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Tech Stuff

It’s been a while since I have done any behind-the-scenes tech stuff but my theme is expired -which sucks btw because it is bad-ass – leaving me vulnerable. I used to enjoy exploring and punching buttons to discover the function but nowadays, not so much. All of my posts over the past two years have been designed to streamline my themes feed. Ie, no title images. I love the minimal look and my theme offers just that. I want the focus of my blog to be the words written so I limit the distractions. I purposely do not run ads on my blog for this very reason. Basically what it boils down to is it’s inconvenient and annoying but I will survive. Just a heads up if you happen to pursue my sight and things seem a little wonky. No worries. It’s just me.

It seems my life and evolution have come to a screeching halt. I used to have plenty to blog about in terms of learning life lessons but nowadays, nothing. Oh, believe me, the break is welcomed, however, the dryness of the blog is a concern. I am not fretting over it like I used to. I suppose when you neglect something it is put on the back of your priority list so there ya have it.

A woman being lazy on her phone

I am working on building my confidence as a writer. So it’s possible I will blog more frequently. Not a writer in the sense of writing books but perhaps offering writing services. I’ve always felt like I am a great proofreader as I notice every misspelled word. Another thing, I always have an opinion after scrolling a website as far as user-friendliness is concerned. These are two skills I am thinking of honing in on in hopes that I may establish a new career.

I’ve been disconnected a lot lately and it is affecting my relationship. Rightfully so. I can see why my previous relationships went the way they did. Or at least I acknowledge my part in the failure. I’ve lived much of my life disassociated and to disassociate is easy. Dare I say natural. But me not being present isn’t fair to my partner. He is worth me trying and getting unstuck for so I will do just that.

Going back to blog talk, I have been working with others in trade for reviews. My blogger outreach post has sent a few folks my way and I couldn’t be happier. So make sure to keep an eye out for future posts. You may find something that interests you!

If you are really interested, subscribe to receive the Garden in your inbox. I update there before I do on the blog. So get your R.O.E. news first and hit that subscribe button 😉

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Monday Morning Mantra

Welcome to Revenge of Eve’s


MONDAY MORNING MANTRA 

Each Monday I shuffle and draw two cards from two sources, a box set and a deck. The box set boasts encouragement, self-love, goals and focus while the deck affirms our individual power. I then use the two cards to guide me throughout the week. I place the cards on my refrigerator as a visual reference and I write them daily in my journal as written reference. If I find myself experiencing unwanted emotions or challenging thoughts I refer to the cards drawn. I have found this to be an empowering and powerful exercise. One that I decided to share with my readers.

My greatest experience of freedom comes when I let go of what others think of me
Affirmation

I learned a saying a while back, What others think of me is none of my business. This is true as is this week’s affirmation. What others think about us has nothing to do with us but rather their perception of who we are. Just because others have an opinion does not make it our truth. What one person sees as pushy another will deem assertive and another, a leader. We are perceived through varying filters therefore it is more important that we let go of the opinion of others. Our freedom relies upon it.

Keep shining your light
Encouragement

Other people may try to extinguish your flame with their perception of you. Never let someone dull your light. Keep shining bright!!

Have a happy week!!

Monday Morning Mantra

Welcome to Revenge of Eve’s


MONDAY MORNING MANTRA

Each Monday I shuffle and draw two cards from two sources, a box set and a deck. The box set boasts encouragement, self-love, goals and focus while the deck affirms our individual power. I then use the two cards to guide me throughout the week. I place the cards on my refrigerator as a visual reference and I write them daily in my journal as written reference. If I find myself experiencing unwanted emotions or challenging thoughts I refer to the cards drawn. I have found this to be an empowering and powerful exercise. One that I decided to share with my readers.


My genuine desire to serve clears the path for me to step into my purpose
Affirmation

Over the years having a purpose has come into question. I came to the conclusion that each of our purposes involves being of service. Have I found my purpose yet? No but I damn sure hope all I have grown through has cleared some of the overgrown mess that has got in the way. I like to think I am on my way. This affirmation helps guide me to be of service. I also recognize that my part is needed to clear the path. This affirms my accountability.

