I’m back! I took a month off, and guess what?! The world didn’t spin off its axis. My blog didn’t fall off the face of the internet. Nothing bad happened. At all! In fact, a few good things happened. Among those? I got married!
I hadn’t planned to take time off, especially for this long, but when we arrived in San Miguel for the wedding, I decided that something had to give. I didn’t want my memories from our time there to be linked to any sort of stress with maintaining my blog or an online presence or forcing Evan to take my blog photos. Our wedding, our friends, our family, my new husband, Mexico, moving to a new apartment when we returned – those were my priorities.
Taking time off from a hobby like blogging, can feel risky. What if you lose an opportunity? What if no one notices? What if you can’t find the time again to restart? What if you lose your sense of self? What if you find your sense of self? What if – gasp – you like not working on your hobby? These are all valid questions, of course, but the answers aren’t actually that scary. Another opportunity will arise; you might gain a better appreciation for your hobby; or you might find you’re ready to let it go.
The more important thing to focus on is your intention for taking a break. Kind of like in yoga when you set an intention to focus on during class, especially at the moments where you are losing focus or about to fall.
When doubt starts to creep in, keep your purpose for taking a break at the forefront of your mind. Maybe it’s extra time with your kids or a special vacation; maybe you need to care for a loved one or for yourself. Whatever it may be, own it and experience it, and relish the time.
An added benefit and purpose for me personally was reconnecting with my confidence. I wish this weren’t true but blogging has really taken its toll on me and my sense of self. You’d think a hobby would bring you closer to it. But as I’ve struggled to make something of this blog, I’ve often lost touch with my value and my self-worth. You’re painting a picture of your life – publicly. And you’re watching other bloggers be successful faster than you are. And you’re trying so hard to be happy for them while you secretly compare yourself and wonder what you’re doing wrong.
I’m 35 freakin’ years old and I waste my time thinking about follows and likes and impressions and unique visitors. Lame. A month off is a step in the right direction of releasing me from that. And I definitely didn’t want to enter into my marriage with no confidence!!
I didn’t shut off totally, though. I still wrote down ideas, took plenty of pics, and kept a low level of involvement by maintaining Instagram. Now I have tons of inspiration at the ready as I return back to my hobby.
Now I’m refreshed. I have a bit of perspective. And I’m even more motivated to blog about what I care about and what I think other women like me care about and can learn from. Thanks for sticking around!
These photos are from the first night of our festivities. We hosted welcome cocktails and snacks in San Miguel de Allende at El Palomar hotel on their gorgeous rooftop bar. It looks out over the entire town of SMA and has amazing food and cocktails. After, we went to a family rehearsal dinner at The Restaurant for burger night. We did not do toasts at our wedding but instead chose to do so the night before with family only. It was really special!
We snuck out for a few free moments to take a few photos together in one of the beautiful jardins in SMA, too. How cute is my husband?!
Fun fact – my dress and Evan’s shoes are hand-painted by a local artist in San Miguel. Of course I coordinated every single one of our outfits because – hello. Do you know me at all.
The rest of the wedding pics and posts are coming soon! XO! P.S. Don’t forget my Bride-worthy guide to prepping for your destination wedding!
All photos via our amazing photographer Nathan Baerreis Photography.
