The 28th is tomorrow, so I don’t feel too bad starting my monthly wrap-up a day early. As a reminder, my goals for this year are to blog (pats self on back for starting second blog post), sew, knit, paint, move our hot tub (this one ended up being a non starter so I will exclude it (if I remember to) from future recaps), move more, and drink more water.
I’m thrilled to write, I’m still (minus the hot tub) actively working at everything else on my list. Another thing I didn’t list, but I’m happy to admit is, I’m reading more. From time to time I do go through reading slumps. A slump, as hinted at in the term, is never a fun thing. Will I experience another? Maybe. Am I worrying about an uncertain reading focused future? Nope.
Going down the list, I put blogging at the top of it because when I’m not actively writing anything, I tend to be overly self critical with a side of imposter syndrome. I’ll ask myself, did I actually write all those books? Was everything I achieved as a fiction author all in my head? Did people even like my writing, or were they only being nice to me for some unfathomable reason? Having read some of my negative reviews, this thought luckily doesn’t linger like the other ones do.
Actively writing on a semi-consistent basis, is comforting to me. To be honest, this blog is more for me than anything else. In brushing up my understanding of the mechanics to posting an actual blog, I looked up how to use WordPress, the system my website is built with. There are things called plugins, and there are ones that somehow make your site more findable online. For now, no thank you. If you find this blog and stay to read it, consider it the result of some predestined circumstance of your own making. I had little part in it.
The second item on my list was sewing. I have successfully made a second pair of pants, and a blouse. I used the same fabric on the blouse as I did my first pair of pants, and dyed both what was supposed to be a wine color. The result was less merlot and more fuchsia. Since I don’t gravitate toward pink clothing in general, color me surprised (see what I did there?) I like both much more than I imagined I would. In my head, I had envisioned wearing them together as a cute matching set. Unfortunately, they look like pajamas when worn together either dyed or undyed. Either way, I hope to make more things this year.
As for knitting, my rediscovery of this skill has been possibly my greatest recent comfort. I may have mentioned this last month, but if I did, it’s worth repeating. Knitting has been shown to mimic the effects of meditation. With the emotional roll coaster the world outside of my home is, knitting has been a refuge. I knit most evenings, but for shorter periods. For now, I’ve learnt my lesson on overdoing it. I haven’t needed to wear my elbow brace this month. My work in progress is still the Hanni cardigan. I’m currently on the body.
My painting update isn’t exciting. I’ve completed the next page of the watercolor workbook I received for Christmas. It turned out lovely. The one painting a month speed suits me just fine. It allows me to practice, without dreading the action. This way, I’m looking forward to seeing what I’ll get to work on next month.
Now, to the hot tub. Our thought (a flawed one) was to move the hot tub from our backyard to our garage. We don’t park our cars in there. Plus, it would shorten the walk to the tub and make it a warmer one during the winter months. The issue (we luckily learned before moving anything) is you need all of this venting because of the steam. Without it you run the risk of mold and structural damage. No thank you.
Still, have you ever heard the expression, “I won’t tell anyone I’ve won the lottery, but there will be signs?” My sign would be an indoor bathtub I could soak in with ALL my bits covered. The tub we have is annoyingly shallow. Having a hot tub is lovely, but by the time I would use it, I’m usually in bed. I need to be better about either using it on the weekend, or right after work. A pause for you to listen to the world’s smallest violin I’m currently playing for myself. Did you hear it?
My moving more mission is working. As I get older, the idea of potential future mobility issues makes me nervous. Last year, my mom turned 80 and we went to Scotland to celebrate her birthday. She kicked my butt up and down all of the hills and steps of Edinburgh. My focus on moving more became a thing after we got home. In my defense, I’m perimenopausal so I was sweating my rear off while we were there.
Either way, I now try to walk at least 10k steps a day, I do lymphatic jumping in the morning plus squats. Then, in the evening I do legs up the wall, cat/cows, push ups, tree pose, more squats, and front/back heel raises. I hope to slowly add more movements to what I’m doing so far.
Lastly, on my goal list was drink more water. Not much to write about, but where I was drinking tea almost all day, I’m now drinking hot water as every other drink. Thrilling, I know.
Goal recap done, here’s what else I’ve been up to this month. I live on the east coast and was able to go out and see the Walk for Peace monks. Emma, Seth and I got to see them walk and were also able to listen to their message of peace. Writing this (it’s the 28th now) on the day we’re actively bombing Iran is disheartening. For myself, and everyone I know, none of us agree with this. The first bomb was called a preemptive strike. Pre-emptive? What the heck even is that excuse. Oh, we think you might hit us so we’re just going to hit you first. Call it what it is, an attack.
There was one morning this month I woke up so angry. Yes, a hot flash could have been a contributing factor, but it was more than that. It was frustration over the idea of people in charge only making decisions to protect themselves, or their buddies, or line their pockets, or their buddies. Where is the actual accountability?
I’m seriously trying to hold onto to the monks message of peace, even when there are times I struggle to. I’m doing what I can in little ways to vote with my dollar. If I’m shopping, I’m trying to do it second hand. Also, before any non-grocery related purchase, I’m pausing to consider if something I already have will work, or if I need it at all. As someone who enjoys shopping, this pause feels foreign. Still, for Valentine’s Day, Seth and I tried out a new (to us) Korean restaurant. We both had bibimbap. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had (mouth watering just remembering it).
Like many around the country, I watched the winter games, or tried to. I gave up with streaming and ended up watching whatever I was able to on basic cable. When I was growing up, the summer and winter games were my favorite sporting competitions. I’m not sure if it’s everything else on the news, but I didn’t enjoy them as much as I normally do. Before I loved everything, every single event. This time it was mainly only the figure skating, freestyle skiing, and women’s hockey.
Like many, I recently learned I was a Chinese baddie. I was all over this because, as I wrote on my blog last month, I already play Mah Jong. I also have loved Chinese dramas for years. One of my comfort dramas is called A Love so Beautiful. It’s on Netflix if you want to check it out. Anywho, being newly Chinese right before the Chinese New Year on the 17th was fun. 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse. Since I’m a Goat, this is good for me. To celebrate, we had dumplings and noodles and I gave the kids red envelopes. They were on the fence about being Chinese until they got them.
Once the games and Chinese New Year were over, I spent my time stalking a little money named Punch at a zoo in Japan. I had heard he’s made friends but I’m trying to avoid him at this point for my emotional wellbeing. The tears I cried. Though, to be fair, I’m a crier. I also planted more seeds in a milk jug green house.
Here is what I read this month, The Little Book of Hygge, All the Beauty in the World, One Heart Justice, Strange Weather in Toyoko, and the Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. I am currently reading, We’ll Prescribe You a Cat.
Final thoughts to wrap this up, I’m turning 47 in April and I still wonder on the regular what I want to be when I grow up. I have a job, a career some would say, but who am I outside of it? There are 168 hours in a week and on average, I spend about 45 of them at my day job. There are still 123 hours I’m existing. What about sleep? Fine, I get about 7 hours a night. Even if you exclude those hours I have 74 hours to do something with, but what?
Here’s what I know for now; I want to be a good mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and human. More to come on the rest.
