Bonjour reader! If I scheduled this post correctly, you should have this in your mailbox and know that, even as I am walking the street of Paris today, I have thought of you in advance. And, just to give you a little point of reference, the hotel we are staying at would be left of the Arc de Triomphe just off the Champs-Elysees. So we are in a very historically significant part of the city as well as aesthetically pretty area.
For today, I thought I could offer you a few suggestions for the month of March. So, below are a few things that came to mind as we await better weather and the yearly anticipation of spring break, perhaps. Without further ado, here is my list for you today:
Sort out the sock drawer (turn singles into dust rags) (you know this needs to be done!)
Read a book from the list of top 10 (check Barnes and Noble) * see below
Organize the drawer with the plastic lids/containers (discard if you can't find both pieces)
Visit a museum (and stay for lunch...consider doing this by yourself)
Eat out at your favorite restaurant with your teenager (he or she should place the order)
Clean out and organize the linen closet (could you use some fresh new linens?)
Make a plan to refresh a room or space in your home
Call a friend you need to catch up with
Invite a friend to meet up for coffee or lunch (maybe the one you just called to catch up with)
Order some exquisite tea or coffee you haven't tried (Harney & Sons, Tea Forte or Kimbo coffee)
Of course, this list is not exhaustive and you may even choose to delete or add a few ideas of your own. The point is to take full advantage of the month of March to get a jump on that thing called "Spring Cleaning" while integrating a few fun activities that you can alternate with those cleaning/sorting chores. I love to clean and organize closets; it's cathartic and it makes me happy to open and find my sheets matched and tied with pretty ribbon (I cannot say this is true for the house we are updating...no, that would be a full out lie; my lake house is very nice and organized however).
Remember that a few of these suggestions focus on self-care and I really mean it when I say that self-care is necessary. It is not a luxury to be experienced only when everything and everyone is taken care of first. It's a very intentional thing to decide that you are worth investing in; whatever works for you and, how often you need to care for yourself is the only variable between you and the next person (some need less time at the spa but, more time with their solitude and cup of tea). I am very protective about how much "space" I carve out for myself, as I need a lot of down time, if I want to continue to invest in other people...and I do! I love people and it is a quality in my life that I nurture and cultivate, unless I feel depleted. So, I am always evaluating my emotional meter and dial back when necessary to take time for myself. I believe in this so much that it most assuredly relates to the joy in my life and how much I enjoy life...even when it's not going my way.
Suffice it to say, you matter...you are worth the investment of self care in yourself and your family and friends benefit in that they get the best of YOU!
I'll end here and say it like the French...il est temps de partir...until next week, au revoir! Jeanine
* At this writing, these popped up as worthy a good read:
Walking with Sam by Andrew McCarthy
The Hidden by Melanie Golding
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
(And I have not read any of these; I am still immersed in three books still waiting to be dusted off and continued...)
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