Esme Marie

The early signs of spring pulled me out of my winter blues much earlier than anticipated this year! I’m thinking back on some time in February when it was warm and sunny out. My birthday had just passed, the flowers were starting to bloom, and everything was looking a little sunnier, literally. I remember stopping on the sidewalk while I was walking my dog, just to tilt my head up towards the sun and take it all in. Spring is truly one of the most beautiful times in Portland.

The transition of seasons has always been a time of reflection for me, which often comes with some personal changes. It’s a great time for me to look back on the previous season, celebrate what went well, and set intentions for the months ahead. So, here’s how the past few months went for me:

• I purchased a car!!! This was a huge deal for me. I’ve been without stable transportation for a few years, and while the public transit system isn’t the worst here in Portland, it isn’t always comfortable for a single young woman. Having a car makes me feel a lot safer, and gives me a level of independence that I’ve been missing for the past few years. It has simply been life changing and I am so happy with my purchase.
• I’ve been dancing a lot more. I’m part of a dance company and we have a show coming up, so there has been a lot of extra practices and rehearsals. I also got to splurge on some extra workshops with some traveling instructors, which was such a joy. I’ve had more time for social dancing as well! Dancing is one of the greatest loves of my life so this development has been making me very happy.
• I (barely) survived another term at school. This quarter was probably one of the more challenging ones for me as I’m now officially working on my senior level courses. One of which, I’m sad to say, I did not pass. But that’s okay! I still learned something, I enjoyed the material, and I will definitely pass with flying colors when I retake the course next year. No big deal. 🙂

Some goals and intentions for the season ahead:

• I hope to stay active in the dancing community and add some cross training into my practice. I joined a new gym that I’m really excited about, so I plan to put that membership to good use!
• I have some health concerns that I’ve been meaning to address. I’ve already started making some lifestyle changes to try and mitigate some of my symptoms, but I finally made some appointments to hopefully get to the bottom of things and come up with a treatment plan.
• I want to improve my work/life balance and mental health. This one is tough for me because I’ve always been a workaholic in one way or another. Even on my days off, I have a habit of filling all of my free time in ways that make me feel productive. I pretty much don’t know how to relax! This has been a reoccurring conversation amongst my support system, and I feel like it’s time to make a genuine effort to change things.

Lastly, a heads up: I am going to be making a couple policy changes in an effort to continue prioritizing what’s important to me. So, some things to be aware of…

I am no longer going to be available Monday through Wednesday.

I will be using these days to prioritize the things going on in my personal life. Setting aside these days for myself will help me be more focused and attentive on the days I choose to spend time with others. This does mean there may be some delays in communication if you reach out to me in the beginning of the week. Please be patient and understand that it’s nothing personal!

For the time being, I won’t be accommodating same day requests.

It’s important for me to have my days planned ahead of time, and last minute requests have proven to be disrupting for me in the past. Believe me when I say I want to make time for you! I also want that time to be stress free and enjoyable for both of us. To aid me with this, I greatly appreciate you planning ahead when reaching out to me. For those of you with access to my scheduling site, you’ll notice that appointment requests must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

I understand that this means I may miss out on some opportunities to connect, but I’m really trying to become my best self here! Setting and maintaining boundaries is an important part of that. For those of you continuing to support me on this journey, I am so appreciative of you. ❤️

Here’s to the season of growth and renewal ahead. Happy Spring! 🌺

Xoxo,

E