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 Year of Yes – 199
Some days are explosive and some days are quiet. Today was one of those days where I really needed the quiet. I spent the whole day in the yard reading. My soul needed it and my body did, too. Yes to listening to my needs. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 198
So much of life is subjective. What’s wildly scary to me might be nothing for you and vice versa. Today I took some huge lead falls, they didn’t scare me. But the overhung route…well that’s another thing. It’s a good reminder not to judge others by my standards and a good reminder not to measure others’ progress to mine. Yes to perspective. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 197
We went climbing tonight and it was an opportunity to see the stories I tell myself around which routes I can do and which I cannot. So much of everything we do is mental vs physical. When I don’t know better and can’t tell myself a story around whether I can do it or not, I just give it a try. And half the time I manage to do it just fine. Routes I would have otherwise never tried. Yes to not getting in my own way. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 196
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about control and non- attachment lately. And about how things look vs how they feel. Thinking about where and what I care about deeply and where and what I can let go more and not feel the need to control the outcome or even be attached to an outcome. What are the things that really matter the most to me? I recently made a change at work where I got rid of all ( except a very small number) of my recurring meetings. I can have up to 70 meetings on an average week and likely at least half of them are recurring. It was easier for me to do a major radical change and drop all of them vs picking one by one. I made a principled call on which few I needed to keep and why and then got rid of all of the rest to create more space in my week to get work done and to have free space to have in-week conversations as needed. So this way there is no need for a recurring meeting because I would be available very frequently every week as discussion topics arise. We’ll see if this works but it was a result of this type of thinking around where can I let go and what do I really need to do to create non-attachment. It’s also a way for me to be able to practice inside out living and not outside in living. I’m not worried about how busy my calendar looks and I’m worried about how I actually spend my time and whether I’m using my resources in the most effective way. Let’s see how it works. Yes to radical new ideas. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 195
This morning I had a very early meeting near work and had to get up at 5:45 so I could exercise, get dressed and drive to be there on time. I was grumpy about wearing real clothes and about the driving. But after I had my meeting and drove by work and was on my way home I felt very happy. It felt the familiar feeling of visiting an old hometown or something from way before. And it was nostalgic in the best way. I know it will wear our but it still felt magical for a little while and for the first time in a long time it made me look forward to physically going to work. Yes to possibilities and being open. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 194
I have been looking for an evening routine for a few years now. My mornings are relatively consistent most days and I have somewhat of a routine now. I do short meditation and read digest of news before I get out of bed. Then I do my exercise for 45 minutes and shower and then do the 10 minutes of restorative yoga which is like another meditation. Then I go downstairs and make my veggie juice and tea. I sit at my desk and light my candle and meetings can begin. I like this routine and if it’s good day I can even squeeze in some journaling. If I need to start earlier (like I have to tomorrow) I just wake up a lot earlier but I still pretty much go through the routine. Same on the weekends. But I just can’t settle into anything at night. Last night, I tried having some decaf tea and put on the diffuser with vanilla to see if it would help. Not sure if it will stick but it was a start. Yes to experimenting. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 193 I was reading over what I wrote back in December of last year about what I could do to keep my word up front and central this year. So that I could stay in the spirit of what I wanted to feel when I chose yes as my word. One of the items I’d written down was that I could have a mantra that I tell myself again and again. Which is odd because I’m not a mantra kind of gal. I have nothing against them at all, just have not used them before so it was odd to read that I’d written that down as a goal. When I read it today, I wondered what mantra I could use. And then it came to me right away. Yes to this. That’s exactly how I wanted this word to show up for me this year. I want to be here with them now and be okay with how things are. I want to be optimistic and open to life just as it is. I want to accept what is so that I can really live in it. I want to stop fighting and stop feeling like it’s all just uphill all the time. I want to stop worrying about how things aren’t going to work out. I want to be able to pause. I want to be able to take life and say yes to this. Knowing that, whatever it is, I will make it through. And that so much of life is good and worth celebrating. Yes to this. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes
I loved this author’s previous book and I loved this book so so much. I loved every character, I loved the unique creative plot and I loved every page of this sweet romance with its quirky characters. I loved the predictable bits and the less predictable bits.
I’m a fan of Clare Mackintosh. I started this novel and wasn’t sure it was going to be able to retain my attention but within minutes I was hooked and didn’t want the story to end. There’s a lot in this book but the best part is the pacing and the way it just builds and builds and doesn’t disappoint you in the least. There are several interesting reveals and they come at the perfect time. Loved it.
I loved all the minutes I spent with this novel. This is the story of Sunday Brennan who ends up returning to her hometown after a car accident that she causes. She left home five years ago without an explanation and it hurt her brothers and fractured her family. She also left an ex-fiance behind. This is, at its core, a story of healing. It explores sibling relationships, parent-child relationships, and love, of course. It’s about facing your past, it’s about how one’s pain can spiral out and cause a domino effect of pain throughout a family or a community. It’s a perfect example of how shame, when left hidden, can completely destroy a family (and a person.) After she returns home, Sunday’s healing begins. And it slowly heals her family and relationships. The only part that didn’t sit well with me was Vivienne and how two-dimensional her character was. I didn’t like how convenient it made things. Life is rarely that convenient. This is a story of redemption, beautifully told. I loved it. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
This was an absolute surprise for me. I can’t remember where I read about this book but the review was so good that I decided I had to read it. And it was spot on. At first I was like this is good but I’ve read books like this before and then wham it shifted and then it shifted again and I enjoyed it so very much. Highly recommended.
This is a surprisingly wonderful read. It’s sweet and touching and deep and also really hilarious. There’s so much healing and so much humor and so so much heart. Definitely recommended. |
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