Five Little Things...

Hi my friends... I hope you had a great Easter weekend! Other than hitting up some spring sales, I worked, slept and relaxed. But probably the most interesting part of my weekend was putting this post together. I have seen the whole "Five Things" post going around and I really adore reading them. It's fun to me to see who people are behind their blog. When Jacquelyn tagged me in the comments section of her Five Things post, my first thought was, "What in the world would I write???" But honestly, the real issue was, "What would I feel comfortable sharing?" This blog is my little fun space, so it's hard for me to get too serious about anything here. But over the last few weeks, I wrote this post in my little nightstand notebook - just to see how I would feel. Surprisingly it was quite therapeutic - a little scary, but therapeutic. So here goes...

1. Last summer, I took a two-month sabbatical from work to do nothing but have fun. So by day, I am an accountant. I do tax and financial planning for high-net worth individuals. It's an interesting, yet very involved job that can be stressful at times. I've had this job for almost ten years and last year I needed a minute - a two month minute. Several months before my break, I found myself exhausted all the time, agitated even on the best days and I just could not focus for the life of me. I was simply burned out, so I decided to request a sabbatical. It's almost unheard of for people in my profession, especially women, with no kids, family issues or health issues to request a sabbatical. But after lots of thought and prayer, I asked my boss anyway. I was completely terrified, but he granted it. I was elated and felt incredibly lucky to work with such understanding people.

During my time off, I traveled (remember my trip to NYC?), spent time with my family, stayed up late watching movies, baked, read lots of books, woke up and had breakfast at noon, saw friends that I hadn't seen in years and made new friends. I made a goal not to spend too much time doing or thinking about any one thing during my time off. If I did, I knew the time would go by quicker. I also vowed to never let myself get to that point ever again. That's why most of my weekends include so much downtime and relaxation - and naps. :) I went back to work feeling like a brand new person. I could think, I could focus and I appreciated things at work and outside of work so much more. 

If you can relate to the feelings I had, take a break. If taking a sabbatical isn't an option, take a day or take an hour- whatever you have to reenergize and regroup. Your mind and your body will thank you. Trust me. 

2. I was terribly bullied as a kid, but today I'm thankful for it. When I was in elementary and middle school, I was bullied. I was teased about pretty much everything from my complexion to the way I walked and talked. My parents raised me to talk properly, so I was teased about the way I talked. My foods of choice those days were pizza, fried bologna sandwiches on white bread with mustard, Lays potato chips, Doritos and Mountain Dew, which means I was overweight, which means I was teased about my weight. I have never had a haircut, so I've always had long hair. One time a girl who was sitting behind me in class decided to yank a large piece of my hair out so she could see if it was real. To her dismay, it was. There were so many days I was terrified to go to school and each time my parents talked me through it and fought with the school to rectify the issues. I got through it, I grew through it and now will have some idea of how to get my kids or anyone else through it if they experience the same thing. 

3. I've only been in two serious relationships. I love being in relationships, but through those two relationships and many, many, many bad dates, I have learned that I will not sacrifice who I am for someone else. I know there is a guy out there for me who just has "it" and a guy who doesn't conduct 90% of his conversations through text messaging... :)

4. I am OCD (those wrinkles in my couch cushions in my living room above are driving me CRAZY), but I rarely make up my bed - except maybe for a photo or when I have guests. I realize that's a bit like an oxymoron, but it's the truth. 

5.  When I was younger, there was a time when I aspired to be a truck driver. I found the idea of driving a big rig (a purple Volvo one to be exact) while traveling across the country to be fascinating. I wouldn't dream of doing that now, nor would I dream of drinking a Mountain Dew or eating a fried bologna sandwich... :)

So there it is! I think I'm supposed to tag other people, but what I would rather do is request to hear a little fact about you. I'd love to hear it!

Image above: This week's flowers in my living room