Simplify.

So. You may have noticed that I’ve been MIA from the blog for a while. But don’t panic! I have not, in fact, left you. Not hardly. There is still so much to share! So much inside me that needs to be expressed so you (yes, you!) can challenge yourself every day to be a bit more crunchy, healthy, and crazy. But there are several reasons for my short absence. My sabbatical of sorts from the blogging world, if you want to call it that.

For starters, Studhubs and I are now students in The School of Supernatural Life at our church, Grace Center! This was a rather last minute development since there wasn’t an interpreter available at first. Even though we had applied for the school and were accepted, we weren’t planning to attend unless his ears were supernaturally opened (which we are still believing that God can and will do) or the funds for an interpreter were made available. Well, leave it to Jesus to give us an answer we totally didn’t expect. The leaders at the school spoke with an interpreter who has joined the school as a student in exchange for signing (and she is amazing!) Now every Monday and Tuesday we are in class getting our hearts healed and learning how to live a supernatural life naturally. You can read more about it on our travel blog (which should probably be more appropriately called our adventure blog now).

So while I’m now a student two days a week, I’m also still a BarreAmped instructor and the other half of Green Pond Creative. I’ve got a lot going on and I could feel myself being spread too thin to truly be excellent at any one thing.

And so I’m learning to simplify my life.

I’m learning to say no.

I’m learning to rest – both my body and my mind.

I’m learning to set aside certain things that may not be priorities in this season.

So as an exercise of simplicity, I chose not to focus on Laurel of Leaves this past month. I chose not to network, not to share my blog posts. And if I’m completely honest, it was difficult at first. I feared I would lose all my readers if I didn’t put in the work and the effort. I feared that everything I had done up to this point would be wasted if that happened.

But instead, I continued to receive comments on many of my more popular posts (like my Honey Face Mask and Apple Cider Vinegar Toner). And I was able to take the time I would have spent in front of the computer feeling anxious as I was striving to keep up with the social media rat race and write cleverly humorous posts and I had time to be still.

To be productive in other areas of my life.

To get in bed early.

To take a deep breath.

It doesn’t mean that I will never blog again. Far from it! I’m certainly still here, but now my motivation for blogging doesn’t lie in striving to keep up with the Joneses who get 5758796735285 comments on every post and earn bookoos of money from corporate advertising.

That’s just not who I am. And that’s OK.

What about you? How could you simplify your life right now? Do you have any tips for simplifying?