"Remember Breathing? OK, Do That Now."

These words were said to me by a dear friend when I started hyperventilating today. No, I did not have a nervous breakdown — though if it is possible to have a happiness breakdown I think I might have done that. No, I was freaking out because the results of the auditions for our spring play, Antigone, were posted today and I got in. The only freshman. Just me. I am in the role of Chorus — and if you are familiar with Greek tragedies, you'll know that the Chorus does not sing and dance; they are rather the narrators and reactionaries to the play. It's actually a really big role, and I was completely flipping out with excitement and disbelief.

I was hugging people and texting people excitedly and chattering away a million miles a minute when my friend caught my arm and, a bemused smile on her face, said, "Olivia, remember breathing? OK, do that now. In, out. Repeat. Stop hyperventilating."

She was kidding, but thinking about it later and smiling to myself I realized why her words stuck with me. Remember my one word for 2011? That's right:  b r e a t h e .   My friend had no idea about my One Word, which makes this seem all the more like some sort of sign.

Remember breathing? OK, do that now.

I've been rushing around like mad these past few weeks. Between midterm exams (gah), auditions for the play (tremble), the start of a new semester (eep), and the unusually cold weather we've been having (shiver), I've been feeling pretty worn out. Lately I've just been wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a nice warm hat all day when I don't need to go to school.

this is a serious crime of fashion, but I'm not particularly caring at the moment.

This week will be no exception. Tonight my mom and I have to attend a meeting for freshman interested in the IB program which lasts for two long hours. And then rehearsals for the play start on Thursday. Between that and schoolwork and managing my Etsy shop, I'm swamped.

So I was thinking about what I can do to make my life a little less hectic. I've started up yoga again, doing a 10-minute bedtime routine to unwind. (Did you know sleep actually makes you get in better shape? Never knew that. Thanks, free iTunes yoga video.) I'm reading this amazing book instead of surfing the internet, and trying to remember to turn off all my electronics before going to sleep (I read that it makes you sleep deeper and better). I'm continuing with my Spa Day Saturdays and that's a nice little release. (I got a volcanic mud facial mask... divine!)

And another thing I want to cut back on is screen time — yes, that means blogging. I know, IknowIknowIknow. How many times have I said, "I'm going to cut back on blogging"? Countless times. Really. But this time I truly do mean it. I have a ruler to slap myself on the palm with if I get too lax. (Kidding. Kind of.)

Anyway. I'm not going to disappear, I just might be a little more absent than usual. Will you guys still love me if I periodically abandon you for a few days at a time? I hope so. It's just too much stress for this little blogger to be constantly wondering "hmm, I wonder if my new post got any comments? Gah, I'll have to go check" and thinking "oooh this will make a great post on my blog" whenever I do something cool.

You know, it's weird. Some people decide to take blogging breaks or cut down because they can't find enough inspiration. I've got plenty of inspiration; I have a million and a half photos and experiences and thoughts just begging to be made into posts. My challenge is to squish them like little ants and actually do something productive.

I even installed the new look a couple days early so I could get that off my chest. Orange is supposed to be energizing, you know. I could use that.

This has turned into a very long post, and if you read all the way through, I salute you. If you haven't, just know this: I won't be blogging every day. I still love you guys. I just love the rest of my life as well, and it's been feeling a bit neglected lately.

PS- right after writing this post I looked at my dashboard and saw this post by carlotta. Whoops! carlotta, dear, I assure you I am not copying off your post — I dearly hate when people do that — I was just thinking the same things you were, I suppose.