10 Things I Learned in May

At the end of each month, I write about things I learned. This practice has helped me pay attention to life, myself, and God's presence. In no particular order, here are 10 things I learned in May:

1. I love my minimalist capsule wardrobe. 

The basic idea of the capsule wardrobe is to have a small number of useful clothes in your closet and remix them each season. I pared my closet down to 38 items (tops, bottoms, shoes, dresses, and outerwear). This doesn't include workout clothes, sleep wear, underwear, or accessories. My current capsule wardrobe is mostly made of classic, quality basics, with a splashes of coral and blue. It is simple, I love every item, and I can dress creatively without getting overwhelmed with too many options. If you want to try it, check out some of these resources for inspiration: my Pinterest boards Project 333 and Minimalist Wardrobe Fashion, blog Project 333, or blog Un-Fancy. 

2. My kids love creating, and I love watching them create. 

We found a great neighborhood art studio with workshops and open art times. My kids can spend hours there. 

3. Getting halfway through a project is both invigorating and daunting. 

It's about the halfway mark in the 100 Days of Memoirs project. I'm feeling proud of what has been created so far, and also starting to wonder if I have 50 more stories in me to write. Send me inspiration and creativity vibes, please.

4. Starfish have an eye on each of their legs.

My son taught me this after his class watched some nature show. I thought this factoid was highly amusing. 

5. Cutting down on sugar is difficult on the front end, but so good for our family. 

We purged all junk food out of our house, and made a strict rule to not keep anything with added sugar around. Now our kids simply know that there are no cookies or ice cream, so they happily snack on apples or carrot sticks. We need to now work on helping them make good food choices outside our home. 

6. The first step to gaining wisdom is desiring it. 

I've been surrounded by wise people lately, and am so grateful for the life lessons I'm learning. Speaking of wisdom, I've been reading Never Go Back by Dr. Henry Cloud. Really good stuff. 

7. Do not try cutting your own hair. Really, don't even think about it!

One morning I decided to chop off my hair. I've cut other people's hair, and trimmed my own bangs, so I figured why not? The "why not" is because hello, I can't see the back of my own head. It was a mess that sent me on an emergency trip to the hair salon. Thankfully, Marcy the hairdresser fixed everything. If I EVER consider doing that again, please talk me down from the bad place. 

8. Also, my hair is getting more wavy. 

Apparently this is a thing, according to the woman at the hair salon. Some people's hair goes from straight to wavy as they age. Weird. 

9. People changing more into who they are meant to be is one of the most beautiful things in the world. 

This month I had the joy of witnessing several people make life-altering choices toward more purpose and love. So amazing. 

10. If you can't be silly and stupid with your spouse, then really, what's the point of marriage? 

Here is a screenshot of the most recent texts between Steve and me. Also, we were sitting TWO FEET away from each other while sending the texts. 

Now it's your turn...what did you learn this month?