At the end of each month, I take stock of the previous month. What went well? What did I learn? What brought me a simple joy? These monthly reports are a way to encourage myself to take delight in the littlest of things. I find that Ten Things I Loved allows me to always see the silver lining, even when there are hard moments in a month. And taking joy in the simple things is paramount to how I want to live, making 10 things an invaluable tool for me. Here’s this month’s simple pleasures.
Professional
Pitching a book. So I have been sitting on a book idea for about a year now and this summer I had the breathing room to get a couple sample chapters down and last week, I sent the full proposal and two sample chapters off to be considered by a publisher. Every body part crossed as I am aching, aching, aching to write it! You know when something just feels like the next natural of course? I am so feeling that with this book.
Passion. Purpose. Plunge retreat. Another amazing PPP retreat this month. It is such a touching experience for me to work with women who are in powerful moments of transition clarify what they want next, why they want it and how to get there. I am really honored to do this work.
![photo[6]](https://rosiemolinary.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/photo6-e1408632384387.jpg)
The Circle de Luz planner. I was able to work on several Circle de Luz projects this summer since there weren’t as many week to week details to focus on (our programming is very light in the summer). While all the projects were important and even fun, my very favorite project was designing (well, I did the conceptual design not the physical design) a planner for our girls to help them really learn how to organize themselves and keep track of their lives. The amazing Erica de Flamand of The Summer House donated her amazing talents and time to the project and realized the conceptual vision with this gorgeous, gorgeous planner that the girls were thrilled to get started using. As you can imagine, this was a really fun project for me because it combined two of my loves—supporting the amazing young women of Circle de Luz and organizing.
Circle de Luz Board Retreat, Leadership Meeting, and Back to School Meeting. In early August, the CdL leadership got together for a day of team building in the woods and then some very focused planning for 2014-2015. These women are AMAZING. I am honored to work with them and humbled by how much they give to the program. We also had our annual Circle de Luz back to school meeting. It’s a time that we all gather together—leaders and hijas- to focus on the new year. It is always so great to see the girls after a couple months off from programming and their families who have become like our families.
Body Image class. School started back for me and I was happy to meet my newest group of students. They are already interesting, thoughtful, supportive of one another, and funny. This bodes well. Read my first day of school letter to my class.
Personal things
![photo[2]](https://rosiemolinary.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/photo22-e1409079282368.jpg)
Carowinds. We took a day and enjoyed the closest amusement park and had a ball with my sister and her kids. We spent half our time riding rides (I was almost put into traction by a kiddie roller coaster) and then the other half of our time in the water park where I became the slide queen as I was the only one of the adults sucker enough game to ride the super slide over and over again.
Cannonball Challenge. I learned how to swim at 34. I’ve never been off a diving board. I am woefully accident prone. And, yet, I totally casually told Happy and BF that I would do a cannonball off the diving board at the local swimming pool. Most nights, BF and Happy go to the pool before dinner and no one is there. Of course, the one night I join them to complete the cannonball challenge, it is busy and, of course, the people that are there are ones I know. Nevertheless, I fulfilled my commitment and then double downed with a can opener. Goodbye, pool.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. A good, compelling read.
Kindergarten. Whoa. Happy’s in the big leagues now. Oh, my heart. He’s so excited. Here’s to a great year that fills him with a love of learning and deep compassion for his friends and neighbors.
A 6th birthday. On the same day that he started kindergarten, our little guy turned 6. Our celebration included a chalkboard countdown to his birthday, lots of decorations around the house, a balloon avalanche, cinnamon roll breakfast on a You Are Special plate, a note and cookie in his lunchbox, dinner and dessert out of the house, a treasure hunt (complete with maps) for his gifts, and then a night and two days at Great Wolf Lodge. Safe to say that six was joyfully ushered in.
So, what did you love in August?
