Can we all just take a second to say thank goodness for Mary Marantz?  This is a girl who has it ALL together… and by that I mean she has accomplished SO much, she’s successful out the wazoo, with loads of successful businesses, and has a gorgeous home, studly husband, and darlin’ lil dog by her side.  She constantly looks like she just stepped out of a vogue magazine.. or at times a Ralph Lauren/JCrew.. I’m tellin’ ya.  Her on a sailboat cruising around Martha’s Vineyard seems like a regular occurrence for this one.  Comparison is NO JOKE.. especially when beauties like Mary Marantz fill your inbox (seriously, her newsletter/blog is like a constant piece of glorious literature), your newsfeed, and your instagram.

But this recent instagram is why I could never stop following her (I mean I never would, ’cause she is a constant inspiration.. but still).  This recent instagram was just a picture of Mary.  Just standing there.  No dolled up hair.  No perfect makeup.  No glamorous dress or perfect nautical outfit.  It was just Mary.. Reminding me (sometimes I like to think her posts are written just for me.. ’cause a lot of the time I feel like she is responding to my thoughts at the moment.. haha.. Laura, FOCUS).. reminding all of us that sometimes life is messy.  It’s not all photo shoots and house parties.  Sometimes is unfolded laundry and takeout.  A lot of times it’s yoga pants and a messy bun of uncombed hair.  And friends, that was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.  Especially from Mary.  Especially from someone I look up to and view as someone who has it all together.  Because right now, and frankly pretty much all the time, our life is messy.  Sometimes I feel like Michael and I are in a constant race after our big dreams.  Never quite reaching it.  But you know what?  We are getting there.  There is a good chance we will never quite reach “there”.. but I LOVE that.. I love that our dreams get bigger as we go.. And even though our middle is QUITE messy.. it’s a beautiful mess.  ’cause we are learning and fighting and striving for those big dreams of ours… and learning SO much along the way.

And right now, our middle is exceptionally messy.  We don’t quite have a home, but rather we are bouncing around from place to place until our renters are out of our house we leased while away in Kenya.  We are living out of boxes and suitcases.. or my car.  We are running around still working to finish our photography rebrand while trying to serve our current clients in the best way possible.  We are barely seeing each other and when we do it’s all work and checklists and to-dos.   Which is why I’m SO excited that tomorrow we leave for a Boston/Cape Cod/Newport adventure.  And even though some work might follow us, I know we will spend some intentional time resting and being together.  Because if our messy middle has taught me anything.. it’s that sometimes you need to pause and rest so you can have the energy to keep on chasing that big dream.

Thanks for the reminder, Mary.