emily p. freeman

Creating space for your soul to breathe so you can discern your next right thing.

Let’s Share What We Learned in May

It’s the last day of May and that means it’s time for us to share what we learned this month. It’s a little practice we’ve been engaging in here for over two years, where we spend a little time reflecting on the last month before we move ahead into the next.

At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this month – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful.

Let's Share What We Learned in May 2016

Here are 8 things I learned in May in no particular order:

1. When a yes is easy, pay attention.

When Claire Diaz Ortiz asked me to join her for her online Work By Design Summit, my yes was swift and easy – it was actually my easiest yes so far this year when it comes to work-related activity. It’s important to pay attention to those easy yeses as they can give a hint to what makes us come most fully alive.

I enjoyed this post on Twitter from someone who watched my interview with Claire from 32K feet!
Work By Design

You can still attend the summit, by the way. Just sign up here for free – my interview has expired but there are still many to come from other smart people. And if you want a lifetime all access pass, you can purchase that as well. With the pass, you can see my interview as well as over 60 others and watch at your own pace. Check it out!

 

2. Writing headlines before you have content helps you have content.

I read Stop Waiting for Last-Minute Writing Inspiration, a post by Ann Kroeker and ended up trying it myself. I didn’t come up with 50, but I wrote down 15 almost immediately and the hope*writers will have Ann Kroeker to thank for the new content that will be coming this summer.

 

3. The word is integral not intregal.

Oh dear. Here I go again, not knowing English. Until I saw the word written down this month, I didn’t realize I’ve been saying slash spelling it wrong.

Tieks good traveling shoes

4. I have found the most comfortable flats – my favorite airport-travel shoe.

I wore my Tieks by Gavrieli when I traveled to Chicago last week and they have now officially become my airport shoes. They are the most comfortable flats I’ve had and get more comfortable every time I wear them.

I wasn’t sure if I would love them the first week I got them because they left red marks on my toes and heels. But that has gone completely away and now they are my favorite. For traveling, they’re easy to slip on and off at security and I felt sure-footed as a I hustled on the moving sidewalk to my gate. Recommend!

 

5. You can save posts for later on Facebook.

How to Save Posts for Later on Facebook

I saw this in our hope*writers Facebook group this month. Thank you, Barbara, for this tip! One of my major problems with Facebook is if I see a headline I want to check out, I click it immediately for fear I’ll never be able to find it in my newsfeed again. But now, I can save it for later!

 

6. If you look like Kate Middleton, you can have a job looking like Kate Middleton.

professional kate middletons

 

Heidi AganI’m so uncomfortable right now.

I guess I have seen those photos where they staged Kate’s baby shower and had a fake Kate, Carmella, Kate’s mom and the Queen. I saw one once and was like They are looking rather…casual.

And then of course I realized it was just people dressing up to look like them. But I didn’t realize these were PROFESSIONAL LOOK-ALIKES. And they have real jobs doing this work. Google it, but don’t go too deep.

It gets weird is all I’m saying.

 

7. I have found my new favorite way to shop second-hand.

ThredUp you guys. Have you tried it? I just ordered clothes from there for the first time and loved it ALL. The clothes are second-hand which makes me happy. I’m only returning 2 things because they didn’t fit (returns are free shipping if you use store credit instead of a refund.) I am so impressed with them so far.

Here’s a portion of my last order:

Thred Up

If you use my referral link to shop at ThredUp, you can get $10 to spend. Just to give you an idea, for each piece I bought I spent an average of about $12. Some tops were only $5 and I bought a dress for $30. I am sending some of my own clothes to sell with them – we shall see how that goes.

 

8. “Within the Christian faith there are many different and acceptable ways of demonstrating our love for God.”  – Gary Thomas

I’m almost finished with Gary Thomas’ Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Path to God. While Jesus is the only way to the Father, the book explores nine different expressions of worshiping and connecting with God depending on our temperament.

While it’s clear which temperaments the author has a special affinity for (as he seems to respect those more than the others no matter how much he tries to remain neutral in his writing), it’s been an informative resource for me and has helped me to appreciate how we can all serve one God in many different ways.

Meet us back here at the end of July where we’ll have a special What I Learned This Summer link up. Want to be sure not to miss it? Join the community to be notified when new posts go live!

