😻 Lil Treasures #66: Laboring in Obscurity and Cats in Hammocks
Plus I'm giving away some stuff in exchange for your opinions.
Hey friends,
I’ve got the emotional capacity for a Q+A this week, albeit a chill one. BUT before we jump in, I need your help.
Now that Lent is out the door (and by the way, what a beautiful community), this is me:
And you guys have this beautiful way of helping me figure it out. I want to know what YOU want to see here, so I created a Lil Survey. I know. Surveys generally suck, so I tried to make it 1) quick and painless, and 2) worth your time. It’s a short little guy, and I’ll also pick three people to win an Olive and June mani or pedi sets (you get to choose) if you leave your email in the last question. If you would be so kind as to indulge me with your opinions, I would be really grateful as I try to figure out what comes next for me and this space. THANK YOU I WISH I COULD BUY ALL OF US MANI/PEDI SETS AND WE COULD DO OUR NAILS IN A BEAUTIFUL FIELD SOMEWHERE WHILE WOODLAND CREATURES BRAIDED OUR HAIR.
Okay let’s get into that Q + A, shall we?
Q: How does one procure a spiritual advisor? - @a_maxfield
A: I wrote a whole thing on this when I first looked for Fran. Emily P. Freeman also did a great episode on this exact subject just a couple of weeks ago that I highly recommend.
Q: How can I enjoy a life-giving hobby without the internal pressure of being good at it? - @rebeccaccochran
A: Tell no one about it. Allow yourself to labor in obscurity. Practice failing.
Q: We’re coming up on one year of all this. How are you celebrating/managing? - @mrsrobynosgood
A: Well, I’m renewing my Lexapro prescription, that’s one thing. I’m trying to figure out something I can plan to look forward to. Every night I’m wrapping myself up in fuzzy blankets and heating pads and wireless headphone sleep masks and attempting to drift off towards another day closer to being vaccinated or herd immunity or whatever is passing for earthly hope these days. I have a new GP and I told her that I’m leaning too hard on carbohydrates to buoy me, but at this point, it is what it is.
Q: If my favorite IG/podcaster doesn’t share the story I tagged them in, are they mad at me? - @hokiejennylynn
A: I would say probably not. Some people think re-sharing stories is like weird bragging, so that’s why they don’t share. Some people just genuinely don’t see stories or they miss them (Instagram sometimes sucks at showing you if you’re tagged). Your tag may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Unless you left them a bad review and used your Instagram name as your reviewer name on Goodreads or Apple Podcasts, I can say with almost 100% certainty, they are not mad at you.
Q: I want a different job but I’m crippled by anxiety. What if the new job sucks more than the current one? My boss is nice/flexible, but I’m bored out of my mind. Don’t really know what I want to do next, but I’m feeling very unfulfilled. Need to pay off student debt but would like to feel like I’m doing some good in the world and be challenged. - anonymous, because you know, sensitive job stuff.
A: My dad said something to me when I was a kid about jobs that I’ve never forgotten, and maybe it will be helpful to you. He told me that it’s not like he’s particularly passionate about his job, but he is passionate about what his job allows him to do. At the time, this meant take us to Branson, Missouri for summer vacation and get off work early to come watch my tennis practices. So I would make a list of the things your job allows you to do, even if you don’t really like it. Helping you pay off student loans? That’s a perk. Have a flexible work schedule that enables you to maybe have a hobby you love or take Fridays off to volunteer at a place where you do feel fulfilled? That’s a perk. Or maybe it’s just a temporary thing. Yes, you want a new job, but if you stay for a year or two and it enables you to pay off your loans, you’ll have more freedom down the road. Maybe your job isn’t the place you’re going to find meaning and fulfillment, but maybe it allows you to find those places elsewhere.
Okay, how about some treasures?
