping the WHY in the forefront, if that makes sense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Time change is the worst, and the sooner we can do away with it as a society, the better.
LikeLike
Amen!
LikeLike
When I think of the word “surrender” I think of giving in to something you’ve held out against, but I like the idea that it can be freeing – surrendering an obligation to do something to give yourself some space and time. That’s such a powerful idea but not a meaning I usually think of for this word. I love that feeling of understanding a word or idea in a new way so thank you for sharing this.
LikeLike
Thank you, Emma! I really liked the idea of flipping the word ‘surrender’ on its head this year. I think of it more as surrendering my own impossible expectations and not fighting against a tide that is exhausting me. It’s been a powerful reframe for me.
LikeLike