Tag: writing

Writing as a Habit
writing

Writing as a Habit

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

At church this morning, our pastor talked to us about praying as a habit. I was really relating to everything he was saying, but I was equally relating each of his points to writing as a habit.

You see, writing is my favorite hobby in the world, and yet I have not opened my laptop to write all summer. Until today. During this morning’s sermon, I was asking myself why that was? If I’m a teacher who’s off for the summer, and I have tons more free time, then why haven’t I written at all, three weeks into my summer break?

The short answer was simple. It hasn’t been my habit. I have so many habits this summer that most people would find admirable. I wake up between 5 and 6am every morning and go for a sunrise walk. I have my coffee, I read, I listen to uplifting podcasts. Writing is not on that list. I get ready, make breakfast and usher my children out the door for various summer activities. Before I know it, it’s time for dinner and bedtime. Where did the day go?

Life is busy and people are heavily scheduled. But the answer to how to make writing a habit has a simple answer too. Just like my morning sunrise walks and podcasts, just like making breakfast and coffee, writing needs to be intentional and planned. I’m an essential oils educator, and a quote I like to use with people when they tell me they don’t have time to learn about oils, is a quote that applies to those of us who love to write but claim we don’t have time: “We find time for the things that matter to us.”

For most people, the best way to form a habit is to do that activity at the same time each day. For me, I’m feeling that the morning would be the wisest time for me. The time I’ve been reading and listening to podcasts, absorbing content, could be spent creating content. And I feel like this comes and goes in waves for me as a writer. I would love to hear from those of you reading this blog post who write: Do you find that you have seasons where it’s important for you to take a break from creating content and to absorb and take in the creativity of others’ content?

I could be hard on myself for this long hiatus, but I do feel it’s served me. I get so many ideas and feel so inspired from the seasons where I am just a consumer of content. Though quite a bit of time has passed since I’ve written a blog post, on my phone, I keep a note on my Notes app titled “Blog Post Topics.” I add to it every day! Almost every book and blog post I read, almost every sermon or podcast I listen to inspires me and ignites my own creativity so that now as a strive to get back on the writing horse, I have this exciting list of ideas to fuel my passion.

They say it takes 30 days to form a habit, so then dear reader, I plan on carving time out for myself these next 30 days, and I will follow up at the end of that 30 days and report back to let you know how it’s going.

I hope this has inspired someone else who loves to write but for whatever reason has not been. If you have any words of wisdom for me and others who may stumble open this blog post, I would love any and all ideas for how to make writing a habit and show up for this extraordinarily soul feeding hobby.

Bowling Green – Mom’s Day Out
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Bowling Green – Mom’s Day Out

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

If you’re a mama, near Bowling Green, and find yourself with alone time, keep reading!

My oldest daughter is doing a gifted program at the local university each Saturday of the month so I find myself pleasantly and strangely in Bowling Green without children and time to explore.

Whenever I have the opportunity to explore a different city, there are several common things I am always interested to find: a nice park or outdoor area to walk and be in nature, a local coffee shop, and an experience unique to the area.

I read about several local parks in Bowling Green the week leading up to our first visit and the RiverWalk stood out to me, mainly because I have always been charmed by bridges and being near the water. Granted it is winter and no leaves on the trees, but I could imagine this would be a most beautiful place to walk in spring and fall.

I was surprised and mesmerized by the powerful churning of the river water as I stood on the bridge. I must have stood there for a good ten minutes, just thinking no thought and listening to the sound of the water, watching the white foamy water rapidly move downstream.

On my walk I also was able to see one of the longest trains I had ever seen in my life pass by. We have trains near our town, but the length of this one was so impressive to me, and it blew it’s horn the entire time.

I also chose the park hoping to find solitude early on a Saturday morning, and that’s exactly what I found. I only encountered one other person jogging, but felt the rest of my walk that I had the park all to myself.

After my walk I was eager to make way to my next stop, a Himalayan salt cave. Visiting a salt cave was interestingly enough a new bucket list item for me, and I had just learned about them a few months ago. The concept of the cave intrigued me: skin benefits, release of toxins and negative energy, and support for the respiratory system.

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When I arrived I told the lady I had a Groupon. (Look into this – it saved me $16.) She informed me that there was a private session going on and to come back the next hour which I did.

I asked for her help with my search for the best coffee in the area and she mentioned a Starbucks across the street or a local shop. I was quick to let her know I wanted the local shop! She directed me to Q Coffee Emporium which was only three minutes from the salt cave. If you would like to know more about my salt cave experience I shared all about it here in a separate post.

I was delighted as soon as I pulled into Q Coffee Emporium. It had garage doors that looked as if it would be open air in the warmer months, and the entrance and parking was in the back. When I asked about what they were known for, the barista told me they get their coffee from Nashville, and it’s the same coffee they have at Frothy Monkey. Well, I adore Frothy Monkey. So Nashville Frothy Monkey friends, take note. I had a cafe latte and toasted bagel with cream cheese and butter. Both were delish.

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If you’re looking for an enticing atmosphere, Q Coffee Emporium delivers. It’s oozing with charm. There is a cozy area indoors with couches, books, games and natural light. There’s an area that makes an excellent workspace with tables and outlets for charging. There’s an outdoor area with firepit and blankets. This was my personal favorite. There’s also a more traditional looking area that is better suited for dining.

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I also appreciated the bathroom doors labeled “Humans” instead of the traditional “Men” and “Women.”

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I spent the better part of an hour here, and left feeling like I had three different experiences: I ate, sipped coffee, wrote for a bit, and cozied up by the fire. I left there thinking, “If I lived here, I would be a regular.”