T H A N K F U L

My tablescape got a wintery neutral makeover but my Porter Lane Home table linens stayed put. I love these because I can use them all year. Speaking of thankful, I'm feeling especially thankful this season. At the risk of boring you to death, I'd like to share why...

I am usually a pretty big Scrooge this time of year. I blamed it on the commercial aspect of stores pushing Christmas before Halloween arrived. I blamed it on the meaning of the season getting lost in the shuffle being too focused on gift giving. The pressure to spend stupid amounts of money. And while those reasons may still hold true to some degree, they don't hold as much weight as I was giving them.

While I wrapped gifts the other day, I was SO happy and found myself overwhelmed with joy for the season. And then it hit me. The why. Time.

I have TIME this year to enjoy the details that make this season so joyous. This is the first year in the history of my boys lives (who are 16 and 12, by the way) that I have not worked a stressful 8-5 job that left me scrambling 3 days before Christmas to finish the last minute shopping on Amazon Prime. Praying when I hit that submit order button that there would be NO delivery delays so I didn't have two disappointed children on Christmas morning. Then staying up until 2am on Christmas morning wrapping everything in a hurry through heavy eyelids. Not this year. In fact, the lists were fulfilled by December 1st and now I have time to enjoy wrapping the gifts and making them extra special this year.

My focus has shifted because I'm not caught up in the vicious cycle of being stressed about being strapped for time because of a desk job that makes me even more stressed because I don't have time to focus on what matters. My family. I sacrificed a decent paycheck to pursue my dreams and be more present for my family.  I put a lot of consideration into the fact that we may be even more stressed because of the financial aspect of leaving a steady paycheck.  But how were we to know if that would be true basing a decision on "what if".  You don't know if you don't try.  Worst case, I go back to a desk job.  It's not the end of the world.  What I've discovered thus far on this new journey is, yes it's a lifestyle change financially, but time and being present for your loved ones is priceless.  There is no paycheck in the world that can compensate for that.

I had a goal to be out on my own doing what I love full time by the end of the year.  I got my plan together and presented it to my husband.  We made some tweaks, had lots of discussions, figured out finances, got those in line, and as soon as I had his support and he was on board I put that plan into motion.  I beat my goal by 4 months and went out on my own in August.    

With that said, I can't even put into words how thankful I am for my husband who provides for our family and takes on a little extra to make sure we are OK.  His support is the rock that makes this all possible while I get my footing.  I don't know what the future holds, I can't look to the past, all I can do is be present today and live in this moment.

So going into the New Year, I challenge you all to take that leap of faith you've been on the fence about.  Maybe it's starting your own business, maybe it's training for a marathon or fitness competition, maybe it's going back to school, maybe it's a promotion you've been dreaming about, maybe it's forgiveness and reconnecting with someone, maybe it's being more present for your loved ones.  Whatever it may be - my point is, life is short and the more you put things off until tomorrow, the more tomorrow's you lose.  Most of all, don't be afraid to fail.  The only time you fail is when you don't try.

You've got this!

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XO,
Christina 

{This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by Porter Lane Home, but all opinions expressed are my own. Affiliate links are at no additional cost to you, and allow us to receive a small percentage of the sale to continue to keep you up to date on awesome new products on the market. Thank you for your help in supporting our small business!}

Porter Lane Home Table Linens, Etsy