Post- Justin C. Blomgren

Aug 29

Aug 29 Getting Back To What I Love

This blog post is sponsored by OLLY. All opinions are my own.

This Summer has been a wild ride. Starting off with sooo much optimism, and then finding out that maybe we transitioned back to normal life a bit too quickly. I can’t complain too much though. It’s been nice to hug friends and family again. I feel grateful. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we can’t take those small moments for granted and that we should hold onto them as close as we can. I’ve been thinking a lot about happiness lately and trying to get back to the things that I truly love.

For me, happiness is something we need to intentionally seek daily. I’ve caught myself being so distracted by trying to make others happy, that I’ve forgotten the things that make me truly happy. Here are some moments where I was grateful for something I previously took for granted:

Meeting Up w/ Friends

This Summer Harper and I started planning activities with friends again. Simple things like meeting up for brunch or grabbing a drink at a local restaurant. It’s been so nice to laugh, and eat, and be merry with others. It’s been a chance to share stories, catch up, and be in each other’s lives. We’ve been living online so much that I forgot the joy of being present with others in real life. For example, we got to go to a friend’s Housewarming gathering the other weekend. Everyone was vaccinated so we felt it was relatively safe, plus we hadn’t been in another person’s home for soooo long. We had a strict rule in 2020 to only meet up with friends outdoors. It felt so nice to be able to celebrate our friends and their new home, indoors!

Being Back At The Gym

I rejoined a gym this Summer. After a year of creating a home gym routine, wow, how nice it was to be back inside an actual gym. It was so nice to go to a separate location, with the intent purpose of only one activity. It was so hard to eat, sleep, work, and relax all in the same environment. The gym had been a sacred third place for me prior to lockdown. A place separate from home and work where I could exert energy and relieve some stress. It felt so nice to be back, especially when we were allowed to take masks off for about a month. And even though masks are back on, I still feel grateful for a place to focus on getting back to my self-care and happiness.

Travel

I realized I also have taken travel for granted. We traveled a ton in 2019, almost to the point of exhaustion. I remember Harper saying, “Ok, we’re not going to travel anywhere in 2020” at the start of the year. Lol, little did we know. And although we still haven’t gone on any big trips, I did take a trip down to LA to see some friends, and it was exactly what I needed. It was so nice to be on an airplane, and feel the excitement of a new place and new people.

Family

One of the hardest parts of the pandemic was how it impacted our relationships with our families. It was painful to have to second guess a visit for the holidays, or if we should give Grandma a hug when we next saw her. Those aren’t questions we had ever had to think about prior. But this Summer I got to give my family hugs, go to my nephew's first birthday party, and not have to worry about giving hugs. What a relief, and I felt so grateful for those little moments. Harper also got to fly out to Vermont and spend 2 whole weeks with his family, which I think was really healing. He didn’t get to see them at all during 2020, since they live on the opposite side of the country.

Nice to be Back

These instances have helped remind me that happiness comes in the little moments. Whether it's bumping into a friend on the street, deciding to pick up flowers for Harper while running errands, or giving your family a hug when you see them.

And in addition to cherishing those little moments, I’ve been taking both OLLY’s Hello Happy Gummy Worms and their Men's Multi gummies for a little extra happiness and health boost. Let me tell you, they are both SOO delicious. For the Happy Gummies, I’ve been taking two daily. They give me extra Vitamin D and Saffron, which both help improve focus and overall mood. I always remember to take them, because they seriously taste so good. I recommend adding them both to your morning routine. You can thank me later ;) Check out this link to purchase, and use JUSTIN1 at checkout for an extra 20% off.