Well it’s going to be hard to find the joy in this one. I’m grateful the kids are safe and grateful that I have access to so much. Focusing on the really small joys today like the taste of coke zero and the really big joys like the love of my people.
Today was a tough day. I woke up tired and feeling off and didn’t recover all day. Grateful that it was a day off and it’s a long weekend so I have one more tomorrow too.
Sometimes joy is harder to access and that’s ok. So today I made a tiny step to make our dinner a bit more joyful.
Practicing drawing again after a long long time. It brought me joy to finally do it even though it was also hard. Joy and hard can indeed go hand in hand.
Today had the perfect mix of everything for me. I exercised, I connected deeply with a good friend, I was productive at work, I connected with people at work, and spent time with my husband.
I also got this tiny reminder to keep joy at the forefront.
I hate driving in the dark and can’t wait for the days to get longer again bland at the same time, I love getting to see the sun rise each morning as I drive my son to the school bus.
Unexpected joys hidden within less desirable situations.
I’ve focused on nourishing myself for a few years on and off now. And each year it’s similar goals and each year I have different successes and improvement areas. I’ve also learned that what you focus on grows, so I think it’s a good idea to continue to focus on nourishing because it ends up positively affecting all areas of my life. So far, I am planning to lean into this, for 2022, let’s see where it goes.
Here’s what I am thinking of at the moment.
Mind+Soul:
Spaciousness: I have found that stretching, restorative yoga and meditation all help me with being here and crating more presence and thus space in my life. I currently do 20 mins of each of these daily and I would like to continue for as long as I can.
Rest: I would like to take a bath at least once a week. I would like to sleep 8 hours a night as often as I can.
Reflection: I would like to journal more. Ideally I would do morning pages every morning, my quick journaling at night and possibly more throughout the day.
Art: I am deeply craving doing more creating. I want to do art. I seem to be stuck so I am hoping I can find a creative way out of this stuckness sometime soon.
Body:
Exercise: This is one of the areas where I’ve already been leaning into pretty heavily so I am grateful for the progress here and would like to commit to continuing this work. My current exercise regime is doing 20 minutes of the peloton bike, 40 minutes of strength using the HCOTF calendar daily. And then twice a week, I go rock climbing with my husband. I plan to stick to this routine for as long as it continues to work for me.
Food: For January, I’ve walked away from gluten and sugar, mostly to reset my daily routine as I was eating both of those too much during November and December. Instead, I am leaning into whole foods more and working on making healthier choices.
Water: My goal is to drink 64 ounces of water every day. I’ve been doing that for some time and it’s working well. Ideally I’d like to move to herbal tea but I still haven’t found one I can tolerate/enjoy as much as I would like. Maybe it can be a yearlong journey to find one.
Skin: I’d like to put moisturizer on every day. My skin, my feet.
Floss: Just once a day before bed.
Joy:
Learn: I love learning. I come alive when I learn new things. Almost anything. I would like to find a way to infuse this into my life with some regularity.
Connection: Connection is hard for me but I want to foster more of it. I want to reconnect with old friends, solidify my connection with my existing friends and find new ones. I would like more connection in my life.
Music: Music gives me joy. I don’t listen to it enough, I usually choose to read. I would like to make room for music in my life.
Face Masks: These are fun. I want to do them more.
And more: I want to see what gives me joy. I want to create a growing list of things. An inventory of joy.
I know this is a lot. I will take it slow and see what I can do.
Nourish is a year-long project for 2022. You can read more about my projects for 2022 here.
I haven’t gone climbing for ten days because we usually go climbing on Mondays and Thursdays and last Monday I injured my back so I needed to rest.
It always feels weird to go back after an absence and I am always grumpy about going but then when the night is over, I am filled with joy because I spent time focusing on my health.
Weekly Intention: my intention this week is to be productive and slow. I want to slow down in my interactions and try to stay focused on my deliverables.
This month’s intention is:Small Joys : Start small. Make a plan for the steps you want to take and give yourself a lot of grace. Take a handful of steps. You got this. I have started on this, capturing daily joys on insta and taking a few small steps like buying some of the things I wanted. Finding a way to set my table up etc.
One area where I will go deeper this week: I would like to find some way to do journaling and art.
What do I need to sit with this week? understanding my feelings.
I am looking forward to: getting some work done and also having a 3-day weekend.
Focus onCore Desired Feelings (ease, release, equanimity, space, possibility): I am actively working on paying attention to what’s holding me back in these areas. Last week, I learned that I can’t always trust my thoughts. I was making something really big in my head but then when I did it, it was fun. So I can’t always trust what I think something will feel like. I am learning to pay attention to what’s getting in the way and finding ways to raise my awareness.
This week’s challenges: I have a lot of work I would like to get done, I would like to find a way to make it possible. To be both more efficient and more productive.
Top Goals:
Work: be productive. get at least the offsite and the new calendar and the write up for OC done.
Personal: find a plan for morning pages, do some art – however small, continue on wellness, make a connection plan
Family: climb with J, make a decision with D and doctor, help N with CB, help J with G, be patient, spacious and kind.
This week, I want to remember: what matters most to me is to be kind and loving.
Not sure why I thought a disaster book would be a good idea to read right now but I am glad I did. This an excellent story about four people who live in a sheltered house during a disaster that’s making the sea levels rise. Told in three alternating viewpoints, the story is personal, touching and well-written.
There are not enough words for how much I loved this essay collection. I am already an ardent fan of both Patchett’s fiction and her nonfiction but she has outdone herself with this collection. I loved the audiobook which is narrated by her and she has done an exceptional job. This will undoubtedly be at the top of my favorites for 2022.
