We tend to cover ourselves in our busyness and then complain that we are tired.  Why is that?

I know for me, it took a long time to realize that my worth was not tied to my busyness.  More isn’t always MORE.  you know?  I am a work-a-holic which is only natural when you love your work.  But my work is just a small part of my life.  I have so much more that I am about.

So when my calendar year played out with a HUGE breaks in the spring and summer, I celebrated it!  I will admit if this had happened even last year I would have panicked and filled those empty weekends with as much work as I could.  But this year, I think I was finally ready for it.  I was ready to soak in time outside of work.  Because I am realizing that I don’t have to work all the time to be seen as successful!  I reached my goals for the year and I still have a break; so I should enjoy this time off, right?!?!

We ended my spring shooting schedule with a HEAVY stacked weekend of 5 engagement and 1 maternity session.  And when I finished editing and delivering galleries the following week, I started to see the freedom in the time we had ahead.   So those few weeks  looked differently in our home.

I have learned to relax.  To sleep in.  To soak in summer with my kids.  To watch tv with kids in my lap.  To bake cookies.  To read books and play board games.  It has been so fun not having to stress about balancing work while being a mom.  There have been many days I don’t even turn on my computer or step foot in my office.  And I have loved every minute.

This break also allowed me to focus on my home more.  Something we needed so badly.  I made a goal this year to live with less.  I didn’t know how true that would speak into my life.  Less work, less clutter, less drama, less stress, less debt.  I have taken that LESS and applied it to every part of my life.  It has felt good.  After a few months of purging, I started to love my home more.  I started to love the white space.  I found myself taking things off walls, moving furniture out of rooms and freeing up more areas in our home.  I sold stuff like a mad woman for a while and the we used that money to tackle some projects in our home that we wanted to do.  I have spent more time the last few months painting and purging than I have ever before!

I didn’t want to share this so I could list out a bunch of things i accomplished today.  I share it because I want you to know that it is ok to not be busy.  It is ok to have time to breathe.  It is ok to choose your family over work.  It is ok to eliminate things in your life that don’t breathe life back into you.  It is ok to say no.  It is ok to just sit in silence or not have a plan.  It is ok to allow yourself time to relax.  It is ok to chase dreams that are outside of your normal.  It is ok to just follow your heart.

I am so grateful for the time off that I got.  I am thankful that it came at a time in my life when I could actually enjoy it and make the most of it.  I will forever love the priceless memories I have made with my kids.  I will never regret not being busy.  Now that our summer wedding season is back with a bang, I am looking forward to our next break in a few weeks!  🙂