weekend or work.

ruff hewn jacket {thrifted}

merona skirt & flats

j crew scarf {via thredup*}

{ similar jacket / similar skirt / similar scarf / similar flats }

when i go shopping i most often consider buying clothes to wear to work like skirts or dresses.  it's where i spend most my time and i dress different there than i do at home on the weekends.  however, i do like finding clothes i can wear both professionally and casually, like this jacket.  i'm not sure i would have ever thought an olive green casual jacket could be worn to work, but with the right accompanying pieces like a skirt and floral scarf it becomes elevated enough to work in a professioanl setting.  in fact, i wore a similar outfit back in january 2014!

so, recently an employee recognition award was presented to a staff person at our building who was seen by their peers as living out our organization's mission.  i selfishly thought, "hey, i wonder if anyone will nominate me."  i actually started thinking that i may be a suitable candidate to receive this award... only to find out that i wasn't even nominated!  none of my colleagues saw traits in me they wanted to recognize.  by the end of the week, i'd moved past it... because the joy that my residents bring me by uplifts me more than having my name engraved on a plaque.  it was hard for me to come to that place, though.  as a social worker, i rarely ever receive "thanks" for what i do.  half of my colleagues probably don't even understand what my role is.  but this whole situation got me thinking about recognition and appreciation and feeling valued and if anything, emphasized that i need to first begin showing this toward my coworkers if i ever think i am deserving of it for myself in the future.

phew, thanks for letting me share this!  this has been kind of a heavy week of thoughts but sometimes i just need to express how i'm feeling and use this platform like a journal.  what i'm wearing to work and what i experience at work and how it makes me feel is often all tied together so closely, so those thoughts come out here as i put together posts and reflect on what was taking place on a particular day!

*join thredup through my referral link and you'll get $10 to spend; i receive $10 once you've made your first purchase!