Becoming the best version of me
Encouragement

I love how this week’s cards coincide; again! Once we are serving our purpose, doesn’t that bring out the best in us? Well, the above encouragement seems to think so. And like I said, I am on my way … I am becoming the best version of myself. It takes accountability, self-awareness, self-love, and compassion for us to evolve. I see life as a constant state of change so when we arrive we find there is always more. More ways to lead with love. More ways to love our neighbor. More ways to be of service. More to grow, therefore, we are always becoming. Take the pressure off finding your purpose by affirming that what you do now is clearing the path to become the best version of yourself.


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A General Life Update

‘Ello!

How are you?? Thanks for stopping in today for a little life update. It’s been a while. As the Memorial Day holiday has passed, songs of summer are being sung. Birds corral our bird feeder, the tree frogs sing us to sleep, and the highways are bumper to bumper with travelers. It appears that society is waking up after two years of isolation. At least that is how the buzz feels to me. Alive.

That is how I feel.

Alive


My S.A.D. season is in the rear view mirror and I … made it through unscathed. No deaths, accidents, or tragedy (except Ukraine situation). My personal scope of life is expanding after months of hibernation. I feel well rested and ready to take advantage of the summer however possible. Over the last month or so we’ve potted multiple plants, maintained the yard, and have added small touches of landscaping. The smallest detail makes a world of difference.

Biggest news is the addition to our family!! We rescued a puppy. Like literally off the side of the road. Someone abandoned her and we rescued not long after. I say that because she wasn’t in distress, matted, or exhausted when we found her. We put out posters with her picture on it to no avail. Three weeks after fostering her I decided to take her to a local no-kill shelter. Fast forward to the day I was scheduled to drop her and I couldn’t. We had already fallen in love. Maggie aka Moo is a mix of life, mischief, and love. She has been received with love.

It’s already hot here in Louisiana and my car ac has started to act up. Last April while dashing I flooded my car in a torrential downpour. I am lucky to know a mechanic that was able to salvage my car because neither my insurance or DoorDash would cover the accident. Long story but I was screwed nonetheless. Now a year later and my ac works when it wants to and in Louisiana that equals misery. It isn’t something I can just deal with by rolling the windows down. My medication raises my body temperature making it dangerous for me to get too hot. Fingers crossed I get it fixed sooner than later.

My sister got married on the 14th of May and it was a beautiful ceremony filled with love. Guests enjoyed the deejay, dancing the night away. The kids stayed at the photo booth printing photos of themselves with silly props. The bride and the groom mingled and took tons of photos! It was the event of the century🤓 So now I have a brother-in-law!

There is a lot that has happened and I’m sure they will come to mind after I publish this post ☺️ I’ll go ahead and wrap it up here. I hope you are enjoying the series Monday Morning Mantra. If you want more frequent life updates, subscribe to receive the Garden newsletter.

Monday Morning Mantra

Welcome to Revenge of Eve’s


MONDAY MORNING MANTRA

Each Monday I shuffle and draw two cards from two sources, a box set and a deck. The box set boasts encouragement, self-love, goals and focus while the deck affirms our individual power. I then use the two cards to guide me throughout the week. I place the cards on my refrigerator as a visual reference and I write them daily in my journal as written reference. If I find myself experiencing unwanted emotions or challenging thoughts I refer to the cards drawn. I have found this to be an empowering and powerful exercise. One that I decided to share with my readers.

Affirmation card I release my need to be right. I am defenseless and at peace
Affirmation
Be kind to yourself
Encouragement

This week the cards are pretty self-explanatory. It is my hope that you use them this week to affirm your peace and encourage kindness. If you find yourself in an unfortunate argument or misunderstanding, take a step back…breathe…and release the need to be right. Perhaps the other party is having a rough day. Take the context clues of the situation and evaluate if you can step down, have some compassion, or be kind enough to yourself to walk away. There are many circumstances to where you can apply action to this weeks affirmation. Hone in on mindfulness and buckle down with kindness. You’ll be sure to have a wonderful week.

What challenges can you apply action to this week? Can you expand your display of kindness to yourself this week?

In Honor of Mental Health Awareness Month: My Experience

Here at Revenge of Eve we openly discuss mental health. While I am not a resource for maintaining mental health, I suffer from mental illness. I am not ashamed to have multiple diagnoses.


If you are interested, you can find my story here and here.


With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I decided to discuss ways I get on with life, thriving despite my mental illness.