This post includes some affiliate links which makes it possible for me to provide free content here for ever 10 years – thanks! I only ever recommend things I try and love.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I learned I LOVE LOVE LOVE the song “We Dance” by Bethel Music. The line that says ‘I will lock eyes with the One who ransomed me…’ ah – what joy is this? Can you imagine?!? It blew me away and my love for Jesus just moved to a whole ‘nother level.

    I also learned that no matter how deep my love for Him, I’m gonna mess things up all over again and again (and again) and that my Father will forgive me because Jesus promised.

    I learned that I love to knit – truly the actual process of knitting. I mean you can buy knitted things for a lot less than the yarn and time that goes into making a hand knitted garment. So if I love the process, why do I so hate to rip out because of a mistake I missed 40 rows ago??? Argh!!

    I learned that I love the sound of rain on the lake and the stillness of the water in the cove at sunrise and sunset.

    I love baby ducks and teeny tiny purple flowers on the grass…

    Reply

  2. It’s my first month here, and I’m so glad I came! I love how your lists combine the deep, heart things in life with the real everyday things. Thanks for inspiring me to look at my month and purposefully find things to take away!

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  3. – Substituting the word Jesus in scriptures of words that speak of love takes me deeper still into Him!
    – Friends are the family God hands to you when the family He has placed you in neglects you.
    – To have childlike faith is to see my daughters faith in God.
    – I see Him in the subtle nuances of life; my hands capable of doing so much, the light that breaks at dawn, the chirp of a bird in the yard, the pain in my body from old work injuries…He is in all of it.
    – I am given grace to see Him in the simple and have no need of glam, glitter, big to know He is there.
    – I pray when I am loving and serving
    – I’m grateful for His love

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  5. Oh gosh, I needed a smile today… and you brought it, Emily, you truly did. I’m laughing over look alikes, and english, and your share about headlines and blogging prompts.
    And I’ve never written this kind of summary post before and I’m thinking I might join in!
    Thanks, Emily!!!

    Reply

  7. I learned I don’t know how to listen well.
    I learned that the ugly inside me can mess up the beautiful outside.
    I learned that peonies on my table make me joyful.
    I learned that God is gracious and oh so faithful.

    Reply

  8. Thanks for another opportunity to link up! It’s invaluable especially for a “newbie” blogger like me, who is just trying to find my way around the blogging world. I so appreciate the chance to meet new bloggers and learn from them.

    I think you’re right about writing titles to get more content. I often have an idea (either thought out or vague) for a post, then pick the first title that comes to mind and save it. Often it stays the same, or sometimes as I write the post I change it once or twice to something even better.

    I just tried saving a post on Facebook for the first time yesterday, I think! I also have the problem with opening way too many tabs to read for later, so perhaps this will help me as well.

    I was looking for this link-up post the past couple of days; now that it’s here I need to finish up my list! 🙂

    Reply

  10. Not being the very contemplative type, reviewing the past month never occurred to me – until now! I can see value in looking where I have been in order to see clearly where I plan to go. Something new that I learned this past month:
    “Rosh Codesh” which means “head of the month.” The first day of the month should be a time for seeking God regarding the days ahead. A sort of “first fruits” of the month.

    This seems to go hand-in-hand with reviewing the month just past to repent and or make adjustments where needed. Then to lay out your month ahead before God and step aside to allow Him to approve/delete/alter those plans to align with His Will.

    I look forward to trying out this new technique! Thank you, Emily, for the “now it’s your turn” comment. It was the prompting I needed.

    Reply

  12. I had no idea about the paid look-a-like thing! Now I’m going to be wondering overtime I see a picture or read an article if they’re the real deal or not. Ha! Nah, not really but maybe a little. Thanks for staying committed to blogging. I’m so glad you’re still here writing.

    Reply

  13. Emily,

    – I learned that changing medications can make a world of difference in one’s life! My dad got his meds changed earlier this year and he is doing much better than before. He can go outside for walks and even take a drive to Walmart or my house.

    – I love down time. I could stay at home all the time and be content!!!

    Blessings 🙂

    Reply

  14. #2 Huh! I will have to try that! Never thought of doing it that way.

