Rachel has passed the reins of the Love Story Project over to us. She sent quite a few stories that are waiting to be published and we can’t wait to share them with you! Please subscribe, share a story, or suggest to a friend that they share their story. You are welcome to email your love story to fiveblondes (at) gmail.com anytime.

pic by laurenewalters

Look for the next love story to come your way on Monday. If you’ve submitted a story already, we have your contact information and will be in touch to confirm when your story will be published.

Seriously. I hate it. January and I? Not friends. We don’t get along. Never have, perhaps never will. Many people use January as their starting point. A launching pad for new adventures. A time for resolutions and reflection. For me, making new resolutions is a reminder of the old resolutions I haven’t fulfilled from years past. Reflection reminds me of not just the high points of the year, but also the low points.

I wish I could tell you that this past January was different. I wish I could tell you that I stepped up my game, told myself “I rock!” and focused my efforts on bettering myself personally and professionally. But I can’t, because I didn’t. Instead, I looked up articles on seasonal affective disorder and how my medication could be negatively affecting my emotions and physical condition. I tried to find a way to blame my feelings on anything other than myself. I slept too much. I watched too much crappy daytime television. I put off reaching out to old co-workers who reached out to me after I lost my job. I imagined being a better person. I imagined reinventing myself. I imagined how it will feel when I’m done school. When I find a job. When we buy a house. When we start a family. If. When.

I found myself not caring anymore. One year ago we had a plan. It fell apart. I was upset for a long time, but in January? In January I didn’t care. I didn’t care whether we ever move out of our little apartment. I didn’t care whether we ever buy a house. If I ever find a job. If we ever start our family.

But it’s February now.

February is my new starting point. I believe that the ‘new year’ is arbitrary – every day is the beginning of a new year, technically. The first 9 days of this month have held more promise and more achievements for me than the last 3 months have. I’ve finished school projects early, had an interview for a very exciting job, and found some job prospects in unexpected places. I want things again. I care about getting those things. The house is cleaner. I’m organizing my stuff. I hired my own personal cheerleader. I’m making an effort in areas of my life that I never have before. I have time to knit, and that just makes me happy. I was able to give my first knitted baby hat to Hailey – she has to grow into it a little more, but it is just adorable.

Now that, my friends, is a reason to start over.

So here is is folks, 25 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Every Sunday.  These are from genpink’s source, Marc and Angel Hack Life and they have little explanations about each question:

1. What did I learn last week? – If you have trouble answering this question, it’s time for a change.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, you should learn something new every week.
2. What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week? – Reflecting on your accomplishments is a healthy way to raise self confidence and contentment.  It’s also an effective way to track your progress.
3. Which moment from last week was the most memorable and why? – It may open up your mind to new passions and goals, or simple pastimes worth revisiting.
4. What’s the #1 thing I need to accomplish this week? – Everything else is secondary, and should be treated as such.  Nevertheless, this question will also shine light on other noteworthy tasks.
5. What can I do right now to make the week less stressful? – Set reminders in your calendar, get your laundry done, fill the car with gas… organize yourself.
6. What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the upcoming week? – The idea here is to learn from your struggles and better equip yourself for future encounters.
7. What was last week’s biggest time sink? – Steer clear of this in the future.  Setup physical barriers against distractions if you have to.
8. Am I carrying any excess baggage into the week that can be dropped? – Physical clutter, mental clutter… eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary may shine bright.
9. What have I been avoiding that needs to get done? – Pencil in a time to get these things done.  For any 2-minute or less tasks, consider scheduling them first thing Monday morning.
10. What opportunities are still on the table? – If it’s still available and you want it, make a concrete plan to go after it this week.
11. Is there anyone I’ve been meaning to talk to? – Regular communication can solve problems before they fester.  Always keep an open line of communication to those around you.
12. Is there anyone that deserves a big ‘Thank You’? – Take time each week to thank the people who have helped you.  Your kind gesture will not go unnoticed.
13. How can I help someone else this coming week? – The easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.  If you help them, they will remember you when you need help.
14. What are my top 3 goals for the next 3 years? – You’ll never make any progress in life if you don’t setup realistic goals for yourself.
15. Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals? – If the answer is no, something needs to change.
16. What’s the next step for each goal? – Knowing the next step is the key to accomplishing the whole.
17. What am I looking forward to during the upcoming week? – The answer can act as a great source of motivation.  If nothing exists, schedule something to look forward to.
18. What are my fears? – Consciously address your fears each week and slowly work on resolving them.  It’s all about taking baby steps.
19. What am I most grateful for? – It’s a smart way to keep things in perspective, and something you should never lose sight of.
20. If I knew I only had one week to live, who would I spend my time with? – Another helpful reminder… Life is short.  Spend more time with the people you care about.

