Melissa Schlies – Page 4 – Melissa Schlies

This Season, Be An Amateur

"When did we stop doing things just for fun?” —Annie F. Downs For my birthday last week, Tony and I made pizza for our stay-at-home celebration. As I shared a few weeks ago, I’ve been learning how to make sourdough bread, and pizza felt like the next step. I made the crust from my sourdough starter. I followed the directions so carefully. And still for most of the process, I felt like I was holding my breath. Trying new things feels scary. I am still so new at working with fermented yeast, that I always have this little touch of [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-03-28T21:34:56+00:00March 29th, 2021|Categories: Anxiety, Balance, Creativity, Failure, Fear, Habit Making, Health, Practice|Comments Off

On Turning Forty, Making Bucket Lists, & Redefining What Matters

Do not resent growing old, many are denied the privilege —Irish Proverb When you were eighteen, who did you think you’d be at the age you are now? Looking back at myself at that time, I could see who I’d be in college. I could see myself at twenty-five. But I couldn’t see beyond that. I certainly couldn’t see myself today. I had this I idea that I should create a 40 Before 40 Bucket List. This week, I’m getting ready for my second pandemic birthday, and it’s a big one. I’m turning forty. And at some point a few [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-03-19T23:53:25+00:00March 22nd, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Adulting, gratitude, Hope, Travel|2 Comments

When Self Care Isn’t Enough

I used to think being strong meant nothing bothered you. Like Wonder Woman, you were able to deflect all that tried to bring you down. Or similar to body builders who keep telling their spotters to add more weights to their barbells, people could continue to place their burdens on your shoulders and you’d never break a sweat. For years, I tried to be this person. To carry responsibilities that weren’t mine when others were struggling. To hold the grief, heartache, or pain of those I cared about. To keep the world from falling a part (as if I could). [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-03-14T15:00:15+00:00March 15th, 2021|Categories: Adulting, Depression, grief, Health, Hope, Mental Health, Self Care|Comments Off

A Year Later: Five Things I Wish I’d Known Pre-Pandemic

A year ago this week, I drove a half hour north to meet a friend at Barnes and Nobles. When I got there, I pulled into a parking spot just as my phone “dinged.” I had a text. I put the car in park, turned off the engine, then grabbed my phone. Tony’s name showed up in a little grey box on my screen. I clicked on it, and there it was: The first sign our lives were going to change because of COVID. In his text, Tony told me that as of the following week, all the offices where [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-03-08T00:33:40+00:00March 8th, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Change, Routines, Social Distancing, Waiting|Comments Off

When the Rules Are Still Unknown

Last week, I shared that this season I am making sourdough bread. What I didn’t tell you though is on my first try at making my starter, I failed. I’m pretty sure I killed all the yeast I’d brought to life. What I didn’t tell you though is on my first try...I failed. After making bread so many times, and reading up on the sourdough process from two different cookbooks, I went into this endeavor rather confident. Only when I finally made my starter, I didn’t read far enough to realize how important it is that your water is warm—but [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-26T20:11:17+00:00March 1st, 2021|Categories: Anxiety, Conflict, Fear, Health|Comments Off

What Sourdough Bread is Teaching Me About Growth and Loss

This past December, as I stared down the social distancing winter we’re all in the middle of, I knew I had to take up a hobby. Sure, we still have a house that’s not fully decorated or furnished, but I needed a creative outlet where I could just play. Something with very little risk, and very little cost. So at the beginning of January, I started cultivating my first sourdough starter. I know it was very spring 2020 of me. But while everyone else was making bread during the first phase of the pandemic, we were buying our house. Now [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-19T19:14:12+00:00February 22nd, 2021|Categories: Courage, Food, Freedom, grief, Health, Hope, perseverance, Self Care|2 Comments

For The Parts of Your Life on “Pause”

Have you ever been watching a show or a movie, and had to stop it before it was finished? Maybe your popcorn was done in the microwave, your friend or partner had to grab a drink, or at the worst time possible, you had to go to the bathroom. You, or the person holding the remote, hit “pause.” Now, most times, it’s not a big deal. In five or ten minutes, you’re back on your couch, holding your popcorn, and watching your show. But every now and then, something happens and you can’t get back. The phone rings and it’s [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-13T20:44:19+00:00February 15th, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Change, Hope, Waiting|Comments Off

A Single Person’s Bucket List (repost)

With it being Valentine's Day on Sunday, I thought I'd re-share one of my most popular posts from 2020 all on singleness. Though the pandemic has changed the way one may go about writing/fulfilling their bucket list, I would say it is more important now more than ever. When I was in college, a relationship expert came to speak at our Chapel* one day. As the historical joke/motto for our school was to expect a “ring by spring” if you were dating someone, it seemed fitting. Though I went to college for my education (and maybe, to meet a boyfriend), many [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-09T15:54:44+00:00February 11th, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Adulting, Courage, Faith, Habit Making, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Waiting|Tags: Singleness|Comments Off

No One Prepared Us for Married Life in a Pandemic

"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person you cannot live without.” — P.S. I Love You For longer than any of us have been alive, there have been movies about love. For centuries before that, there were plays. Acted out stories that have made us think and even dream about romance. Ones that have shaped the way we view relationships and marriage. Only, None of them prepared us for marriage in a pandemic. For almost eleven months, Tony and I have been working from home together. Not only that, but we’ve moved into our first [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-06T21:19:35+00:00February 8th, 2021|Categories: Adulting, Change, Conflict, Health, Hope, Marriage, perseverance, Relationships, Social Distancing|2 Comments

The Secret to Keeping Your New Year’s Goals

Every year, the United Nations publishes a World Happiness Report. For many years now, Denmark has been at the top of that list. And I remember, a number of years ago, an article came out saying that Denmark is the happiest place to live, because Danes have lower expectations for their lives. This claim that expecting less so you’re pleasantly surprised with what you get, has since been refuted. It is now said, Danes expect free healthcare, free education, longer maternity/paternity leave, and in general have a better work life balance. Which lately has me wondering—is it possible that they [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-01T00:00:51+00:00February 1st, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, Change, comparison, Depression, Failure, Habit Making, Practice, Routines, Self Care, Success|Comments Off

About Melissa Schlies

This Season, Be An Amateur

On Turning Forty, Making Bucket Lists, & Redefining What Matters

When Self Care Isn’t Enough

When the Rules Are Still Unknown

What Sourdough Bread is Teaching Me About Growth and Loss

For The Parts of Your Life on “Pause”

A Single Person’s Bucket List (repost)

The Secret to Keeping Your New Year’s Goals

ABOUT ME

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