Have you heard of the phrase, “phoning it in?” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as this:
To phone it in is to do something with low enthusiasm or effort. While the phrase may sound innocuous enough in an age when telecommuting and conference calls are common, it originates from the notion of someone who can’t be bothered to show up when expected.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
That’s how I feel I’ve been about blogging in the past few months. Although, I won’t say that I fall into the category of not being bothered, because I have been. Blogging has brought back my writing and introduced me to so many wonderful people so I have always been bothered about not showing up.
In the past couple of weeks I have taken some time to evaluate and regroup. Burnout is a very real thing and I imagine that many of us have discovered ourselves hitting some type of wall this year in some aspect of our lives. We demand ourselves to be better and stronger than the hard times around us. Yet, sometimes we just need to give ourselves a break. To acknowledge we don’t have to do things perfectly, that we don’t have to keep up a frenetic schedule, that we don’t have to fight against the pressure all the time. It’s okay to stop. To just do something that won’t mean anything to anyone else but you and not worry about it.
Autumn’s here. Yes, I realize that according to the calendar, it’s been here for nearly two months, but the past week has been when it’s finally felt like it. Burnished leaves dancing, air becoming chill, days turning dark sooner. And, there’s something about autumn that’s always made me feel alive. Up until a few years ago, I would have told you that it was my favorite season. Then something hit me and I shuddered to welcome autumn. My love is back this year. I welcome it. I wrap it around me. I thrive. And maybe it’s all of these things together that give me hope right now. I feel renewed and ready to take life on again.
I’m back and happy to be here.
And so is Sophie.
First, that sky is almost electric. Wow. Second, love the way Sophie crosses her paws. My Molly used to do that. So adorable.
Sometimes we just need a change of pace or focus, and I definitely see that this is one of those years where a lot of people are feeling the same. It is difficult to go through so much and not grow with it.
Yes, I figured that there must be others who have hit that wall this year. At first, I thought it was a great time for introspection, but it’s also become a time for retrospection, which has led to more than a few realizations that I’m not altogether comfortable with, but which will provide an opportunity for growth.
I hope that you and yours are weathering this time well.