Let me explain.
It's quite ironic that I chose year 2010 to take a stance and slow down for both myself and my family. My Mum has always said to me, if it is meant to be it will be, and for the most part I believe this to be true. I think a lot of what happens to us in life is out of our control. The only control we have is the choices we make with the cards we have been dealt.
I believe that my slowing down was somehow in preparation for Eric's deployment, to get me in a place where I will be able to cope over the next 8 months or so. I am still working hard, just a little less. I have always believed that you have to live life in order to be able to scrapbook it, but when you work in this industry, it's all too easy for the balance to be tipped. You end end up like I did. Scrapbooking more than you are living.
This year I have quickly discovered that there is more to life than scrapbooking. This does not mean I love scrapbooking any less. Over the past 7 years it has become integral to my daily routines as brushing my teeth or working out. I can't imagine not documenting my life or working in this industry and sharing my work with others. That said, I have finally found a sense of balance, and in doing so, I have rediscovered lost interests and new passions.
- Working out. I love to work out. It's fun, makes me feel good and keeps me healthy and in shape. When the workload increases this is one of the first activities to be shelved. This year I joined a gym and have been rediscovering group exercise in the form of Bootcamp and Body Pump classes.
- Gluten Free Living / Clean Eating. Hand in hand with exercise comes healthy eating. I few years ago I learned that I could control a Bipolar Disorder diagnosis with the elimination of Gluten and Dairy from my diet. My children, also diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, have benefited greatly by monitoring what they eat too. I used to love cooking during my college years and have recently found the time again to be as creative in the kitchen, as I am with my Digital Designs. I want to share my kitchen experiments with others.
- Social Life. I can also be quite a social creature, but working from home inadvertently turned me into a social recluse. I'm learning what it's like again to spend time with others and I'm loving it.
These passions are all quite opposite to scrapbooking which tends to be quite sedentary and often time we spend on own, however, I think they are all interrelated in that they provide balance to life and contribute to overall happiness and well-being. As my social interactions have improved, I've had a lot of interest in my diet and how and why I eat what I do.
As a result, I have decided to start to include more of these passions into this blog moving forward. With Eric's impending deployment, the pity party is now officially over, and I'm looking for ways to breathe renewed life into this blog and also use it as a vehicle for him to also keep in touch with our life while he is away.
Hence, there is more to life than scrapbooking.
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Thank you for all of you who expressed you support on my last post and on this layout regarding Eric's deployment. It never ceases to amaze the love and support the Digital Scrapbooking community provides. It means much and I am very grateful.
