To Infinity & Beyond
I find myself in this else-space of my life.
An else-space. What is an else-space?
As per Maria Guarino talk on TedxAmherst, the elsespace “is a space where binaries like ‘well’ and ‘‘unwell’ do not exist and a place where it is okay to not be okay.”
Several changes in my life had resulted in me being briefly unemployed. Thank to my family’s help I’ve managed to stay afloat.
I joined the many women who left the labor force due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Kochhar & Bennet, 2021).
It’s been a taxing and yet rewarding moment in my life as I’m re-discovering aspects of myself that I have long put to the wayside. I have been designing and creating for my website, shopthewomynwhowrites.com. It’s been fun and pleasant! I’ve also recently taken joy in couponing. I often go to return bottles at the local Shoprite and I had a $10.65 saving on my groceries yesterday! Egads! I was so happy. I’ve started delivering via popular food delivery apps and it’s been a marginal but welcome income. It’s been great to be my own boss, even though I still have to scrimp and save. I’ve learned to go without and I’ve been developing self-awareness of my spending habits and doing some re-working of myself, internally. How do you feel about living frugally? Tommy Bryson’s “A Guide to Frugal Living: How to Save More Money,” has given me a lot of food for thought.
Recently, with all the extra time I’ve had, I’ve managed to focus more on my faith (although I still stumble and fall every day).
Overall, I’ve encountered several blessings. Yet, sometimes I get blue and I think about fallouts that resulted from the past year. I get regretful of the past which still lingers in my mind and catches me at unexpected moments. I have an ever-growing to-do list and the chores never seem to end. Somedays I feel so tired, I could stay in bed all day. However, I try to focus my mind on all the positives of the moments and to keep hoping that more will come my way. So that’s a little about me, TheWomynWhoWrites. Join me on my journey in life. Ciao for now.
References:
Kochhar, R. & Bennet, J. (2021, April 14). U.S. labor market inches back from the COVID-19 shock, but recovery is far from complete. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/14/u-s-labor-market-inches-back-from-the-covid-19-shock-but-recovery-is-far-from-complete/
TED. (2021, May). The ElseSpace...a talk for anyone who has ever felt unwell. https://www.ted.com/talks/maria_guarino_the_elsespace_a_talk_for_anyone_who_has_ever_felt_unwell
Tommy Bryson. (2021, October 8). A guide to frugal living: How to save more money [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8UpElHaMy0