    #4 Those look great. Lots of travel plus moving to Korea this summer means I need good travel shoes. Are they comfortable, as in walk-five-miles-happily comfortable?

    #6 Made me think of that movie Dave, remember it? Weird that it’s kind of true!

    #7 I really want to love ThredUp, but I just don’t. I feel overwhelmed every time I try to shop there, plus I didn’t like any of what I ordered the one time I did buy, plus they don’t take Closet clean-out bags from Hawaii, which just bugs me. I must be the only one…

    #8 Sounds really interesting. I will have to check it out!

    Reply

  15. In the remaining handful of hours of May 2016, I can still say, “I published my second book this month.” My inspirational novel, “That Sweet Place: At Home in the Heartland,” went up on Amazon May 4 and a week later crates of books arrived on my doorstep — lots of marketing and getting out there are ahead of me to get those volumes sold!
    I kept careful record of my local and regional marketing strategies from when I published my first book, “Sweetland of Liberty Bed & Breakfast,” and knew that I would methodically retrace those steps and ask the same groups if they needed a speaker, the same librarians if they would have a signing, etc.
    And while I am doing those things, what I learned in May is that there remains new territory here, under foot, not just “out there.” In short order, I had on the calendar three new opportunities: One is to speak to a group of about 50 in a senior Sunday school class at their summer picnic in a town not far away but one in which I’ve never spoken before. Two, I was asked to be on a panel at an author fair at a library in a town where I have never had a gig and third, I was asked to visit a book club — very soon — where they are reading my work AND they are preparing a meal of recipes from my book to serve up with the discussion. What is even sweeter is that all three of these opportunities were presented to me without me doing the asking first.
    So to take liberties with an old saying about friendships, let me suggest, “Find new territory but keep the old, one is silver, the other gold.”
    — Donna Cronk, Indiana journalist and novelist

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  16. Something fun I learned this month; My close friend/also lady-boss friend and I were talking, and just happened to realize different inspirational “Emilys” kept popping up in our life. So she looked it up, and then told me it meant “work/hard work”. Which seemed special considering the role of the Emilys in our stories had to do with work we love…it just felt like a special thing, and wanted to share that with you. I even did a report on Emily Dickinson in college… love the way you encourage people in their creative work!

    Reply

  20. This month, I have learned several things:

    1. That you CAN get back into a habit of reading regularly after “being off” for a few years. I used to be a voracious reader. Since my little girl was born in 2012, I just couldn’t. I didn’t have the time, I didn’t have the strength. This year, I vowed to get back into reading, and, so far in 2016, I have finished 10 books in the past five months. I love it! I love diving deep into stories again, but I have also found myself reading more non-fiction/inspirational books.

    2. I fully buy into the truth that sometimes you just have to treat something like a job and get it done and off your desk. Unfortunately, it feels like everything is becoming a “job” and a job that must be done. If it doesn’t get done, I’ve failed. I plan on working on giving myself more grace, allowing “good” to be good enough, and taking time for relaxation and self-care this next week as my family and I visit my parents.

    3. Saying “yes” is still scary, even when you know it’s right. Last month, I accepted an invitation to give the address at my old private school’s commencement next Friday, so, right now, I am knee-deep in speech-writing, sorting clothes, and packing suitcases. I know that saying yes to this was the right decision, but I am still scared out of my wits. I know that God will help me through this week and next and I’m holding on to that.

    Reply

  21. You can use the zoom on your iphone camera to see small print or photo a butterfly wing in macro and see amazing detail. It does take a steady hand, which might be hard reading the tiny print on a tiny bottle….I guess putting it on the shelf might have helped.

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  22. These tips and recommends are fabulous! And this is my first time joining in with this linkup group and wow, what a ton of fun it’s been reading so many of these posts… a breath of fresh air from my more serious blogging. I’ve decided I need more fun in my life 😉 Thanks Emily! I needed this!

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  23. I enjoyed the Work by Design interview as I enjoy all your work. I started my own blog (again) today so please do pop in and read. I would be privileged. Many thanks

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  24. Janeville was one of my most favorite stores and I was so sad when it closed several years ago. I never thought to look on Thread Up for Janeville jems!

    Reply

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