This week's letter is going to look a little different, and there's a very good reason for that.

My lifelong best friend Danielle is coming to visit! We've been besties since we were TWELVE years old, which means she's known me through approximately 44 different versions of myself. 😂

She's known the awkward teenage me, the college me (we were roommates, oh the stories we could tell!!), the having our first babies and figuring-out-adulthood me, and all the versions that came after. We haven't had nearly enough time together over the years, so I've been looking forward to this visit and getting everything ready for her arrival. Including finally finishing decorating my front porch for fall (see above!)

All I know is that I just want to be really present for it.

Not half-listening while mentally composing my next newsletter or thinking about everything waiting on my to-do list. I want to sit around talking, drinking our morning coffee, laugh about things nobody else would understand, sit around the firepit and enjoy spending time with someone who knew me way before I became a wife, a mother, and all the other things along the way.

Which, now that I think about it, is pretty much what I've been writing about lately.

I keep coming back to making room for the life I actually want to be living.

So rather than introduce another big idea this week, I thought it might be fun to revisit a few of things we've been talking about here at Rediscovering Me the past few months. Some of them are lessons I've been learning for the first time, others are things I figured out years ago that I'm finding my way back to.

I have a feeling a few of them might be worth repeating.

A few breadcrumbs from the past few weeks 🌱

• You don't have to feel it to do it. This is something I used to talk about back in my blogging days, especially when it came to getting dressed. We sometimes wait to feel confident or motivated before taking action, but sometimes taking action is exactly what creates the feeling. I've been reminded of this lately through traveling, trying new things, and getting myself out of my comfortable little routines.

• You can love the life you have and still be curious about what comes next. I've discovered that one of my toxic traits is wanting to move everywhere I travel. 😂 Our recent trip to Minneapolis was no exception! But I'm realizing that exploring new places doesn't mean I'm unhappy with home. I'm just collecting clues about what Craig and I might want in this next chapter, without needing to make any decisions yet.

• Sometimes rediscovering yourself means remembering something you already loved. My recent trip to the Netherlands reminded me how much fun I used to have getting dressed. Even after all these years in the style business, I'd gotten into a bit of a rut with my own wardrobe. It felt good to play with clothes again, and to remember that personal style is something I enjoy, not just something I do for work.

• The little things we're tolerating take up more space than we realize. Sometimes making life feel better isn't about adding something new. It's about removing a few things that have been sneakily draining our energy.

• Home doesn't have to mean the same thing in every season of life. The house that made perfect sense when we were raising kids might not be exactly what we need forever. Or maybe it is! I'm learning that it's okay to reconsider what home means without feeling like I have to abandon everything that came before.

• We can miss a chapter of our lives without wanting to go back to it. That first fall without a back-to-school season brought up some feelings I wasn't expecting. I don't necessarily miss the schedules, the school supplies, or the constant running around. But I do sometimes miss the version of myself who lived in that season. And I think there's room for both gratitude and a little grief as we move forward.

• You are not your next self-improvement project. This might be the biggest one for me lately. After years of tracking, optimizing, planning, and trying to do everything just a little bit better, I'm learning there's a difference between paying attention to myself and policing myself. I still want to grow and learn, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life treating myself as someone who constantly needs fixing.

Looking back over these, I'm noticing a theme.

So much of what I've been learning lately is about letting go of the pressure to have everything figured out.

Where we'll live, what our next chapter will look like, who we're becoming, what we want to do with the time and freedom we have now.

I'm realizing that I don't have to know all those answers to start enjoying this part of my life.

Sometimes enjoying it looks like getting on a plane even when I don't feel like packing. Sometimes it looks like putting on an outfit that makes me feel good. Sometimes it's finally taking care of that one annoying thing that's been bothering me for months.

And this week it looks like putting everything else aside because my best friend of 41 years is coming to town and we've got some serious catching up to do. ❤️

The wine and charcuterie are waiting, I’m SO ready!

This Week's Breadcrumb 🌱

We've covered quite a bit of ground together lately. I'd love to know which of these ideas has stayed with you!

Which of these lessons resonates most with where you are in your life right now?

Maybe it's something you're actively working through, something you've recently figured out, or it could just be a reminder you needed to hear.

Come tell us in Community! I'd love for you to compare notes, share what you're learning, and maybe discover a few more breadcrumbs along the way. 

SHARE YOUR BREADCRUMB IN COMMUNITY 🌱

xo

Alison

In Community This Week

There’s been some lovely conversation happening inside the Rediscovering Me Community this week. ❤️

One woman is rethinking what makes a quiet day worthwhile. Another has been enjoying reading outside in the cooler weather. And a couple of women are finding ways to make everyday cooking a little simpler.

It’s a good reminder that sometimes, making life feel better doesn't mean adding more to it. It can be as simple as enjoying a quiet afternoon or giving yourself permission to do a little less.

What’s something you've been learning to simplify or enjoy more lately?

I'd love to hear from you! Come share your thoughts with us in Community. It's always nice to hear what other women are discovering along the way. ❤️

COME JOIN US IN COMMUNITY ❤️