Honoring Yourself

Lately I’ve been thinking alot about honoring people. There are so many ways to honor others. We honor those who struggled in the past to make today better, easier, and more just. We honor our relatives and how they helped to shape our family and personal history. We honor veterans who served our country. We honor the front line workers who have kept us healthy during the pandemic. We honor the everyday people who serve their communities and people in need.

It’s important and valuable to honor all of these people - past and present. But do we also honor ourselves? Do we recognize all of the things we do to take care of the people we love? Do we acknowledge the contributions we make to our community? Do we honor ourselves by doing even little things that make us happy?

There are so many small ways to honor ourselves; it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or costly. Light a scented candle when you get home to make it feel cozy. Play your favorite dance tunes or a podcast while you cook. Actually cooking yourself a meal is also an important way to honor yourself and your body. Don’t have time for a 60 minute yoga class? Spending just 10 minutes stretching will still yield benefits. Don’t want to pay for a yoga class? Check YouTube or on demand options from your TV provider. Hit up your local library for books - print or digital. No matter if it’s fiction or nonfiction, reading encourages relaxation and pleasure.

Have a busy night ahead of you? After you get home and before the evening’s activities consume you, take a short walk outside to notice how Spring is unfolding. Go to bed a little earlier once or twice a week. Instead of desperately hitting the snooze button for ten more minutes of sleep, get those extra ten minutes the night before. Sleep is one of the best ways to honor yourself.

No matter how you choose to spend some time focusing on yourself, what’s most important is that you do it.

Honoring the New Year

Happy New Year!

That’s right, I’m still celebrating the new year. Not in a let’s party kind of way, but focusing on how to make improvements so that this year feels better than the last. Starting the year slower after all the busyness of the holidays creates a wonderful feeling of ease.

As I was putting away the last little bits of Christmas decorations, I paused in front of my mantle and considered doing something different with it. Instead of switching it from holiday back to its everyday appearance, why not decorate it for winter instead? But then I thought, does it really matter? No one sees it but me and my husband (especially these days!).

Yes, it matters!
Why? Because I matter! I see the mantle every day, and if it makes me smile and feel good, then that’s all the reason I need.

So if you’ve been considering any updates to your home, large or small, get to it! Swap out the couch pillows, repaint the room, or hang new artwork. Do it for yourself because you matter! How you feel in your home and about your home matters, especially now that we’re spending so much more time at home. It doesn’t have to be a massive renovation, even little changes can freshen up a space.

The Mantle Decor
The mantle was decorated simply for the holidays, but that actually made the switch to a winter theme easier. I pulled objects from around the house, focusing on the ideas of snow, evergreen, and cozy. The only white pillar candles I had on hand were a bit short, so I stacked some books underneath. The greenery stayed exactly the same, but adding a few birch-wrapped candles to make it feel more woodsy.

For the three-tiered stand, the pinecones and the evergreen tree candle remained as they definitely say winter. I love using snowman as decor to bridge the gap between the holidays and spring. The bottom tier features a teapot theme for that cozy element.

While working on the mantle decor, I realized that by doing this for myself, I was honoring myself. And this led me to another idea - having a word of the year for Neighborhood Blonde! Maybe you choose a word of the year for yourself, using it as a guide for how you want the year to feel. I typically choose a personal word, but I’ve never selected one for my business. This is a first! The word of the year is honor. I plan on using this to guide my creativity and ideas for the year. And look for honor to make guest appearances in future blogs. But for now, I wish you a wonderful start to your new year!