Mid-Summer Check-In [75 Sparkling Update]

Here is an honest check-in for you: Two days in, life hit. We hit a sudden financial tight spot, I lost access to my car for the week, my hormones crashed, and I found myself staring at a box of taquitos just trying to figure out how to stretch things until payday. I wanted to pretend I was sparkling right out of the gate, but truth be told, I’ve just been surviving.

It’s been two weeks since I announced my Sparkling 75 challenge, and I am disappointed to say that I feel no closer to "sparkling" than I did two Mondays ago. I am actively trying to give myself grace instead of sitting in embarrassment and shame, but it’s hard. Life has been relentless, and looking back, it’s no wonder everything ground to a halt. Even though I’m technically on "summer break," lately it has felt a lot more like "isolation." Being stuck at home while my husband works around the clock to make extra money means the mental load is heavy.

And while I am keeping up with the bare minimum—the laundry, the dishes, vacuuming, and keeping the kids fed—it still leaves me feeling like I’m somehow failing.

I tried so hard to make my plan fail-proof by building in low-energy "Tier B" options and "Grace Cards" for tough days. But nothing could have prepared me for the absolute exhaustion that financial stress and a rough monthly cycle would plunge me into all at once. To top it all off, I am currently fighting off a miserable head cold, complete with an earache and dizziness every time I try to stand up.

Needless to say, these are not peak conditions to sparkle in.

So, where do I go from here?

I could quietly let this challenge fade away into the background and pretend I never brought it up. But that wouldn't be honest, and it wouldn't be real. The truth is, I still want to win. I am tired of the cycle of starting and stopping, and I still want to build a healthier, stronger foundation for my future.

But right now, my body is telling me it needs to heal, and my circumstances are demanding that I keep things simple.

So, I’m changing the rules... at least for now. "Sparkling" isn't going to look like a perfect 30-minute workout or a flawlessly balanced, aesthetic meal right now. For the next few days, sparkling is going to look like drinking an extra glass of water while resting on the couch. It’s going to look like putting on my CPAP machine tonight to give my body the deep, oxygen-rich rest it needs to fight off this virus. It’s going to look like pacing the living room for ten minutes after I do the dishes and counting that as my movement for the day.

I am letting go of the calendar, throwing out the pressure of the last two weeks, and starting over right where my feet are.

If you are out there today feeling stuck, isolated, or overwhelmed by the heavy shifts of life, please know you aren't alone. We don't have to be perfect to keep moving forward. Sometimes, just holding the fort down is a victory in itself.

Here’s to the messy restarts, the unfiltered updates, and finding the tiny glimmers of light even in the survival mode weeks. I’ll give you another honest update in a couple of weeks!