#2871 three things: my vibe, joy at work, and charmed by chateaux

 

1. My vibe. Right now, my vibe is pretty relaxed and content. I have had a good couple of weeks of art time, as I created a project I've been wanting to do for awhile. I finished it tonight, and I'm mostly happy with how it turned out. There are a couple of duds, but I just call them wabi sabi and move on. I look forward to sharing it with you soon.

2. Finally, a bit of joy at work. I'm caught up! All summer I have been struggling to keep up with emails, special projects, and everything in between. I had to make peace with the fact that I wouldn't be able to catch up and stay within a day or so of the new work that came in because the flow was heavy, but kind of sporadic, too. Not good flow. But yesterday...yesterday was the magical day that I finally cleared up all my unread emails, checked most everything of importance off my daily task list, and actually left the office at my designated leaving time of 4:00. It was glorious. I smiled the whole afternoon, and when I announced to my friendly co-workers that my emails were all taken care of, they actually applauded and cheered for me. LOL It was awesome. After a moment of soaking in the joy, my co-worker across the aisle quietly said, "Um, I'm going to send you an email now." That cracked me up. It was a brief moment of an empty inbox, but a fantastic moment after a tough, tough summer.

3. Charmed by chateaux. For several years, I have followed an account on Instagram called This French Life. The woman who has the account is an American who now lives in France, with an apartment in Paris and a country home in Brittany. This week, Shannon has been showing chateaux in the Loire Valley that are all decorated for Christmas, and it has been really beautiful to see. The chateaux are gorgeous, from the buildings themselves to the interiors, and also the grounds. The tour isn't about history, but about the decor. I especially liked the third chateau she visited, Chateau Chenonceau. If you have a few minutes, hop over to You Tube and search for "This French Life," then scroll down to Shorts and look at the videos. You can also find her on Instagram at "thisfrench.life."