Valentines from Valentines 2024

It’s that time of year again. Last week I shipped a stack of Valentine letters to my mom. This past weekend she took them along with her own cards to the Valentines, Va post office. The Valentines post office is well off the beaten path. It’s located inside an old country store surrounded by tobacco fields.

But if you love unique post marks it’s worth the adventure to find it. The postmaster is lovely and if you go in early February you are likely to stand in line and meet people from distant lands. Happy Valentines my friends. I’m starting Paper Tams back up again and this is my first post of 2024.

Shifts

Lots of things are shifting in my life. It’s a good thing. I’m giving all the credit to my 30 Habits project. It’s changing (or shifting) my perspective. I thought I’d attempt a weekly update on where things are in an effort to document the changes.

This week I weighed in both physically and figuratively. Thanks to my goals around whole food eating, more walking and hiking I’ve managed to shed 15 pounds since starting the project. I’m feeling lighter both in body and spirit. Nature is such a healer.

Weekly 5 mile hike check in.

Celebrating friends and family came easy this week. I had a house full of out of town guests and we celebrated the birthdays of two family members. Nothing fancy - just lots of good food, conversation and beautiful weather. My garden showed off a little for everyone with some beautiful buds here and there. Friends commented on how far along I’ve come with the garden project which started three years ago.

Out of town family members visiting Hollis Gardens in Lakeland, FL.

As far my letter writing and journaling endeavors, I received multiple letters this week and have several to catch up on in the coming week. One of my pen pals sent the most impressive Jane Austen mail - it really got the creative juices going. I’ve got so many ideas swimming around in my head, its’ hard to stop and focus long enough to implement them.

Mail art by Michele Cano.

Speaking of inspiration, I’m really enjoying learning more about writer and illustrator, Tasha Tudor. Her garden and artwork speak to me and I look forward to reading more about how she dealt with the shifts of life. The following quote is enough to pique my interest:

“Life isn't long enough to do all you could accomplish. And what a privilege even to be alive. In spite of all the pollutions and horrors, how beautiful this world is. Supposing you only saw the stars once every year. Think what you would think. The wonder of it!”  - Tasha Tudor

Thirty Habits With Paper Tams

Thirty day projects seem to be a popular trend. The idea is to add good habits/changes into your life over a thirty day period. A popular method I’ve heard about is adding one each day and at the end of the time period, you will have added thirty new habits.

While the idea is very attractive to me (I like the number 30 and often delude myself into thinking I can completely reinvent myself in 30 days), I made the decision to take this a bit slower. This year I do hope to incorporate thirty new habits into my life, but I’m going to tackle it over the course of the year. By December, my hope is I will be able to maintain these habits for thirty days straight.

Do I have a list of things I’d like to change and incorporate into my life? Absolutely. Who doesn’t love a good list? But before I set things in stone, I’d like to give a few shout outs to other creators who have inspired me to set out on this journey. This project idea has been brewing for a while and allows me to incorporate many of the ideas I’ve picked up along the way. Thank you to Thirty Chic Days by Fiona Ferris, The Artist Way by Julia Cameron, Lessons From Madame Chic by Jennifer L Scott and Diane in Denmark YouTube channel. And thank you to all my YouTube viewers who gave me such good feedback on my Bon Vivant On A Budget endeavors.

Here’s my list:

1. Wake up at 5am (I’ve been doing this since Jan.1)

2. Establish a morning routine

3. Go to bed by 10pm

4. Establish an evening routine

5. Drink more herbal tea

6. Do more with less (this will really test my creativity)

7. Read at least 20 minutes before bed

8. Incorporate a weekly long hike

9. Write more (hence this blog)

10. Create and maintain a garden of intention

11. Create a sanctuary at home (this one ties in to No.6)

12. Cultivate serenity and calmness in my life

13. Seek out the arts

14. Incorporate fruit into my meals

15. Incorporate more salad into my meals

16. Meal plan - more home cooked meals

17. Create and follow a budget

18. Take care of my nails

19. Quality over quantity

20. Continue to curate my wardrobe

21. Listen to more classical music

22. Celebrate family

23. Be more positive

24. Smile more often

25. Monthly artist dates

26. Don’t wait to be rich to feel good

27. Visit friends

28. Use my good things

29. Make health a priority

30. Say less, love more

If you are interested in doing something similar, please feel free to join me on this journey. I’ll be posting updates and ideas on my Instagram channel and using the hashtag #30habitswithpapertams.