👕 I teamed up with the wonderful folks at Bonfire to create a shirt to help raise funds for the state of Texas as they seek to recover and rebuild after the winter storm. The shirt comes in a variety of colors and styles, and the design was inspired by both Mister Rogers and Texas bluebonnets. 100% of proceeds from the shirt sales will go towards the organizations The Family Place, Our Calling, Kids Meals Houston, and Feeding Texas. You can go check out the shirts here!
🖤 I really enjoyed this story about Jill Biden and her perspective on grieving.
💗 This week’s victory belongs to our beloved Robyn, who many of you were praying for and following throughout her birth process. She gave birth to beautiful little Ivy Joy Osgood, and they are both doing great! Welcome to the world, Ivy!
👽 A new episode of Faith Adjacent is up! This time we explored the topic of extraterrestrials, C.S. Lewis, and bringing our faith to other planets. You should give it a listen - the content is literally out of this world! (I’m sorry….)
🙏 For all my fellow parents out there - Kayla Craig’s upcoming book To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents is now available for pre-order! This is a terrific resource for parents, as they attempt to pray for and raise kids in this very complicated world.
I have spent this whole week so disappointed in the royal family, I can’t even deal with it.
Okay that’s it from me this week. I can’t wait to see what you’re loving! Don’t forget to stop by the We Got You Club this week to see if there’s someone you can help!
Hi y’all,
I have such an embarrassing story to share. I can’t share it on my IG and I don’t have any other social media so here we go.
I had lower left pelvic pain on Monday night. I immediately began googling and self-diagnosed an ovarian cyst or ectopic pregnancy. My anxiety kicked in (I already feared being hospitalized in the time of Covid and an ectopic pregnancy would require immediate surgery). I found an old pregnancy test under my sink but it apparently expired, so no answers there. 😏
Advil wasn’t touching the pain. I finally was able to be seen at my gynecologist’s office on Wednesday morning for an ultrasound. I was super nervous about it and really sad that it would be my first ultrasound without my husband there for support. Covid precautions means solo doctor visits. Anyway, I teared up from anxiety and pain during the procedure and the tech asked if I was okay. I told her what I was scared about and she smiled. She said, “Oh, honey, your ovaries are fine. Also no pregnancy here. You are FOS- full of sh#%.”
I laugh now but I stared at her in disbelief. I told her that I “go” every day and it’s impossible. She then showed me on the screen and eww. The nurse practitioner who followed up did a physical exam and agreed, even dropping this gem, “You’ve also got a lot of trapped gas in there!”
What. Being a woman is so humbling at times! I’m *extra* glad I hit up the group text before the appointment so my bffs could pray and then just laugh. 😂
Moral of the story- sometimes what you fear isn’t serious and is just embarrassing. And there’s nothing like having to do a target pick up order for gas medicine and stool softener and wonder how hard that shopper is judging you. 😂
Morning, my friends!
I feel like I haven’t commented in a bit, but things have just been busy.
Treasures:
- I’ve started therapy. I’ve had two sessions so far and have ugly sobbed through them both (ya girl has LOTS of trauma) and in my last session, we went through my family story and at the end my therapist goes, “Wow. That’s a lot. There’s a lot to unpack there.” And I was like “Sis, why do you think I’m here?!” Anyways, I’d appreciate prayers for continued strength to be vulnerable (enneagram 8 here 🙋🏻♀️ so vulnerability is NOT my thing) and prayers for healing to begin.
- Watching The Bachelor on Friday nights with our very own Danielle. We both sit down on our respective couches, Kentucky mules in hand, in our respective time zones, and press play at the same time and text each other throughout. We’re both currently fasting from TV for Lent and while I’m embarrassed to say that The Bachelor is my feast, it really is the delight of my week. Delightful idiocy at its finest.
- We are supposed to have DELIGHTFUL weather in Chicago this weekend and after many many weekends full of rain and endless amounts of snow, I’m looking forward to going for a hike on my sabbath.
Looking forward to digging into the comments later with y’all!