Wednesday, October 23, 2024

My fortieth birthday and a 40-day digital detox – Bearfoot Idea

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Usually we’re on the highway this time of 12 months, however should you’ve been following together with these private updates you already know that we’re leaning into house life proper now, and it’s been surprisingly nice. I’m glad I spent August specializing in wholesome routines, as a result of this month was a whirlwind of motion.

September was stuffed with a number of dwell music, my fortieth birthday, a social media break, extra milestones for our little man, and a wholesome quantity of labor on the weblog. We additionally ready for an enormous transfer to a brand new home (which I’ll inform you far more about in my October replace).

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Denver for 4 nights of Phish

Our month began our in Denver. September 2023 was my fifth 12 months catching Phish’s annual descent on Dick’s Sporting Items Enviornment. The 4 night time run was unimaginable as all the time with what was perhaps the perfect mild present I’ve ever seen.

Phish playing at Dicks Sporting Goods Arena in Denver
PHISH!

The weekend all the time tends to be a reunion of kinds with buddies from everywhere in the nation. In actual fact, I’d say that all through my life a majority of my shut buddies I’ve met and made because of a shared love of dwell music.

This 12 months felt further particular as a result of it was our first reveals again since having Herbie. My final Phish reveals had been at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis for New Years Eve in 2022. I used to be 35 weeks pregnant on the time, which was perhaps just a little loopy in hindsight. However hey, Herbie stayed put, mama received to rock out, and all is effectively.

The Labor Day reveals had been the primary time we left Herbie with a babysitter. Fortunately one in all my greatest buddies who lives in Denver allow us to borrow her nanny for the weekend, so we had been in a position to go to the reveals with out fear.

Couple sitting on the floor at a Phish concert
Ryan and I on the ground ready for Phish to return on

We had an absolute blast, even once we received caught in line for 3 hours whereas ready out a rain delay on night time 4.

Rainbow in Denver while in line to get into Phish concert
Benefiting from the rain delay at Phish

What else was on our Denver agenda? Seeking out the perfect vegan meals after all. The profitable meal of the weekend was from Wellness Sushi, an all vegan sushi joint conveniently positioned proper on Colfax. The rolls had wonderful taste and texture, and our non-vegan buddies even beloved it.

Wellness Sushi in Denver
Superb vegan sushi at Denver’s Wellness Sushi

We additionally checked out a spot known as Glady’s that had a very distinctive and attractive root vegetable reuben. I’m a sucker for a superb rueben, and this one made an enduring impression.

My fortieth Birthday

I turned 40 on September fifteenth and was fortunate to have a good time twice this 12 months. I usually don’t make an enormous deal of my birthday. However seeing this was a monumental one and I had a fairly loopy 12 months having a child and all, I felt I deserved to be celebrated.

Having a 7 month outdated child creates challenges when planning, so on my precise birthday we stored it easy. We met a small group of buddies at Snowbird and took the tram to the highest. New this 12 months, for an additional $10, you possibly can journey on the Tram’s rooftop deck. We indulged and actually loved the recent air and views on the best way up.

Group of people standing on the top of the tram at Snowbird Ski Resort
Driving on the deck of the Tram at Snowbird

On the prime, I strapped Herbie within the child provider, and we hiked the 30-minute path to the highest of Mt. Baldy. After the hike, my buddies shocked me with some birthday cake from Candy Hazel, my favourite vegan bakery and restaurant in SLC. 

Group of hikers at the top of Mount Baldy in Salt Lake City
On the prime of Mount Baldy in Salt Lake Metropolis

Then Ryan and I capped off the day at a brand new spot known as Seasons Plant-Based mostly Kitchen. Consuming out with Herbie is getting harder as he’s getting extra cell and grabby, however we handed him forwards and backwards as we did our greatest to take pleasure in our scrumptious meals.

woman and baby at Seasons Plant Based Bistro in Salt lake City
My birthday diner at Seasons Plant Based mostly Bistro

My second birthday celebration was just a few days later at Pink Butte Gardens, which is the perfect music venue in Salt Lake. It’s a wonderful out of doors amphitheater with a gently sloping garden on the sting of the Wasatch Foothills. (It’s additionally a wonderful botanical backyard that I extremely advocate visiting should you’re ever in SLC). The most effective factor about Pink Butte as a venue is that they let you deliver your entire personal meals and drinks in, so you possibly can have a picnic earlier than the live performance.

The band – Goose – are making waves within the jam band scene, so naturally a big group of my buddies deliberate to attend the present.

Goose at Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake City
Goose at Pink Butte Gardens

Ryan and one other pal of ours received an enormous unfold of vegan apps – jackfruit sliders, jalapeño poppers and meatballs – and a pair dozen miniature desserts, and introduced them with us to share with everybody on the present. (We love sharing yummy plant-based meals with our non-vegan buddies in order that they expertise how good it may well actually be).