Genpink added five of her own:

1. Who can I inspire this week?
2. Did I tell the people in my life how much they mean to me?
3. Did I make a difference with someone?
4. Did I learn something?
5. Have I done something creative this week?

So tell me folks, do you have any questions that you ask yourself to take inventory of your life/week?

One of the best things that ever happened to me in my life was getting let go from a job at a local greenhouse. It was a seasonal position that I didn’t expect to keep for too long, but when I was one of the first let go as the busy spring season wound down I was surprised and saddened. Summer was coming up fast and I didn’t have a job. Unfortunately the position I had held at a nearby golf course that our family is a part of wasn’t available to me as they had already hired someone who had been available earlier in the year than I was. It was looking like I might be spending the summer working at home for mom and dad – not the worst thing in the world, but future employers don’t generally see your parents as impartial references.

I don’t recall exactly how many days or weeks passed before I was at the golf course having brunch with our family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins – there were quite a few of us there enjoying our meal. Suddenly, the pro shop manager came up to me with a question: Would you be able to work behind the counter for a while?

I grabbed my plate and off we went. I hadn’t worked in the pro shop the year before (I had worked in the kitchen and behind the bar previously), but honestly it was where I really wanted to be. The manager showed me the till, pointed out a few important buttons, and…left me to teach a kids golf camp. An hour later he returned, and I had rung a dozen or so golfers through without any errors.

I finished out the summer and worked weekends into the fall at the course, learning as much as I could about the golf industry. I charmed the mens league players, made coffee at 5:30 am for the groundscrew, ordered thousands of golf pencils, and helped run tournaments. I returned the next summer to take on the role of Assistant Manager. One day a co-worker mentioned her single friend. She wanted to introduce us.

I think you could say we hit it off. It was a very good reason.

But you know what? I also love the blogs that just post pretty pictures of perfect lives because I like to believe that some people’s lives really are that way all the time. I mean it’s okay to be happy and to blog about that. But not when it’s just not how you feel. Even the most positive blogger, I like to think, reaches that point where they have to say, you know what? Sometimes life is HARD.

Sometimes life is hard.

I am an underemployed girl feeling like life is more stagnant that I want it to be.

I am a girl who knows I can get a lot more out of life than I am, right now. I am a girl who knows that I can put into life a lot more than I am right now.

I am a girl who feels my husband’s emotions, both the good ones and the bad ones, way too much and lets them affect me instead of just being me, which brings circles of positivity (which are wonderful) or negativity (not so wonderful.)

I am a girl who lets feelings of being unwanted by a friend ruin her day.

I am a girl who sometimes finds it hard to trust and sometimes finds it impossible.

I’m a girl who looks towards the future instead of living in the present, which really, is all I ever have.

I am a girl who wastes precious seconds of her life with these things that I know are not me, not really, or not the me I would prefer to be.

I’m aching to write about all of the good things so, I don’t know, so you won’t feel sorry for me? So I won’t feel sorry for myself? Because something in me says you shouldn’t end a blog sadly? Sometimes life is good and sometimes life is great but right now I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about how sometimes, life is HARD. You know?