Wow – It’s time for another One Little Word post! Thank you to Carolyn for hosting this monthly gathering. It’s funny how quickly August flew by this year while it has always dragged for me in the past. Simultaneously, July feels like a lifetime ago! I had to go back into my archives to even remember what I wrote for last month’s check-in. I chuckled a bit when I reread that post because it’s shocking how much July’s foundation supported my needs in August.
August built on the lessons of July and I focused on demanding less from myself. I don’t know why exactly, but the changes that happen with the sun at the beginning and end of summer brings chaotic sleeping patterns to our home; Colton can still be awake past midnight, or up before 3:30, or both on the same night. So I’ve been seizing sleep when I can find it and that has sometimes meant that I’m just falling asleep when my alarm typically goes off or that I’ve chosen to turn off my alarm to stock up on some extra sleep for the night(s) to come.
I’ve had to face the fact that changing my sleeping routine means that I simply have less time at my computer right now. I am missing all of the connections I’ve made with you AND I continue to remind myself that this won’t last forever. Summer is passing so quickly and we’ll be settling into fall very soon!
Despite my angst around blogging time, being comfortable with doing less and seeking out time to rest has been a good thing. I’m enjoying the changing of the season this year. The sun’s angle is shifting rather dramatically right now and I managed to catch a glimpse of our perfectly illuminated driveway on Saturday night during the golden hour. I’ve never seen bugs look so beautiful!
No matter how difficult any moment seems, everything is constantly changing around us. And every moment is a new one, ready for a new direction and outcome. Knowing that has allowed me to be hopeful.
It’s funny – I chose the word less this year because I wanted to focus on decluttering and clearing our home of the physical chaos. I’ve spent very little time doing that! Most of this year has been focused on decluttering the internal self-imposed chaos that I have. We’ll see where the last four months of the year (!) takes me.
I hope to be back on Wednesday with an update on my reading. Audiobooks have been my friend this week while I’ve been preoccupied with lots of printing and binding curricula and workbooks for school, so I have listened to some amazing books! I can’t wait to share them with you. Take good care!
The Cozy Burrow 
Saturday’s evening light was amazing! And I take to heart your beautiful thought: “…every moment is a new one, ready for a new direction and outcome.”
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That is one of my most constant reminders!
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I am reminded of a sentence a friend of mine would often say, “one thing you can always count on is change.” She was right!
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She was totally right! Thank you for this reminder 🙂
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Ah sleep, we neglect it too much -to a fault. You sound chilled though so what you are doing is right for you now.
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Thanks, Cathy. I am trying!!
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I think that this “less” month has had so much more for you! I am energized reading this, Katie! And I think less internal clutter is such a very good thing! XO
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It reminds me a lot of your efforts to Release (was it last year??). Release the internal clutter!!
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Sounds to me like Less is serving you beautifully in this season–of life *and* the year. (I had a similar experience with Curate–assuming it would be a year of curating STUFF; to my surprise, it ended up changing my outlook on life. And it stuck!)
I’m glad you’re giving yourself the gift of sleep, whenever you can get it.
And oh, light at the golden hour. Talk about a gift!
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Thank you, Carolyn! I also loved how flexible “curate” was for you last year. These words are full of unexpected surprises!
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Letting go of internal “self-imposed chaos” is no small feat! I’m glad this word is helping you along the way, in different ways than you foresaw at the beginning of the year.
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Thanks, Laila! I also hope to get to some of this clutter this year too, hahaha!!
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I love how so often we select a word with a particular meaning or application in mind but it changes over the course of the year and takes on an entirely new meaning. I think that’s just what’s happened with you and Less — I think you’re recognizing that you can get buy with doing less and having fewer demands on yourself. I hope that’s a lesson you’ll take beyond this year. But I also hope that Less doesn’t apply to the amount of sleep you’re getting!
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Thank you, Sarah! It has been nice to just let a few things go and relax a bit more. But still: old habits are hard to kick! I will be working on this for a while 🙂
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Less internal clutter is always a good thing and sometimes necessary for me before I tackle other areas of clutter.
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YES! And sometimes I find that after releasing the internal clutter, the other clutter isn’t as bad as I thought it was.
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“decluttering the internal self-imposed chaos that I have” is such a wonderful lesson for ALL of us (I was going to say “both of us”, but then I see how those words resonated in the comments! We’ve just slipped below 13 hours of daylight here. It’s now definitely dark when I go to sleep (it’s always dark when I get up) and I know how much that helps. Sending good vibes that y’all get better sleep patterns soon. All of life is better when we’re rested.
p.s. I’ve realized lately how much I’ve enjoyed having a word this year that hasn’t been “work”. and maybe that’s another lesson in LESS?
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Yes — the shorter days have been a nice change for us. But Colton was still up at 3:30 this morning and very upset about something. yikes! Maybe this has nothing to do with the sun and just the way things are going to be forever. It’s time to start accepting that!
I love how that you feel like your word this year has been fulfilling without a lot of extra work. I’ve been thinking about a word for next year that’s simply based on observation. My brain is turning!
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