Eleanor’s Diary: October, Life Updates & A Little Reset

This week's blog is a little different; I am going to share how I spent the first day in October, my reflections on the year so far and my plans going forward with AStoryToLight. So buckle up, get the kettle on and enjoy this blog wherever you are!

This morning, I woke up to a very wet and dewy morning, I think it had been raining the night before. My mum and I went out for lunch together, we had a beetroot, houmous and chickpea sandwich with a salad, crisps and a strong coffee whilst we sat outside in the autumn sunshine. We then went to a local charity shop, one thing to note about my mother and I (and my Nana too) is that we love finding bargains and little treasures in charity shops. We are doing good for the environment and I could be rich and still be browsing the charity shops. I am rich because my mum is my best friend and I have the absolute pleasure of making her laugh, making her a splendid cup of tea and driving her to places like this :)

I bought a pair of BRAND NEW brown boots that go up to your chins, with the label on saying £29.95 and I got them for a £1. No negoiating, it was just £1. To be fair, everything in that charity shop was a pound but still! You can't get better than that, I'm sorry!

We came home, had a cup of tea and I read for the rest of the afternoon. I am currently reading House of Sky and Breath by Sarah. J. Maas. I am trying to finish the Crescent City series before the new Acotar book comes out and I am so excited for it! Overall, it was the perfect autumn day and I realise I love doing the little things; going out for a coffee, going shopping, reading, doing a crossword. I truly am a grandma at heart and I am completely content with it ;)

Taking Things More Slowly

From this year as a whole, I am so grateful at what I have achieved and what I have been working on. I feel like this year especially, I have just fallen into my social media content and small business, not knowing where it will lead me and not being afraid to put myself out there! I like to think I have become a lot more confident as a person but I do think somewhere along the way, I have lost the present and gone too far forward into the future. I think it is the fear of going into my mid twenties and feeling like I haven't done enough and I know I am not alone in this feeling but it is still present and my mindset is not haha!

For example, I had never gone travelling before and I wanted to see what the experience was like. As much as I loved the experience and I am so happy I did it, it did confirm to me that I am a homebody at heart... and I love the cold weather. Not opposed to travelling though, take that however you want :)

So... for the rest of this year, I want to focus on slowing my life down and minimising the urge to do everything at once. I will look back on this and think, "how stupid am I?!" But I do think it is something that I understand to be a topic that is brisked over. I want to enjoy where I am in life and the journey of where I am going - to enjoy the process more than the destination.

Life at A Story To Light

ASTL has been the light of my life, a space I have created to express myself creatively and ultimately create a world I am proud of. Recently, I have directed the business to be more of a small vintage gift shop, perfect for gift giving and receiving something personal. I have designed new bookmarks, revamped my snail mail letters and blind dates with a book, I am now selling wax melts and tealights of all your favourite scents! I am planning on adding to this so when you visit my little shop, it feels like a gift shop of products with a vintage twist.

Social Media Update

I love making content, I have always been this way since childhood. As you are reading this, I have started Vlogtober where I post everyday on TikTok and Instagram. My purpose is to treat it like a diary: vlogs of day to day life, BTS of AStoryToLight, the boring days working and everything else inbetween. I wanted to do this because October is my favourite month of the year, I love autumn and I have always looked back fondly on the vlogs and videos I made during this time. So I want to document it to the fullest and also figure ultimately, what kind of content do I like to post and what kind of content does well on my page. If you would like to follow along, I will leave a link here.

What I'm Looking Forward to This Month

There is so much I am looking forward to this month! The loud one being the next Acotar book coming out on the 27th of October! I have read Throne of Glass but I am currently on the second book in the Crescent City series and I am determined to finish it before Acotar Six comes out! I will keep you posted!

I am also looking forward to more darker evenings and misty mornings, embracing what October has to offer. I have also booked a week off in October to visit Edinburgh! I love Edinburgh, it is my most favourite place in the world and what better time to go visit than in October!

I am also hoping to spend a lot of time reading, getting out for walks, working on ASTL and just enjoying the month rather than constantly thinking about what comes next.

I think that is going to be my theme for October: just enjoy it. No huge October transformation, no trying to completely reinvent my life. Just me, my little business, lots of books, autumn walks, probably far too many cups of tea and hopefully a very good month.

So, hello October. I'm very happy you are here.

Sincerely,

Eleanor x