This Covid life has given me the opportunity to tidy up my website and make some changes. Low and behold, I stumbled across this little gem that I wrote back in April of 2018 - but never published. It suits where we’re at two years later. Talk about divine timing.

”Life gets tumultuous, difficult to navigate and sometimes it feels like you're going 90 miles an hour around a corner in pitch black and you're not really sure what the road does after that invisible corner. You're just bracing, trying to be at peace and trying to trust your guide and your ability to adapt. It's not easy to say "it is well with my soul." It's not easy to trust things will be okay. Plain and simple : it's not easy. If you're there today, know that you're not alone, know that this is only a season of life. There is always darkness and light even if, at times, one is more prevalent than the other. I encourage you to take a few deep breaths, hold on to faith and know that you are capable.”

You may have heard me change my tune a bit when it comes to self care. Previously, I posted a quote on Instagram that says "Self care is more than chocolates and bubble baths" and it started an interesting dialogue. There was a comment on my post said in jest, however, it instigated me to reflect. It's not that I've changed my mindset about self care. I've just grown my definition of it and, with that reflection, I've decided there was a lot more I wanted to say on the subject. 

We're often told that self care is taking "me time" and enjoying bubble baths with a glass of wine or having a spa day and eating chocolates. I believe full-heartedly in the pampering side of self care. In fact, if I could be writing this from my bath tub filled with steaming water, bubbles to my chin, soaking in my lavender salts with a wine glass in hand, well, I wouldn't turn that opportunity down. Here's the thing though, even though the pampering type of self care is predominately what's out in the market, that self care isn't a solution. It's a delicious dessert at the end of a hearty meal but it's not the main course.

So, what does that mean "self care" actually is? 

Recently, I've grown to realize that self care is taking action and making decisions that better your life and/or help you become the best version of yourself. Like all things, that means different actions for different people. For me, part of that means taking time to get outside and hike in the quiet of a mountain side, it means exploring, delving into new details and stories. It means structuring where I invest my time so I can give people the best of me. I tend to want to do everything. Fact is, I can't. I have limited energy and limited mental capacity. If I spread myself too thin or don’t recharge out in the backcountry, I'm not only wearing myself down but I'm not giving the best of me to those who truly need my investment.

Over the next few month’s you’ll likely see a few changes in my business; changes that may seem odd but that, in the end, will help me better serve you - my clients. I’m excited to see how this process evolves! I have a good feeling about where I’m heading and how I’m going to show up for you.

You all are the best. (Seriously) Thank you for your love and support! I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Hugs,

Alyson

Her face may be familiar to you, as she has graced our blog and social media several times. If you're just now meeting her, she's one of the sweetest, most compassionate women. Jen is gracious and graceful and I always love photographing her. This time around, she wanted to do something different, something that let her branch out, something creative, something that excited her. 

She sent me oodles of images for inspiration, mainly featuring a parachute dress. Whilst I don't have a parachute dress in my collection, I knew I could create a dress for her. We sent styles back and forth to each other and then got down to selecting a location. Now, being frank, I was a bit apprehensive about photographing at the Arts Park in downtown Winston-Salem. I'm definitely a bare-feet in the grass, fields of flowers and waterfalls kind of lady! However, if Jennifer was willing to push herself, I was willing to be right there with her. 

The final bit of inspiration was a story Jennifer sent me. I asked her to send me a story or a feeling she wanted to have captured with these images. This is her story.

"Once there was a girl who was a dreamer, a lover of life with a big open heart. She believed so much in the good in others and had hope for a fairy tale life for herself. Unfortunately, she tended to let the wrong people into her life and she often got left behind holding the pieces of her heart. These pieces were all that were left for her to start over and she did it again and again, opening her heart and being shattered once more. Yet, she remained strong, and kept building her strength, because she knew God had a beautiful plan for her. Her parachute represents the perseverance that has kept her going all these years and her realization that nothing is going to stop her from believing because she always has always been filled with hope and had her own back."

This is what we created to celebrate her strength and her journey, her love and her resilience. Jen has titled this series "Becoming Fearless" and I couldn't love the name any more than I do because it's perfect for her!

I literally started this blog by taking a massive, slow, deep breath in followed by a slow breath out to get my mind in the right place. You see, seeing that my last blog post was back on the 30th of May made me slightly stressed. With my deep breath in though, and even as the continue deep breathing as I write, it's so much easier to focus on all of the good things that have happened and all of the progress that has been made in that 16 day gap. 

So often we get wrapped up in all of the ways we failed or in everything we've done wrong. We minimize our progress and growth because we aren't exactly where we want to be in this moment. By doing that, by letting ourselves be overwhelmed, we are also giving up our joy and strength. 

No matter what you've failed with, no matter the mistakes you've made, your shortcomings or your missteps - you don't have to live in them. You've been given the opportunity of grace and redemption. Just as we have been extended grace, we can give ourselves grace on occasion now too! 

It's so encouraging to breathe deep and know that I am more than my mistakes and short comings - even if they are as big as mistreating someone or as small as not blogging as often as I "should." And, yes, just like "with great strength comes great responsibility" the fact that we have the opportunity for grace and redemption doesn't give us the reasons to just act however we choose. We should always carry the integrity of our lives. 

In those moments of overwhelm where you feel yourself sinking into despair, shame and regret stop yourself. Take a few deep breaths and remember the good. Let yourself smile and sink into grace.