The present was incredible (apart from ending early as a consequence of lightening), and the entire night left me feeling very particular. Earlier than my birthday, I wasn’t tremendous stoked about turning 40, however now I’m truly fairly excited for what this subsequent decade will deliver.

For my fortieth birthday, I made a decision to present myself a 40 day break from social media. Since February when Herbie was born, my display time has gotten out of hand. I spend a variety of time breastfeeding and with him napping in my lap, and social media has been a technique to move time.

I’ve been beginning to really feel the unfavorable psychological impacts construct up over the previous few months. First, I’ve skilled emotions of unhealthy comparability (like are most mothers actually crushing 10 mile hikes with infants or is that simply what the algorithm desires me to suppose?). I’ve additionally been feeling fairly overwhelmed with life and work, and I do know I can put my time to higher use than scrolling on IG.

That is what my hikes seem like today

Lastly, as Herbie has turn out to be extra alert, he’s beginning to clue into my cellphone. The very last thing I would like is for him to really feel ignored as a result of I’m scrolling social media. The months are really flying by, and I don’t need to get up in a 12 months and understand I missed out on these treasured moments as a result of I used to be distracted by my cellphone. I need to be current and soak all of it up, as a result of that is time I’ll by no means have the ability to get again.

Woman with baby in Central Park in Denver
Hanging with Herbie in Denver’s Metropolis Park

The top of September marked two weeks off of Instagram and Fb, and I already really feel lighter. I’ve extra space to take care myself, my household, my enterprise, and different priorities, and I’ve been in a position to get a lot extra accomplished within the restricted time I do have.

The 40 days are flying by, and I ponder what the tip of this break will imply. Perhaps I’ll lengthen it. Or perhaps I’ll rent somebody to assist with me with social media for my enterprise so I don’t get sucked in as simply.

40 Days of Meditation

You seeing a theme right here? One in every of my greatest buddies additionally turned 40 in September and for her birthday, she requested me to affix her in a problem to meditate 40 days in a row.

I used to be so recreation. Again in 2020, I meditated for 100 days straight, and I’d been toying with selecting the behavior again up. Life has been very busy recently, so taking 15-20 minutes a day to simply be with none agenda sounded oh so beautiful.

I’m the sort of individual that has my arms in a variety of totally different tasks the entire time. I are likely to overcommit myself, and I’ve a tough time slowing down. Whereas I’d say I work effectively beneath strain, I additionally know that this go-go-go mentality has penalties.

On September 26, I accomplished the 40-day problem. It wasn’t all the time straightforward to squeeze it in, however I made the purpose to meditate for a minimum of 10 minutes each night time earlier than I went to mattress. The outcomes? I’ve been sleeping higher, my creativity is flowing extra freely, and I’ve been in a position to deal with the strain of day by day life as a mother and a enterprise proprietor (in the midst of a transfer) with extra ease.

Enterprise Updates

This month has been loopy busy with work, and I’m doing my greatest to maintain up. One in every of my three workforce members is transferring on, so I’ve been taking up extra duties to maintain the practice transferring.

I additionally posted a job announcement for a author and obtained over 140 candidates! I’m honored that so many individuals are fascinated about working with me at Bearfoot Idea. I haven’t employed in practically three years, and I’m actually wanting ahead to bringing on somebody new to affix my small workforce.

Woman with baby working at desk
Making an attempt to stability mother life with work life

In different information, the vacations are notoriously busy since that is when lots of the manufacturers I work with have budgets to help my work. We additionally publish a collection of vacation present guides, which my workforce and I’ve been cranking away on. Our massive out of doors present information simply went dwell this previous weekend, and we’ve got 5 extra on the best way for out of doors girls, out of doors males, van lifers, and extra. When you benefit from the weblog, making your vacation purchases from our present guides is a approach you possibly can help our work.

Our Transfer

When you subscribe to my weekly e-newsletter, you already know that Ryan and I moved from our home in Salt Lake Metropolis as much as the mountains exterior Park Metropolis. We love SLC (and we additionally beloved our home), however for years I’ve been involved concerning the air high quality, notably within the winter once we spend essentially the most time stationary at house. Now that we’ve got a child, it put our plans to relocate on the quick observe.

Woman with baby in a backyard
Absorbing one in all my final nights at my outdated home, which I’ll dearly miss

I’ll share extra in my October replace about why, the place and the way our transfer went, however within the meantime, I’ll simply say that transferring with a child is HARD! We spent a superb chunk of September packing up, however as a result of one in all us needed to be watching Herbie always, the method took twice as lengthy. In the long run, we had been prepared on transferring day, and we’re settling in properly at our new place.

I’ll be excited to share extra as soon as we’ve had an opportunity to unpack, discover the native trails, and get into a brand new groove right here.

Nicely that’s it for September. It was an enormous month, and I’m glad to be on the opposite facet of it. That is the beginning of a brand new thrilling chapter, and I can’t wait to see what it brings.

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