Creativity

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know I am an avid journal writer. I enjoy using my journal to write my daily activities, thoughts, and plans. I also like to explore my creativity using handmade journals. I am fortunate that my stationery obsession and paper craft hobby collide. Because of this I have many materials to choose from when I want to create.

I collect ephemera and add it to my handmade journals with memos to remind me of the activity or reference it’s origin. Documenting life this way helps me to slow down. Having the tactical items to look back on brings immense joy to my day.

Every Monday I draw cards from multiple decks to help guide my week. From these decks two are affirming and encouraging. You may be familiar with my drawings as I share them here with y’all! The series Monday Morning Mantra is a weekly drawing but a daily reference. I write each phrase, an affirmation and an encouragement, daily in my journal. I use the cards to guide my week. If I find myself struggling with negative thoughts or self-talk, I refer to the cards drawn. It is a practice that works wonders on my mindset 🤓

Self-Care

Believe it or not but journaling is an avenue of self-care. It is the number one way I tend to myself. While I journal I am mindful, present, and actively honoring my thoughts, ideas, and desires. Self-care is often sold as pampering oneself and while that can be considered self-care, there is far more work involved in caring for yourself. Through the years of learning to love myself I learned it takes some elbow grease but once you’ve loosened the years of excess, the gunk wipes away easily. Metaphorically speaking.

Journaling is part of my daily self-care routine. Other ways I take care of myself are by saying no when I cannot commit to something. Albeit whether it’s because I don’t want to or if I can’t, it doesn’t matter. Learning to say no without an explanation has made a positive impact on my life.

I typically do my own manicures and pedicures 1. because it saves money and 2. because I have been professionally trained to do so but recently I paid to enjoy the experience. I started a new job in November and as a reward for sticking it out I paid to have a natural manicure and a pedicure. It was the best $65 ($75 with tip) I’ve spent all year!!

A puzzle missing a piece

Routine

Having a routine is important for our mental health. This isn’t to say that you can’t stray but having a guided timeline for your day is helpful for everyone’s mental stability.

My mental stability is provided by medication, however, having a rough timeline to follow plays a huge role. I wake at the same time, work the same hours, and go to bed about the same time every night. My coffee and food intake habits are sparse throughout the day. Same as other activities; journaling. Trying to balance those is enough to keep me afloat and productive. I try to limit my scrolling time. Some days are better than others.

Relationships

A huge factor of living with mental illness comes down to support. I receive support from my family. Not financial rather emotional. They challenge me, trust me, encourage me, and most importantly, they listen to me. It hasn’t always been this way though. Having a mood disorder and addictions aren’t the easiest variables to deal with. There have been many misunderstandings, wrong assumptions, and unknowingly, enabling. Luckily we pushed through the difficult times and came out on the other side.

Friendships are an important part on thriving with mental illness. Various forms of relationships can apply. You may have made friends via the internet or it can be a friend that you have in the physical world. Support is support and it can be shown through a variety of routes.

Medication

And last but not least; medication. Having bipolar 1 (rapid cycling) means I have elated and depressed moods that shift frequently. These highs and lows can reach dangerous levels when not medicated. Mania (high) often involves impulsivity, irritability, anger, and grandiose ideas. Whereas with depression comes suicidal ideation, oversleeping, overeating, and numbness. These are general symptoms and those I cope with the most.

My medication, when taken correctly, stabilizes the influx in moods. It gives me a baseline that I cannot achieve without it. The unfortunate side effects of my medication are hypoglycemia and I cannot spend time a lot of time in the sun. I am also prone to boredom and feeling flat. My passion for life is nonexistent. That is the worst side effect but it is something I cope with so that I can function as a member of society, ie: work 😒

So how about you? How do you thrive despite mental illness? Do you or someone you love struggle with mental illness?

A Benchmark: 1,000 Followers

Thank You to All Who have Joined my Journey


I must admit, I wasn’t sure this day would happen. There have been times I was close to 1,000 and then followers dropped. I never sought out why. I just assumed bots played a role so I wished them farewell. July marks five years for R.O.E. and I would be lying if I didn’t disclose inept feelings of failure as far as growing a following are concerned. However, the gratitude I have for the intimate, engaged community that follows my journey far outweighs the insidious low self-esteem that occasionally creeps in.


Thank you to all 1,008 of you who follow!


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