I like sleeping.

Especially when my cats pin me in place.

Let’s start with the good news. I am officially only employed by The Drydown Boutique which means my dream of working in perfume and only in perfume has happened, and it feels as good as I thought it would. Every day I get to speak with people about the various scents in the store and help make suggestions on what I think they might like. I’ve gotten to meet perfumers and creative directors who I have admired from afar and never imagined I’d get the chance to speak to. I get to geek out with other perfume enthusiasts all the time and it simply does not get old. I’ve made friends through working at the store too! It truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Let’s continue with the good news. My friendships and familial relationships are in solid places and wedding planning with my fiancé is still moving along well. I’m making good progress on making and writing our wedding invitations and summer is just around the corner. The days are longer and brighter and my cats are healthy and happy. I finished reading Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell, a book I purchased at San Diego Book Crawl, and I think it changed something fundamental about me. Or maybe it gave name to something inside me that was previously undefined. Regardless, it was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to anyone with a hole in their tbr to fill.

The bad news? Or rather, the slightly less than good news? I’m really tired right now.

I finished my last day at my second job earlier this week and it felt good. I left on good terms with everyone and I left in order to pursue what I’m passionate about. But suddenly I feel like I just finished a marathon. Working two jobs, maintaining my important relationships, nurturing my new friendships, wedding planning, writing six times a month on Substack between Sh*t Sam Likes and The Drydown Boutique Newsletter, and also dealing with the realities of an unpredictable chronic autoimmune will do that I guess.

I am so sleepy and I cannot think of anything good to write about this week. I think I could see the creative burnout coming. I think I knew it was walking towards my door. I just hoped that if I didn’t acknowledge it to anyone other than my therapist that it would change course. But the truth is the only thing I can think about is how much I would love to be in bed with one cat snuggled up under my left armpit and the other in a little ball on or between my legs until I lose circulation. I want to take a nap and feel Marceline breathing softly into my arm and Junior purring into my knee.

I love the feeling of them choosing to squish up against me. They have so many perches, blankets, beds and hideaways but them choosing - in the middle of the night - to relocate to wherever Travis and I are makes me feel like I could explode. The pure unconditional love I feel when my fuzzy little friends just walk up to me and plop themselves on top of whatever I’m doing or into my lap brings me so much peace, warmth, and joy. It’s all I can think about right now.

Maybe I’ll feel differently next week after I’ve settled into the routine of having just one job, but at this moment I think I should commit to writing twice a month on Sh*t Sam Likes instead of four times, at least for a little while. When I first started writing here, my world felt a lot smaller. Now, my world keeps growing. It has basically exploded outwards. And these are all good things. These are all positive changes. But I am just one person, and I’m a person who adjusts to change slowly. I don’t want to put out anything with my name attached that feels rushed or that I’m not proud of.

My therapist suggested that I reduce my frequency on here weeks ago and I have not wanted to accept that suggestion until now, when all I can really do is surrender to my body’s need for a slower pace. The only reason I feel like I can do this is because I’m really proud of everything I’m doing here and on The Drydown Boutique Newsletter. It’s been really exciting to write in a bit of a different voice and to continue to watch the store and community around the store grow.

So yeah… that’s all I really have for you this week. I like my sleep and I like it even better when my cats are there too. I’m going to try posting a little less for a bit and hope that I get a bit of my energy back. And ultimately I’m grateful that I’m low on energy cause I’m spending it on things that bring me joy and not due to anxiety or stress. I’m just navigating the start of a new chapter for me and I’m excited to see where it leads.