hat: Olivette by Gigi Pip
“The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
― Christopher McCandless
This quote is on Kayla's website This Little Wandering and we had to share it because it represents precisely why we chose her for this #thehatswewear spotlight. Kayla is a Colorado native, embracing adventure, art, her family, yoga and more. One of her latest adventures is that of buying an old school bus and renovating it to become a home for her little family. It's kind of AMAZING. Follow along with her school bus adventure here and keep reading to learn more about this inspiring lady!
her instagram: @this.little.wandering.
What are the roles or hats you lead in your life?
There are so many roles and hats I lead in my life: Wife, Mother, Daughter, Friend, business woman, blogger, athlete, wanderer, photographer, poet.. I feel like that is the beauty with hats is that you can change them at a moments notice to fit your role for the day and though not every hat is glamorous I certainly appreciate the variety of experiences each one brings to my life.
Which hat do you find most rewarding?
This is hard because so many hats I wear are rewarding but if I break it down to the essentials I think any hat where I am creating and finding inspiration and beauty is the hat that is most rewarding. Whether that is discovering something new with my daughter while wearing my motherhood hat, finding a new trail and exploring in my wandering hat, or capturing a beautiful moment while wearing my photography hat it is all those little moments of creativity that really fuel my passion and bring the best reward.
What hats do you find are most challenging and what do you do to embrace them?
The hat I find most challenging at times can be any and all of them. I tend to have a hard time with conflict and confrontation and so when I am in a role where I have to deal with conflict or manage confrontation it can be a struggle for me. This can look like an argument with my husband while wearing my wife hat, a tantrum from my two year old in my motherhood hat, or a conflict with a deadline or criticism while wearing my blogging hat. The beautiful thing though is that hats are interchangeable and I try to bring wisdom and strength from other areas of my life as I handle conflict and resolve confrontations.
What hats are least known about you?
If I was honest the hat that is least known about me is probably my hat of self identity. So much of life between blogging, mothering, and other commitments can leave me pushing my own needs and self care to the back burner and so really picking up and exploring my own self and my wants is something I am working on and not something many people get to see. I think that when we wear many hats and hold all these roles it can be easy to let that little voice that is our true self fall away and so for me discovering my inner voice and identity is a hat that I haven't worn in a while but I am hoping people will be seeing more of in the future.
Who or what inspires you?
Lately most of my inspiration has come through nature, music, and poetry. When I need to seek something greater or find a moment of beauty I always turn to the mountains, Mary Oliver (poetry), and Horse Feathers (music). The combination of the three and maybe a cup of good tea is an experience that always leaves me seeking beautiful moments and feeling inspired to live gently and more intentionally.