Tis Me Michelle

Halfway through April, we’re well into 2025. If you are following along, I didn’t have the same ‘thriving’ optimism I had going into 2024, which didn’t survive much into 2024 anyways. 2025 has already proven to be… Chaotic, just on a world level. I mainly wanted to focus on building solid foundations for myself. Repeat solid foundations. Foreshadowing… No surprises here, we’re still a bit unstable.

Health: Overall, not too bad on this front. I’ve been pretty good at packing my lunches for work and enjoying my ClassPass. As usual, when I go on a trip, all my good habits go out the window… I recently had a NYC trip, and of course, ate all the things. Since I’ve been back, I haven’t done any workouts, but I’ve got a few scheduled for the upcoming week. The mix of one high-intensity workout, which tends to be the Rumble class, and a mix of 2 lower-intensity classes like Club Pilates or Aerial Yoga as been working really well. One class to kick my but and then some to just get me moving and relaxed. There are a few other very relaxing yoga classes I’ve tried and enjoyed, and I’d be open to trying out a few new places in the coming months.

The only times I’ve ordered DoorDash were like clockwork, during my period. I’ve resisted during this current one. Not that I’ve been eating ‘healthy’ per se. I would like to incorporate some simple veggie options prepped in my fridge throughout the week as a snack or side dish. Even for lunch, I usually have a protein, but I could beef up on the vegetables and fiber.

Finances: This, as we recall, goes hand in hand with food for me. One of my main expenses is constantly food. Honestly, I need to get a handle on it. Even though my lunches have been solid, all my other meals could use help. I’ve cut back a bit on going out to dinners with friends, but when I do, I tend to spend more than I’d like. It’s the same, whenever I leave the house on my own, too. These past few months, I’ve been going to coffee shops too often before work. Definitely need to reel it in.

The other area I spend a lot on is traveling. The Q1 trip kind of took a turn, and it ended up being more of a local staycation. I still end up spending money on the stay and, of course… food. And I also fit in a quick weekend trip to NYC. Where, again, my largest expense was food. There’s still Paris later in the year, and I’m still toying with the idea of Seattle for a weekend.

Relationships: I’ve been feeling very… Aware lately. Of how people make me feel. That’s kind of where I am at there.

In terms of a romantic partner… This conversation comes up quite often, especially as one of the perpetually single people in most of my friendship dynamics. I’ve actively thought about the kind of man I’d want to spend my life with. I’m sure people may think that what I’m looking for is ‘too much’ and possibly unrealistic. Thankfully, I’m not in a place where I feel the need to find him immediately. In my head, I hear it, but in my heart, I don’t feel the sentiments of ‘time is running out’ or ‘it’s going to keep getting harder the older I get’.

I can’t justify or explain it, but I have this innate feeling I will meet my man at the right time and place. I have a sneaking suspicion he is not living in my current vicinity, and that’s okay. It’s not for a lack of putting effort into finding someone… It’s rather, I want to put my effort into focusing on being a solid version of myself, for myself, and then when he comes, I will be ready.

Career: What to say… Aside from another repeat of I am grateful this job affords my life. There are aspects of the job I really like and some that cause me quite a bit of stress. I’ve mainly been focusing on the other aspects of my life because, ultimately, those are a higher priority. That for me includes the content creation. I’ve been trying to stay more consistent with posting here and on my other socials.

Life: For the last few weeks, I’ve been going to a drawing class, which has been fun. I definitely should invest more time practicing. I’m rather good at doom-scrolling. If only I could spare even a percentage of that time to literally anything else. I’m about halfway through the class, so I’ll have to consider whether I’m taking another class next semester. And I’ve been attending places like museums or local art events, to get my creative juices flowing and find inspiration.

My friend invited me to a volunteer event, which I loved. This is definitely something I’d like to do on a regular cadence. The concept of starting slow and building is not in my register. I have a terrible all-or-nothing mentality. There was a point where I was volunteering almost weekly, but it was too much on my schedule. So I think I’ll make a more realistic, once-a-month goal.

Q1 – The world is in such a weird, nonsensical state. It feels like everything is off and yet more of the same.

Even in the midst of all that… I know this sounds woo-woo… But I feel different. In a good way, I think. In a… I care much less about what everyone else thinks way. In a… I think I’m becoming more confident in who I am way. In a… I know my life is going to work out beautifully.