Once a month, I like to do these reviews of the previous month about what I’ve been into and what has been helping me stay sane amidst this crazy world.  Guys, if I miss a month, it is probably safe to say that I am struggling, but I am hoping to work on the ability to write (and share) my honest thoughts here, even when I am struggling.

So let’s get into my January.

I was shocked, but not surprised, at the events of January 6^th.  And I experienced a number of emotions: doubt, disbelief, rage (was I experiencing the seven stages of grief here?). I think 2020 has been a year of uncertainty (things happening that I have never experienced before) and I tend to like things to be steady, familiar, calm. I knew nothing would magically change from the 31^st of December to the 1^st of January and, of course, that was the case. 

My main wish is that 2021 is kinder to all of us than 2020 but if that is not possible, than that I will be kinder to myself in 2021. I have been focused on that.

• Last month, Apple released Fitness+. They carefully selected trainers and coaches who are specifically encouraging – they want you to use the app after all.  They have running, strength training, HIIT, rowing, core specific, and yoga workouts.  I have always wanted to start a consistent yoga practice, and I have been able to do that this month, thanks to the ease of Fitness+.
• I’m so happy that we are getting new movies and shows again. The problem is that they are releasing fast and furiously and I am not able to keep up.  Fortunately, Donna from I am Your Rabbit does that for me.  Thanks to her, the Hubby and I have had several delightful movie nights (they kind of fell off in 2020) and I am loving it.  I especially enjoyed Lupin on Netflix.
• My work as a team member at Modern Mrs. Darcy brings me so much joy! I love working in the realm of books and reading (one of my three earliest childhood joys) and it’s a privilege to work with people I admire and care about.  The team was featured on a What Should I Read Next podcast episode this month (You can listen here; I get started around the 9:17 mark). 

Adding an aside here: I think I like being on podcasts. LOL

• Speaking of books and reading, I have finished 10 books in January.  To be fair, I started some of them in 2020 but I count them as read the day I finish them and so that brings the number to 10 this month.  I have been able to read more because I have been able to curb, in a small way, my proclivity to binge movies and shows that I hardly care about. Yay! 
• And finally, January was my birthday month! I’m still here! And I want to fully be here, present, alive, experiencing all the joys and the pains, confidently moving through the world in a way that is authentic and valuable to me.  

For this is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it, if only we brave enough to be it.

The Hill We Climb, Inaugural Poem by Amanda Gorman

Wasn’t that poem an inspiration?

What’s keeping you sane, right now? Please share below in the comments and if you have a post about it, link it here too.  I plan to do this again on Monday, March 1^st. 

…enjoy life.

I’m linking this post to Anne’s annual What’s Saving My Life right now.  I struggle through the Winter and this has to be one of my favorite posts that she writes where other people share their lists of things are helping them right now.  If you are struggling, head on over there to see if any of their suggestions will help you too. 

I am 3 books ahead of schedule in my goal to read 40 books this year.  Here’s what I read last month and what I am currently reading now.

Read

• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner. I had the honor and privilege to interview Natalie Jenner for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club last month! Insert excited and shocked face emoji! And after talking with the author, I love this book so much! I was struggling with reading words on a page, but I flew through it on audio.
• A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Finished my fourth book in the Inspector Gamache series. And with the weather slowly beginning to get cooler, I will soon be on to the fifth, which is set in autumn. I read this by going back and forth between the digital copy and the audio copy which improved my French pronunciations immensely.
• Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett. My review of this book is going to be biased because I heart Charlie Lovett. His novels are always impeccably researched and he is the master of historical setting. His books are literary tales meaning they are about books and stories and writers, which I absolutely love.  Further, he features two diverging timelines, one in the past and on in the present and I find myself really enjoying those kinds of books.  Finally, I always want to read “just one more page!” This book was all of those things.

Currently Reading

• The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh by Molly Greeley. Thanks to William Morrow for the Advanced Reader’s Edition. Started this one this afternoon.
• The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth. Anne’s pick from my time as a guest on the What Should I Read Next podcast and the current pick of the Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club.  I am halfway through it  with just one sitting so, yeah, it’s good!
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This is the classic that I haven’t read that everyone tells me I will just love.  I am giving it a go.

You can listen to my episode of What Should I Read Next here and check out the Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club here. If you are a member of the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club, you can check out the interview with Natalie Jenner here.  If you’re not a member, join. It’s so much fun.

Anne also does a Quick Lit post every month discussing what she is currently reading, to which I am linking this post.  If you’re here because of her,  I thank you and her.

What have you been reading lately. And as Anne would say, “Happy Reading”.

enjoy life…