When you're in a season of crazy...

Happy Tuesday Friend,

Tonight I’m headed to a local Tea Room to make hats and drink champagne with a few girlfriends for a “Galentine’s celebration” 

And if that sounds really random—it is.

I don’t even normally wear hats.

But when your friend plans a fun night out for the girls, you say YES and don’t ask questions, right?

The truth is that I’m more than ready to kick back and have a little fun tonight, even if it’s decorating a hat I probably won’t ever wear.

Because between a few really big projects at work that have me working very long hours, all the home improvement projects that keep me busy all weekend, trying to keep up with two teenagers at two different schools currently both trying to shuffle between two different sports, and then hosting several sets of out-of-town guests, there’s just a lot going on.

And on top of that, we’re deep into trying to help my oldest daughter navigate through her senior year of high school and prepare to take her next step into the world.

At this point, she’s a little overwhelmed by all the choices and the decision-making process, while my husband and I are worried that we haven’t done enough as parents to prepare her for the world.

How do you ever really know that you’ve done enough?

Suffice to say, it’s all been a lot.

I ran into my friend Beth at the high school basketball game the other night. We’d barely seen each other since New Year’s Eve, when normally we get together quite a bit.

And her life is just as crazy as mine is right now, for many of the same reasons.

We joked that we missed the simpler days of Covid, when everyone could just stay home.

But that’s not the season we’re in right now.

And that’s okay too.

Because I’ve been through enough crazy seasons in my life to know that this too shall pass.

That said, I’ve also developed a few strategies that definitely help keep me grounded in the midst of all the crazy.

Here’s what’s helping me right now:

• Power Planning: On Friday afternoons, I spend an hour planning the next week with a process I call Power Planning. I start by doing a brain dump of all the things I know I’ll need to work on in the coming week, then I prioritize the list into A tasks (must-dos), B tasks (should-dos), and C tasks (want-to-dos). Once I know my priorities, I block out time in my schedule for each task, starting with the A tasks, so that I know I have a good plan to get it all done. I like doing it on Fridays, because it helps me relax on the weekends knowing that I’ve got a plan, rather than letting all those unfinished tasks swirl around in my brain.

• Our Family Schedule: After I finish planning my work schedule, I also take the time to look at my family’s schedule for the coming week. I usually do this on Saturday or Sunday when the rest of my family is around so that I can get their input in case there’s something I don’t know about.
  

  I add in all the girls’ school and sports activities, as well as any other things they have going on. I also add any stuff my husband has happening—appointments, renters checking in or out, etc., as well as other stuff, such as guests staying with us, church, parties, or whatever. Each family member has their own color, while things that affect all of us are in blue. Once I know what’s happening each day, I ask for any meal requests and plan meals for the nights we’ll all be home. 
  

  Then I print it out and hang it on the fridge so we’re all on the same page. And honestly, it’s amazing how much this one little thing helps us SO much. (See what it looks like HERE.)

• Morning Prayer: I haven’t always been the best about making time for prayer first thing in the morning, but this year I’ve worked on making it a habit by stacking it with another habit—my first cup of coffee. I wake up, make my coffee, and then don’t take my first sip until I’ve spent a few minutes in prayer. (One of our pastors did a great sermon in January about how to structure your prayer, so I’ve been following that format and it’s so helpful!) I’m actively praying for peace during this crazy season, and it helps.

• Accepting that there is only so much I can do: There are a lot of things that I’ve had to give myself grace on during this current season. Our house is pretty messy most of the time, and the laundry keeps piling up. (Luckily the girls do their own laundry!) While we eat pretty well at home, I’ve also eaten a lot more concession stand hot dogs for dinner than I would like to admit. I still walk my dogs every morning, but I’m not doing any strength training or strenuous workouts right now. There are lots of things I’d like to be doing, but I also accept that sometimes all you can do is all you can do.

• Making time for fun & friends: When I make my plan for the week, I try to make sure that I’ve got at least ONE fun thing to look forward to each week—I actually write it down. Sometimes it’s as simple as inviting friends over for cocktails by the fire, and sometimes it’s as random as saying yes to making hats at a Tea Room. But there has to be something, because otherwise what’s the point?

So that’s what’s helping me. And I don’t know what kind of season you’re in right now, but if it feels a little crazy or stressful, or you’re overwhelmed with everything you have on your plate right now, please know that you’re not alone.

But also know this: no season lasts forever.

Haruki Marakumi once said, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” Along those same lines, Albert Camus wrote that, “in the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” 

In other words?  It is often during our hardest seasons that we find our greatest strength.

And so, my challenge for you this week is to keep going, and to maybe try one of these strategies if you think it could help. Power plan & prioritize. Make a family schedule. Pray. Then accept the fact that there’s only so much you can do, and make some time for fun along the way.

This too shall pass. (I promise!)

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Live with purpose, friend, and have a wonderful week!

xoxo, Ruth

P.S. I always love hearing from you—feel free to hit reply to this email to let me know how I can encourage you this week!

This week’s podcast episode…

What’s cooking in my kitchen…

Here are the recipes I shared on social this past week:

The latest from my Instagram…

One of my goals this year is to be more consistent on social media, so I’ve committed to sharing at least one post a day on Instagram. If you’re there, I’d love to connect with you—find me at @RuthSoukup

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What’s Happening Around RSO…