I know that 2020 has been a crazy, depressing and uncertain time for many. The first 2 months were so amazing for me though and I really hate saying that it is an awful year. The most amazing part of my life (so far) happened to me in February- I got engaged to the love of my life. Then 2 weeks later, the whole world changed. We were told to work from home until further notice, non-essential businesses had to close, we couldn’t really leave our homes unless we needed too, we had to be separated from our families…the list goes on.

I always try to see the positive with anything in my life. So when we were on lockdown, I took the time to really self-reflect. I knew I would NEVER get this time for myself again. I am always running around doing a million things-it was oddly nice (to a certain extent) to just sit and RELAX.

The first 4-5 weeks I was working from home, but not having to commute saved me time (although my commute wasn’t far)! My time is so valuable to me and everyone that knows me knows I hate time wasted. I was able to do a load of laundry in the middle of the afternoon…on a Wednesday…. because having the luxury to work from home allowed me to do my weekend chores (during the week) BUT still get my work done. I was able to get dinner done at a reasonable hour (and depending on what I was making- I was able to do it while working).I didn’t have to worry about setting an alarm to wake up at 4:45AM so I could make it to my 5:30 AM gym class, then rush home to get ready for work. I was (and still am) doing things at my leisure and it is the best feeling in the world.

After working home for 4-5 weeks the company I worked for decided to furlough a lot of their employees due to the global pandemic. Of course, I was upset that this happened, but I knew it wasn’t a reflection of me and my work ethic even though a lot of people who weren’t furloughed thought otherwise. I thought to myself, why do I care what THEY think? There was so much chitter- chatter and gossip around what happened it was sickening to hear! The world is in an awful place and for someone to judge someone for losing their job or being furloughed is…heartless. Due to the global pandemic, I knew this was what the company HAD to do. No hard feelings towards them at all.

Instead of dwelling on being furloughed, I took the time to really (and I mean REALLY) focus on myself. I took some online courses that I’ve always wanted to take but due to a busy work/life schedule I knew I didn’t have the time. This was my opportunity to take them and I did! I started to read again, something I don’t do often but like to do. I took an afternoon nap once or twice (LOL- I haven’t napped in years!!) I know this sounds silly, but just being able to do that was so nice even if it was only for 30 minutes.

I also planned a majority of my wedding and found the wedding dress of my DREAMS! Planning a wedding is a job in itself and super stressful! To be able to do this while not working really is a blessing.

The biggest accomplishment I made during this quarantine / furlough was that I FINALLY started my BLOG! Most don’t think this, but blogging is most certainly a FULL-TIME JOB! I know a lot of negative people that poke fun at influencers and bloggers but in reality, they work just as hard as everyone else. This has always been something that I wanted to do. I am really passionate about fashion (as cliché as that sounds), and I truly love speaking about it. Blogging doesn’t always mean talking about clothing- I also like to blog about LIFE! I love sharing my journey and stories about my experiences!

After being furloughed for 6 months, my company had mass layoffs and I recently lost my job. Again, instead of dwelling on it, I was oddly OK with what happened. NO, this doesn’t mean I didn’t love the company or my job (I loved both!!) I am not sure if it is a blessing to be so positive but I know that everything that happens in my life happens for a reason and it is part of MY journey. I am a FIRM believer of this! I am not looking forward to job searching BUT this gives me a little more time to focus on what I love most in my life and also my true passion- blogging.  

The moral of this post was to uplift anyone going through a rough time right now whether it is dealing with furlough, a job loss etc. I hope I was able to inspire anyone who is struggling right now.

I am here if anyone needs! Please feel free to email me or drop a comment below.

On to my next journey…

Xo,

Kristen