It’s the first of July, so we are officially at the halfway mark of 2019. This means it’s time to check in with our goals and themes for the year. My theme for the year is Adventure, and I tried to couch my goals in that theme.  Let’s see how much progress I made in the second quarter. It feels like just the other day that I just wrote this post reviewing the first quarter…. Was it really three months ago? It was. So here’s my Q2 progress report.

Mood

I explained that the first three months were rough, so naturally, the next three had to kick it up a notch. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, and I am one of the rare cases that suffers most in the summer. There are a few weeks leading up to the first day of summer that tend to be the most challenging time of year for me. Much of the 2nd quarter did see me in a better mood, but the recency effect means that the last month clouds the whole thing. I really felt like I was on the verge of making a breakthrough in exploring some childhood trauma that comes up at this time every year… and then the other shoe dropped. Actually, several shoes dropped at the same time. It was literally raining shoes, but, like, shoes that are uncomfortable, the wrong size, and not even cute! WTHeck!? It was a perfect storm of Trina’s Triggers. There were a few points where I felt like 20 years of “growth” was ripped out from under me like a rug, but a very kind soul reminded me that it would not take another 20 years to get my peace back. She was right. I am immensely grateful for kind souls like her, because there are about 20 of her for every lying, conniving, backstabbing… let’s just say “bless their heart” and move on. And I mean it. Would you mind sending some love, good vibes, etc. to a terrible person? I want this person to be so “blessed” that the next time they feel the need to drag someone to their level it will mean doing someone a favor instead of harm. I don’t personally want to kill ’em with kindness; that line is drawn; but wouldn’t it be fun to just “bless the heck out of ’em?” I know this can work, because I’ve done something similar in the past. Thanks for helping!

Achievement Unlocked!

Did I ever tell you about the time I did a tap dance on stage? It was so much fun. I am not the best tapper, but I nailed it that day. And what an honor to tap with my oldest kid! She’s an absolute wizard of tap. She might get tired of me telling people that, but she seriously has talent and skill, and I am one proud mama. I am also proud to say that I had so many wonderful friends who took time out of their Saturday to come and watch us dance. I am endlessly amazed at the kindness of my friends and how lucky I am to have connected with each of them. If I can issue one bit of advice, it is to surround yourself with awesome people. I also suggest being an awesome person, but that’s easier when you have lots of good examples.

One of the most epic achievements of recent months isn’t actually something I did, but I get to take credit anyway. Not only can my #1 kid kill it on the tap stage, but she graduated from college! She could have tapped across the stage to accept her diploma, but she didn’t want to show up the other recipients. If you want to feel accomplished as a parent, watch your first born finish college. My work here is done, right? We had two nephews and a great-nephew graduate from high school too. It was like a parade of first borns! That was a good week with a lot of celebration.

More Fun

What else happened in Q2? I attended the 5th annual Bentonville Film Festival. I watched a LOT of movies. I made a quick work trip where I presented in front of about a million people who have the same job I do, which means they are the top people in this field. Okay, it wasn’t a million, maybe a hundred. Anyway, it was sort of a big deal. They changed my time limit and I went over… Music started playing… It was like getting the hook at the Oscars! It made me feel very important. I was also talked into trying to read a book per week for a summer reading challenge. Just over four weeks in and I have finished six of my twelve books.

I also walked in our local Pride parade with other mama bears giving out Free Mom Hugs. This was fun, but it was also heartbreaking. I wish none of those hugs were necessary, but I could tell that some of them really, really were. If you’re a parent, please hug your kid and never stop hugging your kid. Being a parent can be hard, but if you think back you will remember that being a kid is harder. Hugs help!

I also saw L.A. Guns for the second time thirty years after they were my first rock concert. That was so much fun! I almost felt 13 again. Except my knee was hurting.

How’d I do?

In my Q1 Review, I mentioned plans for each of the following areas. Did I make any progress?

1. Home – This is going to be a work in progress for some time. Most tasks that were checked off this list were thanks to my wonderful husband. I did do some clothing Kon-Mari. And I *mostly* bought e-books, so that’s a win.
2. Books and Blogging – Speaking of books… I read a lot! Speaking of blogs… posts were woefully sparse. My summer reading challenge is going to see me through a strong third quarter.
3. BLE/Health/Activity – I still have not completed the BLE course that I started in January. I made progress though! I have also had a rash of “not bright” days. Willpower has been depleted. I also had a good stretch of really good days, so let’s focus on that. I will be attending the BLE Family Reunion (conference) and spending time with some women I have gotten to know “virtually.” I know recent stuff is just a blip, and July is off to a fresh start. Also, my back has been feeling better! I think it was the hugs. I also had some regular yoga happening until I sprained my knee. That hurt REALLY bad for a bit but already feels a lot better. All of this boils down to self care and it must be a priority.
4. Financial – We are blessed. This is also one of those areas where we can’t seem to catch a break. As soon as we “get ahead” something sweeps in like the Red Queen and lops that lovely head off. But we were ahead for a minute, and that counts!

ADVENTURE

My biggest adventure of Q2 was the tap dancing. July is going to be one long adventure, so stay tuned for that. I am very excited. We all deserve a break.

My ABC’s

I would be remiss to talk about my themes and goals without checking in with my core values. How close was I to the bullseye when trying to maintain authenticity, balance, and connection?

• Authenticity– I’m feeling good about this one. I referenced some setbacks above, but I think recognizing that I felt disconnected was a huge win in the authenticity bucket. I identified what I needed and I asked for it. Yay me.
• Balance– I took time for myself. I went to yoga, ramped up my meditation, and went back to using a daily checklist. I also had days when it was all I could do to get out of bed. I got out bed every day though. I slept late and went to bed early. I did my best, because that’s the best I could do.
• Connection– This one ties into the other two. I had to be authentic and balanced, which meant accepting that I didn’t always want to be connected. I still had connections. Three months of isolation would be a red flag, but April-June were good enough. April is when so many friends supported me at tap recital, so that was a connection high point.

Look ahead at Q3

As I write this, we are several hours into our epic road trip. The month of July is going to be so cool; I don’t know how the next few months will measure up. That’s okay, they don’t have to compete. With a full agenda for the next several days, it’s hard to remember my plans beyond that. I’ll let you know at the end of September.

Leave a comment to let me know how your year has gone so far!