Today I present to you a few things I'm working on, why I'm working on them, how I'm working on it, and help I could use from you!
Digital disconnect
Why: I'm trying to get off my phone. I can't reject technology altogether; it's kinda how I make a living, manage my life, and connect with my community. I just want a healthier relationship with my devices and to reclaim control over how I spend my time and attention.
How:
- Reading How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Anne Price.
- Noticing when I have the urge to pick up my phone, what’s happening at that moment, and why I feel the need to be on my phone in the first place.
- Designing my new apartment to be a low-tech home (no TV, make every room but the office a screen-free room, keep lots of non-digital activities on hand)
Help:
- Send resources if you’ve successfully broken up with your phone.
- Invite me on a no-phone activity, if you’re local. If you’re a friend further away, I’d love to do a low-tech activity on FaceTime (puzzles, cooking, baking, etc).
Forgiveness
Why: I’m a follower of Christ and the Word says up and down to forgive people because I have been forgiven. I don’t have a right to hold a grudge against someone because I’ve wronged people too. And holding a grudge will only harm me over time.
How:
- Praying, fasting, and studying the Word.
- Reflecting on my relationships, how I want to relate to people, and how I’m called to relate to people.
- Disconnecting from limiting beliefs on what it means to forgive and leaning into what it means to love other people.
- Forgiving people in real-time. I’m having tough conversations as we speak. Trying to restore relationships as we speak.
Help:
- If it’s on your heart to do so, keep ya girl lifted up in prayer.
Interior design
Why: I’ve been preparing for an apartment by studying interior design and decorative arts for years. I finally have a place where I have complete free reign to implement what I’ve learned. It’s time to put the theory into practice.
How:
- Consolidating some of my learnings into a piece on the blog
- Using a free 3D modeling software for interior design
- Resisting the urge to rush into buying everything at once and am making myself be more patient and piece this apartment together piece by piece.
Help
- If you have a home that you’ve designed and/or managed, please share with me your experience with anything from furniture shopping to room arrangement.
- Black-owned and/or woman-owned home decor and furniture companies you know of
- If you’re feeling generous, grab something off my Amazon wishlist.
Community
Why: What excites me most about Monet’ Manor is the opportunity to be in community, contribute to community, and be the neighbor I feel called to be in new ways. My current neighbors have known me since I was in diapers. It’s time for me to build community for myself in my new neighborhood.
How:
- Joining a committee on the Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League
- Meeting people, introducing myself, and remembering names
- Joining a run club
- Offering help to friends/neighbors
- Volunteering
Help:
- Make an introduction/connect me with folks
- come run with me (my pace is 8 min/km right now)
- You need help? Call meeee
Fitness
Why: A lifestyle sacrifice I’ll probably have to make in exchange for Monet’ Manor is my gym membership/personal training. Fitness has always been one of my highest line items, but now I’m having to rethink how I can invest in my strength journey in a new, but equally efficient way.
How
- Getting back into running (the most free activity possible)
- Getting an Atlanta City Parks and Rec membership (which provides access to not only their gyms but their public pools too???)
- Using the new Garmin Strength Training feature
Help
- Want to go hiking, kayaking, swimming, biking, snowboarding, or anything else that requires physical movement? Invite meeeee! I’d appreciate any and all opportunities to socialize and exercise at the same time
And that, my friends, is what I’m working on. Let’s see how all this goes!
