Today Will Have No Regrets
I like to wake up each day with hope.
Without fail, the first thing I do when I get up in the morning is go look out the window. Nine times out of ten, I’ll announce, “Oh! It’s beautiful outside!” It’s all in how we look at it, right?
It’s hard to wake up each day with hope when you don’t know exactly what you’re hoping for. There were certainly days before we moved to Germany that I wasn’t really sure what I should be hoping for or what I should be working toward. That place of loss is hard. It’s being in a fog, and the only way out is to climb or fly above that layer settled in the valley.
I think we’ve all been there at some point.
We’ve had some really great conversations on clothes and crafting our homes this week. Those things you’re sharing? Those bits of memory and bits of confusion? They’re part of what makes our story. They’re what makes us feel real.
I squeezed in a few moments to work on my “Love Where We Live” journal through the week. Did you pause to write? (Did you join our facebook challenge?)
This morning, I had every intention of sharing those pages. Something whispered in my heart as I woke up this morning and went to the window. The wind howled. Snow blew against the windows. And the sun fought to peek into the tire house if only for a brief second.
It was hope.
It was a feeling that life is good. And even when it’s not as good? No regrets.
To make this journal page:
- I used a square punch to cut out the gold square and a heart punch to cut out a piece of German vellum paper that comes in the “Love Where We Live” journal.
- I folded the heart in half to give me a guideline, then stitched it to the square with my sewing machine. With double-sided tape, I stuck it in my journal.
- I wrote “Today will have no regrets” and outlined the gold square with black marker and a few colored markers to add some highlights.
- To round it out, I printed the text from this blog post and cut the page to size. I used my date stamp in the lower right corner and wrote “on the blog” in green. (I put the pages in my “She: Me, My Heart, My World” journal. That’s it!
So are you ready for a day of no regrets? Ready for an awesome weekend? Ready for HOPE? Let’s chat.
I like this. Not just contentment, not just acceptance, but a joyful embracing of it ALL — the good and the bad — no regrets!
Today was the last day at my job. And I am filled with hope for the future!
Even though I have no idea what I want to spend my time and effort doing… I guess that’s the first thing I’ll spend my time and effort on: attempting to figure some things out.
I love this community you’re building Katie! What a resource …
I really like your date stamp, Katie. Where did you find it? I’m in Berlin for a few more weeks and would love to nab one, myself….
What beautiful pages, Katy! Love your journal!
Thanks ladies!
Amy, I’m so proud of you.
Larissa, I got it at a craft store. I’ll try to think of the name of the place and email you. Does this mean you’re moving back to the US?!
Finally getting around to reading your post on this early early Sunday morning, and it is a GOOD way to start the day. I am ready for a day with no regrets! If I don’t get the Sunday houseclean done, so be it! I always tell myself there is no point in dwelling on things that are past…in the mindfulness class I took last year, it was stressed that the only thing that really exists is RIGHT NOW. The past and the future only exist in our minds, and if we dwell too much on regret it keeps us from living now. OH, did I need to learn that.
Katie, yes I am–in two weeks!
I have been encouraged by your website since my husband came across it when we moved to Germany from the US a year and a half ago (it seemed so scary then!). We are now moving home to Colorado in April. Your “No Regrets” message is especially poignant for me right now — it’s hard not to worry and wonder if we’ll regret our decision to move, and the nostalgia makes it extra tough, but big decisions also make for a lot of hope and excitement. I wanted to write and say thanks for putting your ever-positive voice out there! You are generous to share your story and encourage others. I feel like I have a lot in common with your story and I hope to manage the transition overseas with honesty, grace, and humor as you have done.
I haven’t checked in for a while.
Love the building project and sustainability of it all.
Looks like you both are still flying too.