How are you gunna bounce back?

Did you miss me?!

I definitely missed you over these past few weeks, but chiiiile, I needed the break. And let me tell you, a break was taken, lol!

David and I went to Aruba for my birthday (September 1st!) and used the opportunity to also celebrate a “baby moon” and just take the time to slow down and connect with each other. It’s been an eventful summer to say the least so it was nice to literally hit pause.

Everyday we slept in, showered, hit the beach, ate, read, napped, went back to the room, showered, went out for dinner, and made it back to our hotel room and knocked out.

I haven’t felt so at ease in a while. We all need those types of vacations—that are truly VAY-CAY-SHUNS.

Last week, I got back into the swing of my normal routine and began filming again, and while putting together the latest episode of my YouTube series, Life Re-Imagined, something devastating happened.

My camera literally stopped recording halfway through, but I didn’t realize.

This was probably my most fluid episode yet, I was really in my groove. So, imagine how sad I was to see when I went to stop the recording, that the camera already decided to do that for me.

I had two options in that moment, to panic, get pissed off, start crying, completely undo the floral arrangements I worked so hard to make and start over. OR take a beat, get creative, figure out how I could pivot, and bounce back.

And I’ma be honest, I didn’t jump to the second option right away. I was annoyed af. Like, why would this happen? Why would this happen NOW? Am I just meant to always struggle?! Yes, my thoughts got dramatic, quick lol, so I had to redirect.

I took a breath and a moment.

I remembered that I also happened to be recording the video at a different angle for IG on my iPhone—which held me down and never stopped recording. So, I could use that footage to supplement it.

Also, the point of Life Re-Imagined isn’t to *just* showcase lifestyle tips and tutorials, but for me to share nuggets and inspiration along the way.

So, I hit record on my camera, got in front and decided to be transparent. I let the viewers know that my camera cut off in the middle of my tutorial. And that although I was disappointed, this was a lesson in giving myself grace.

My negative thoughts, worries, and anxiety did come up, but I didn’t stay in that place for long. I chose to bounce back. To redirect and move forward.

I spoke about this, dropped in some of the tutorial content from my phone, and re-shot the ending. And you know what? The response was great! People still watched ‘til the end. They commented on how beautiful the arrangements were. And how the video and theme inspired them as well.

So, how are *you* gunna bounce back? Whether your camera shuts off, there’s a big change of plans, you don’t get the opportunity you set out for, or receive some feedback you don’t love. It’s about how we move forward, how we choose to respond—not react, to the situation that truly dictates the outcome.

xo, Aisha Beau