Wednesday Hodgepodge...Don't complicate things

It's time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce, who blogs at From This Side of The Pond.  Each week she'll pose some questions for us to answer. What a great way to journal life.

1. What do you make more complicated than it needs to be? Haha..probably a lot of things. While I'm pretty easy going, enneagram 9, etc..I do know that I overcomplicate some things. I'll have to think about it. I honestly can't think of something specific but I know there are things maybe they're just small and I don't remember them. My least favorite phrase though is when someone says "it's not rocket science", so clearly I've been told that which would mean I make some things harder than they might be. This just came to me. I love making sourdough bread, and a lady I follow started making it and she's been doing some fun videos about her journey, which then sent me down a rabbit hole of trying to understand her ratios and how she does it...I think I've definitely over complicating the thought process, and yesterday thought "I'm just going to keep doing it the way I've been doing it, I can't figure this out". Her way is one that many use and it allows for not using so much starter at one time, but it's always been a struggle for me to understand. 

On that note, I did make a loaf of bread last night that turned out wonderful.

2. What impresses you? The word "Impress" means to affect someone deeply or strongly, and can cause them to feel admiration or respect. I can also mean to stamp or imprint, to fix something in ones mind. 

 There is a lot that doesn't impress me...many things that used to impress me, no longer do. But there are still some things I would say I'm impressed with....I'm impressed by genuine kindness. I'm impressed with people who are so confident and comfortable with who they are. I'm impressed by generosity. I'm impressed by those who make everyone around them feel important. I'm impressed with someone considered famous is a down to earth human being. I'm impressed with those who have overcome incredible odds. 

I love reading books that leave an imprint on my mind, that change my way of thinking. 

3. On a scale of 1-10 how picky of an eater are you?  (1=extremely and 10=not at all) If you had to eat a meal made entirely of one color what color would you choose? I am not really picky. I would say an 8 because there are some things I don't want to try or don't like. One color...yikes! I'm going to say green. I do like a lot of the green veggies so I could make a really yummy salad or roasted veggies.

4. What does balance in life mean to you? Balance is an interesting concept. I suppose each of us needs to decide what "balance" is to them, what it looks like for us and our family's. I listened to a book awhile back that talked about work/life balance. Sadly I can't remember the particular  quote though I just looked it up and this is what AI found..

In Take Back Your Time: The Guilt-Free Guide to Life Balance, Christy Wright redefines the concept of balance, shifting it away from an impossible math problem of dividing hours equally into a state of peace and confidence. The core message is that true balance is a feeling derived from being fully present in the moment rather than achieving a 50/50 split.

The gist of it was that rather than balancing it, instead, if you're working, you are giving 100%, if you are home, you are giving 100% in that moment. There are seasons where we might have to give less or more to one or the other but in whatever moment we're in, we are giving 100%

I really liked that thought, and she explains it more in her book (which I might have to listen to again because I had marked spots but then forgot to renew it, so when I checked the audiobook out again, my "bookmarks" were gone. 

 Does your life currently feel 'balanced'? If I look at it that way, I do try to give 100% of myself while at work, and when I'm home, I'm home! If I'm with my grandkids, I try to give them my 100%, I try not to get distracted by other things. The job I have does allow me to "leave it at work", unless someone has a question and I happen to be off, but it's usually a quick answer and not something I have to do for an extended amount of time. 

5. If you could travel the world for a year what would be your first destination? I think my first destination would be back to Italy. I think I'd spend several weeks maybe even a month touring the region before heading to the next destination. I'd visit places my family came from, and then other coastal areas. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. Summer has started for the grandkids. They had their last homeschool co-op yesterday and a BBQ afterward. Let summer fun begin. We're ready to pull the water slide out in the yard. 

We put up hanging baskets on the back porch and I love them, and my side planting area is doing and looking so good. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin