Has the world been crazy lately, or has the world been crazy lately? Phew! 
I’m going to just admit it. I’m in a slump. I keep having those days where you feel like you’re not moving forward, not doing enough with your life, that I haven’t helped the right people, and just a lot of feelings of inadequacy and exhaustion all around. It’s scary to admit out loud that sometimes you think you’re not good enough at this, or that. And it’s funny because coupling these feelings with travel and trying to do too much, then finishing your goals and not knowing where to start on the next ones: exhaustion kicks in, making this whole pity party thing a real slippery slope of negative thinking. I’m a control freak type of person, so when I feel like things are beyond my control and I can’t literally help with my own two hands, that in itself makes my head want to explode.
Sometimes it’s simply hard to not get bogged down by all the terribleness that can happen in our world. And that is a reason to practice gratitude even more so on a daily basis (nerd alert: I love my gratitude journal), but sometimes constantly looking on the sunny side of things is just really freaking hard. Especially if you have any tendencies to be a realist, (insert pessimism here if you wish, but I don’t like to use that word) and you’re tired, and feeling helpless in your ability to help so many that need it. So, I’ve decided to give myself a break and just acknowledge that I’m in a slump; I’m feeling kind of down about my worldly direction at the moment. Inspired always by the words of Cheryl Strayed, I’m owning my own slump.
“Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.” – Cheryl Strayed
Life can be sad, and that’s okay; that’s what makes the good times even sweeter. As I try to remind myself of these things right now, one of my dear friends recently was inspired by a seminar given by the Life is Good Playmakers charity, on the importance of childrens’ play and positivity. She is finding herself coming out on the other side of her own “slump”, and was motivated to challenge herself to add more play and positivity for the next 365 days. She’s doing that through one photo a day on Instagram. The handle is 365DaysofPlay – you should follow along and do your own challenge! I’m currently trying to feed myself some of that optimism, because I can tell in my bones that something great is just around the riverbed… and in the meantime, I’m trying to be grateful for all that I have, and praying and sending positive vibes to all that so desperately need it.
#watchusroam