what i’m into – keeping me sane {february 2019}

7 Comments

I invite everyone to share your link to your What I’m Into blog posts in the comments. And I would love for Leigh Kramer’s What I’m Into community to live in this space now that she has decided not to host the link-up.   Let your community know that you are doing so.  We’ll do this every month, next on Monday, April 1.  I’d be honored if you would spread the word.     

This month is the Love Month. And for me the Hubby, not only is it Valentine’s Day, but it is also our anniversary.  It’s been thirteen years and, for some reason, I am very proud of that.

This month has been busy for me, despite my intention to hibernate this winter. But it has been a good busy and I have accomplished more than I thought I would when I decided to use the winter to rest.  I attended Toya Poplar’s Silent Writing Retreat 2019.  I have to admit, that the silent part was hard but I met some wonderful writers and it was a truly amazing, unforgettable experience.

I also volunteered as Event Coordinator at The CornerStone Initiative’s C4 Conference. This is my second year being a part of this conference and it is unlike any conference that I have attended. The focus is on collaboration, love, and compassion.  Peter Greer of Hope International was the featured speaker and he spoke about Mission Drift in organizations and in individuals. He’s also a genuinely good guy. He was a pleasure to work with during the conference. If you are in the Huntsville area, you should check it out next year around this time.

I’m working on one of my intentions for 2019 – to “create home”. I am using Marie Kondo’s KonMari method to purge my belongings.  Stand by for my post about clothes and you can check out my intro post here.  All I will say right now is that it has been life-changing.

I feel rested but for good measure, I will extend my hibernating tendencies to March.  Spring is just around the corner. Yay!

What about you? What have you been into that’s keeping you sane? Do you find the winters difficult? Got any tips for me?

Be sure to link to your posts in the comments below.  I can’t thank you enough for being a part of this community.

enjoy life…

 

 

now i get it {winter 2019}

13 Comments

Linking up with Emily P. Freeman and the What We Learned Community to share lessons learned this winter.

Now I get it. It’s OK to slow down. It’s OK to pause. It’s OK to do what feels like nothing.

I intensely dislike winter-hate seems too strong a word to use in this setting but dislike isn’t strong enough.  I specifically dislike winters in Alabama.  The temperature is cold. The sky is gray, most of the time. And it is very very wet.  This month, we have had the most rainfall in four or five years. Without the magic of snow, I might add.  Winters in Alabama are depressing. And for me, the gray days often prompt the gray thoughts.

In November, I decided to try something different this winter. Instead of thinking that I suffer from seasonal affective disorder, I decided that the winter is the time of year where my body, mind, and spirit need a break.  Essentially, I decided to become a bear.

Going into the winter with this mindset made me very nervous.  Deciding to focus on rest seemed so counterintuitive. I believed that I would feel lazy and unproductive as I sat around, essentially, doing nothing.

However, the opposite has proven to be true.  This winter, as I rested, I also have posted to the blog nine times, including a guest post from my sister. We featured Becky Glaze in the first Enjoy Life Interview of the year. We started the first EnjoyLife Project: Create Home thru KonMari. And I have completed the first category: Clothes. Blog post coming in March.  I have started hosting What I’m Into on the first of every month and a good number of you are linking your posts to the site.  I am so honored to have you. Our next post is tomorrow, March 1.

I hosted my first New Year’s visioning party in January. I have read 4 books this year of the 39 that I want to read in 2019. I have attended two Writing Retreats and have written 4000 words to a novel that I want to write. I also volunteered with The CornerStone Initiative for the annual C4 Conference.

On February 12th, Danielle LaPorte wrote a poem: Building Strength. In it she discusses the concept of building strength through rest and feeling deeply. Take a look at it here.

It has proven true for me this winter.

What about you? Do you find that rest makes you more productive?

P.S. One good thing about being in Alabama during the winter months is that we often have at least one burst of Springlike temps and sunshine.  We had one this month, before all the rain, and are going through another right now. Folks are wearing sandals, I kid you not.

enjoy life…

P.P.S. I also played a lot of Sims 4, but if we are being honest, that was something that I intended to do going into this experiment.

quick lit – next page, please {january 2019}

7 Comments

Quick Lit {January 2019}I’m happy to say that I am getting back into the grove of my reading life after the Holidays. Here’s an update, which includes the return of an old favorite – did the pic give it away?

Currently Reading

  • This Messy Magnificent Life: A Field Guide by Geneen Roth. The astute readers of the blog will note that I read this one last month, and the month before that. Yes, I’m still reading it-savoring it slowly. Not wanting to miss anything this go-around. Have you ever read a book like that?
  • Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson. Her most recent novel Almost Sisters was tied for my best book of 2018, so naturally I was curious enough to read her backlist. I’ve got to tell you, this one isn’t gripping me like Almost Sisters did but I am just over halfway through so there is still time.  The setting of Alabama remains the same, and there is an interracial couple as well. And, of course, there’s been a death.  I’ll have to see how I feel at the end.
  • Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee. Have you ever read a book that seems to go over your head? Well, this is that one for me. His writing style is so (what’s the word I’m looking for) elevated? Most of it is slipping past me.  But I wanted to read some more books on the writing craft and maybe, I am not to his level of writing expertise which is why I am struggling through these essays.  We will see if I am able to finish this one.
  • The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. I love books about books and that’s what this is, with a lot of mystery thriller thrown in which is not my typical genre. This book was translated from the original Spanish and I don’t know if that is what is making the book feel older than it actually is.  Published in 2001, the story is set in the late 1940s but with the sentence construction, I feel like it’s actually taking place pre-1800s.  I am scared of this one (the mystery thriller bit) but the writing is excellent and the storyline is fascinating.
  • The Life-Changing Habit of Tidying Up and Spark Joy by Marie Kondo. I’m rereading these because I am working on my intention to “create home” in our first ever Enjoy Life Project. I’d love for you to pop over and read about it if you haven’t already done so.

Read

  • I’ll Be There for You: The One about Friends by Kelsey Miller. I got hooked on the TV show Friends while in college. I love this show. My hubby bought me the complete collection while we were dating.  And I love behind the scenes insights of just about anythings so picking this up was a no brainer.  It was also fascinating to discover that the writers and producers think that if there had not been a 9-11, the show would not have lasted as long as it did.  For you other Friends fans out there, do you have any thoughts on this?
  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. A reread of the first book that I read about books. I HEART this book.

On Hold/Abandoned Reading

  • Becoming Michelle by Michelle Obama. I own this one so when my library holds come in I must reprioritize, am I right? I have no doubt that I will get back to it soon.

So, what do you think of my list? And how about you? What have you been reading? Head over to Modern Mrs. Darcy’s to see what the MMD community has been up to.

enjoy life…