For those of you who don't know me, or much about me, let me briefly introduce myself. I'm Ash, an aspiring artist who enjoys the spooky/creepy things in life. My sweetheart, Asher, and I are trying to get our own art & music business up and off the ground. In the meantime, he works in construction/painting and I bartend/wait tables at a corporate chain restaurant.
Along with many of you my day job has had to temporarily change up the way they offer service in efforts to reduce the risks of the Coronavirus disease #covid. Due to their risk-reducing efforts I have ended up with a week -possibly longer- without work. As someone who works in a 'tipped position' this news was slightly alarming. However, the more I thought about it the more it started to excite me! In the incessant loop of thoughts that courses through my mind daily I realized this would be the first full work-less week I've had in the 5+ years of being with the company I work for. I did go on one vacation but just for an extended weekend. So a whole week? Out of the blue?? What's a girl(or guy) to do, right???
As I'm sure many of you do, I am always feeling rushed and out of time. Constantly wishing I had more time to accomplish, well, anything! Art projects, website/social media maintenance, house chores, small tasks, self-care, the list goes on & on. Between working a day job, trying to build a business, keeping up with a decently clean house(I try), and maintaining some form of sanity(not a lot to work with there) it feels like every minute I have has already been spent and I can't even keep up with daily demands. Come to think of it, as of recent I have been overly grouchy at work and maintaining a constant state of irritability in general (Are the feelings mutual?). I don't like feeling like that! So, while a week without work will suck (kinda) I have gained some extra time to, hopefully, catch up but also some time to slow down. Daily life is stressful, everybody knows that. Seems like there's always a problem/obstacle that needs solving and no breaks, no time to catch up on what you'd like to do. For a busy mind, like mine, there's never a moment of peace. It's always chaos up there. So, for the next few days, I'd like to put all that on hold.
I am well aware that there are still problems pending, just waiting for me, but for the following days I would like to take a break from day-to-day reality and work on restoring my self-care & my sanity and I would like to invite you all to do the same! If you are "stuck at home" I would like to challenge you to work on yourself the way you don't normally have time to. Maybe you feel like you need to spend more time with family. Maybe you need an endless supply of snacks, naps, and wine/whiskey. Use this time to your advantage! Yes, things are kinda unnerving right now but humankind has persisted through so much, we will come out of this just fine. So give yourself a refresh if you have the opportunity! Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas to consider:
Rest (catch up on sleep, veg-out on your couch, etc.)
Read/write something
Zone out to your favorite album (or check out something new to you)
Organize/clean your space
Binge-watch the shows/movies you have piling up
Go outside (garden, go fishing, go for a walk-but keep a safe distance from others)
Spend that extra time with your family/friends/pets (play games, cook/make something together but remember small gatherings)
Teach your kiddo something they wouldn't learn in school (change a tire/oil, balancing a checkbook, etc.)
Work on your hobby (if you don't have one, now is a good time to consider one)
Home salon day
Try that new recipe you've had your eyes on (if you can find the ingredients)
If you're locked up with your lover perhaps some daytime romance is in order
Help a neighbor or a stranger if you get the chance (while still practicing safe distancing, of course)
Is there anything in particular you've been putting off for a rainy day? Now is your chance to make a move on it and mark it off your "to-do" list. As for myself I have made my own set of "self" goals for the upcoming days. I'm happy to share them with you and if you see anything that inspires you please feel free to add it to your own list of things you'd like to do. (I know lists aren't for everyone, I'm just a list kind of girl, if you hate lists just do whatever works best for you!)
My current self-improvement goals:
Meditating (I hear this does wonders for calming so let's give it a go)
Art project catch-up (I can't even tell you how many unfinished projects I have)
Touching up my writing skills (How am I doing so far?)
Start a blog (Check! Sorta...)
Exercise/stretching
Read (I miss being absorbed by one book after another)
Work on my plant care (I am not a very good plant parent even though I want to be)
Keeping the basic house chores caught up
Restocking our inventory
Practice my violin
Binge sh*tty horror/thriller movies (I actually almost always have them playing for my background noise anyway but they are still my favorite way to unwind)
I hope each and every one of you takes care, not just of yourself, but of your fellow humans also. This is a wild and rough time for everybody! Those people who still have to get out and work to make sure everyone else can stay home, healthy, or stocked up on supplies in this time of crisis are having some of the worst work days of their careers. If you have to get out be considerate, if nothing else. Everyone is facing something, we can either help each other get through it or we can prolong the chaos and the panic.
Thank you all for checking out my test-run blog post! I am considering posting an update piece to let you all know how it's going and where I stand with my "self" goals (and to continue working on my writing). I truly appreciate the support and encouragement to even go for it!!! The more I do this the better I will get so please join me again! I would love some feedback on this. No cruel/insulting/nasty comments though, that's not welcome here and I will not take kindly to them. Instead tell me something good about being stuck at home or not being stuck at home. If you are stuck at home what would you like to do with your extra time?
~Ash. L.
Shoppe site: https://www.ashesartshoppe.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashesartshoppe
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ashesartshoppe/
So thrilled you are doing this! I love the fact that you also like writing, and if this Nandy may say so, you are very good at it! Poppy and I love you! Stay in and stay safe!