Getting lost in mountains of images, articles, and profiles of people that inspire me is a source of energy for me. It’s not something I always seek out. It can come randomly in a given week with the inception of clicking on hyperlinks in one article, to then land in an IG post, to then land in another really cool resource.
It can lead me to other tunnels that make me discover another cool person’s work, another interior design page to get lost in, or community events I fall upon and mark down to eventually attend. These bursts of energy are really nice because it gives me the momentum to get excited for other things in my life. I’m in the waxing phase of life right now if you will.
This reinvigoration was a domino effect the past week.
I’ve been reading more newsletters and watching more videos that are in line with the content I want to consume;
then I was inspired to host a creative project hang with new friends, which made me romanticize my life with a farmers market stroll to buy some lavender in a cute flowy dress to prep for that hangout;
then finally buying my flight to Indonesia and Japan and letting go of the fear of that long and far trip and instead letting in the thrill of manifesting that dream;
then to writing this post after tuning into a Postpartum Doula training module that is making me dream bigger of what that work can look like in my life .
And when I came across this post after going down a rabbit hole of reading random culture critiques, it made me think more about the phases we all go through of wanting to do/doing all the romanticizing things that make us feel good and how I’m accepting more that these desires eventually fade into phases of “stagnation”.
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Sometimes these phases happen on a schedule. For a lot of us, Summer might mean an easier time to get to that place of wanting to do all the flowery beautiful things and Winter might mean wanting to do the bare minimum.
Or these phases can truly be random bursts of energy, which is what I experience most of the time (although I could link it to astrology - Mars is in Venus right now which brings in inspired action and “the sudden urge to get your life together”).
What I’m coming to terms with more is that we can't always be the person that meditates every single morning, eats a balanced meal, walks 10k steps, calls family, does a good job at doing the dishes and cleaning up our space.
I love this ethereal list that Rachel from thatschic shared. I also know myself enough to understand that most of the time, I’m end up riding on being so overly hype that it fizzles out of that fiery energy just as fast as it came.
The point is to be invested in the fun and full expression of what would bring joy for us at that moment though right?
This isn’t to say that being really animated to do something is bad. If anything, I can do a better job at being more comfortable with sitting in that abundance of play. It is to say that bursts of energy come and go. Sometimes it lasts a few weeks, sometimes it lasts a few hours.
And sometimes the fun part is making the list, and just leaving it at that. But I would fall into the trap of judging myself for wanting to do all the things to then barely touch the surface of it when I could have either
1. focused on being realistic on what I actually wanted to do, let alone complete or
2. just let myself dream and be ok with letting it go.
If we give ourselves space to take advantage of when that fiery energy is there AND be ok with when we want to let it go, we'd make things a lot more enjoyable for ourselves.
Lennnie on Instagram: “its all a wave, baby 🌊 sometimes when you’re down, it feels impossible to see a future where you could ever be back on top. but i’m here to remind you and PROMISE you that YOU WILL BE. THAT DAY IS COMING, MY HUMAN FRIEND. the wave is right behind you!!!!!!! i love you so much”
July 10, 2023
Very much this energy is what I’m getting at 👆🏽.
There’s a fine line that’s so interesting to me between wanting to let ourselves dream and let those big feelings/moments pass and wanting to achieve all the things we want to do for the sake of achievement (to impress ourselves or others) and being disappointed if we don’t. The point is to be invested in the fun and full expression of what would bring joy for us at that moment though right?
And sometimes the fun part is making the list, and just leaving it at that.
I don’t know, maybe I’m a cynic for focusing on the downfall that can come from creating a dreamy list like in this IG post. But this list was such a great reminder for me of my own process when I fall into the whirlpool of joy, fear, excitement, and energy that comes with the phases of wanting to jump into doing all things, new and old. The waxing and waning of having a zest for life.
It's like that quote, “nothing in nature blooms all year”. We also can't expect ourselves to always be blooming in all ways. I do want to take advantage of this time however long it lasts. Maybe you’re in a similar season right now, or a season of just trying to do the bare necessities. Following our natural rhythm will make it easier for us to judge ourselves less while we’re in whatever season we are in and trusting that the wave comes back for us without us having to force it to.
