The Rev
A monthly journal filled with creative ideas, insider tips, and inspiring interviews curated with the simple goal to help you grow in the gift of ordinary, everyday celebration. Explore below for inspiration!
January
A new year is here. Setting our sites on 12 months seems a little daunting at this point so let’s bring it in a little closer for our sanity, shall we? Let’s wrap our arms around January for a moment. I’m not sure any of us know what it holds - but it’s ours none the less. We’ve got 4 weeks ahead. They will fly by before we know it. That means we’ve got two options- we can survive or we can revel. I choose the latter. Marvelous moments await us under the frosty haze of the first of the year and to our surprise, it doesn’t take much to melt away its defenses. Just a slow pace and an eye on the small things which when piled atop each other, day after day, become the big things we are made of.
So here’s to the stories we will tell come February inspired by the moments we truly live in January. Click below for a little curated care and connection.
February
What is it about February anyways? She always takes me by surprise. I really want to like her and I start the month with fond feelings but she leaves me feeling a little worse for thewear come curtain call. Maybe it’s because we have to squeeze 31 days into 28 and that can go sideways in a hurry with the wrong expectations. Flashback to postpartum Hilary a few days ago who tried to fit into college-era denim. No manner of hopping and squatting and positive affirmation could will me into those jeans.
This year, I’ll be working towards Febru-airy over Febru-weary. This means I need to drop a few pounds of hustle and expectation so there’s some room to breathe in the beauty. Let’s enjoy the shortest month of the year in the appropriate, stretchy with a side of style pant size. Let’s make these 28 great.
March
There's just something about March, isn't there? Each year she shows up with her bursts of color and her chirping birds. She offers a steady stream of rain but isn't stingy with her rainbows, effortlessly bridging the gap between parkas and pastels. Her arrival acknowledges our current circumstances, and although she doesn't oversell us solutions or predict when things will change, she always promises us that there's more coming.
There's a hidden gem waiting for us right at the beginning of the month. One memorable day that's different than the other 364. It's not an official holiday. No calendar will alert you when it's approaching. It will pass you by if you aren't looking for it. But if you notice her- she is the hope at the end of the long winter that you desperately need- March 4th. Did you catch it? Say it out loud. March forth. The only day of the year that comes with its very own command…
April
Okay, Revels. I heard you loud and clear. I did a little research over the past few weeks, and it turns out that most of you don't enjoy April Fool's Day. Like 78% of you, according to the Instagram poll.
And I get it. I'm not much of a prankster myself- jump out and scare me, and you'll likely get slapped. Mess with my food, or my face, or any of my friends, and you're apt to get the silent treatment over a high five. Maybe it's my pride, or perhaps it's just, you know, a typical human trait that doesn't enjoy being the butt end of a joke. But you know what else is true? I need more reasons to laugh at life. And this month’s journal is sure to help us do just that.
May
Think back to a favorite holiday memory. Got it? Good. Now trace your steps from the front door, through the house, searching for the party. The living room is where you find a few of your favorite introverts watching a ball game with a plate of chips and onion dip piled high on their lap. A peek into the guest room shows you an overstimulated, over-sugared toddler down for a nap. There's probably a powder room somewhere that smells like lavender hand soap. And maybe a deck out back with a smoking grill and a smoking uncle who uses a few too many four-letter words around the kids. But the kitchen- ah yes, the "too small but somehow just big enough for everyone who wants to be there" kitchen- that's where you find the party every time.
June
You know that old saying that goes something like, “Behind every successful person is a blank”?
If this is true, I think I will be the most successful person in human history because if you look behind me, I have a long list of blanks. I have parents, and step-up parents, and in-law parents, and grandparents. I have siblings, and friends, and friend’s parents. And they are all top-notch individuals - we’re talking cream of the crop. They all cheer me on, push me forward, and give me thousands of reasons to smile, laugh, and celebrate.
But there’s one special blank that deserves his own sentence, no, his own paragraph, wait, his own article, really. Wait. What are the odds that I have the opportunity to do just that - write a whole front page feature all about him? It’s almost like that’s what I do every month - write about the people who inspire me. This can only mean one thing - this entire issue is dedicated to my number one supporter, daily inspiration, and forever blank - my husband, Craig Paulsen.
July
That’s my mom over there with her slalom ski. Yep, that’s right. One. Ski. How does one glide on the water with one ski? Practice, I suppose. Or maybe this is the secret side effect that comes from having your gallbladder removed? Super human balance on water? Regardless, I’m always in awe.
I once heard about someone I knew who would waterski with nothing but their bare feet. Mmhmm. No. Skis. What in the actual world? How does one glide on the water with NO SKIS?! How much practice would it take to accomplish that feat of legendary proportions? Can you imagine how tough your feet would have to be?
The gift of celebration is not only ones ability to make something special but mostly the ability to stop and recognize when something already is.
Go find something extraordinary in your ordinary today and check back here when you need a little inspiration.