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 Year of Yes – 178
I have had headaches and have been feeling lethargic for the last few days so today I decided it was watch tv and relax day. I exercised, got groceries, cooked and spent the rest of the day watching Netflix. Some days that’s what’s needed most. Yes to rest. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby  Year of Yes – 177
We are one week away from being halfway through this year. I’ve been thinking a lot about how the first half of this year went and what I would like from the second half of this year. At work, we usually do second half planning. I was thinking today that this practice doesn’t have to be reserved for work only. It’s a perfect time to do my own personal H2 planning. What are my list of start-stop-continue items I would like do? Where are things working where I want to invest more and where are things working just right and what things are not working and I just don’t want to try to continue them and where do I want to pivot? What if anything do I want to add to my list for the next six months? And does that mean there are things I would need to stop to be able to make room for that? This is the perfect time to be intentional. Yes to welcoming the second half of 2021. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  The Last House on Needless Street by Carolina Ward
I love love loved Loren’s previous book in this series and could not wait to get my hands on the second one. I had adored Hollyn and Jasper both and really loved the writing. I didn’t realize this book was going to be about two different characters but I quickly grew to love Andi and Hill as well and found myself rooting for them. I felt like there was less up-front character development in this story so I didn’t find myself as attached to the characters as I had in the previous book and the attraction and steam showed up more quickly in this book. But my favorite part of the first book in the series was how the characters are flawed and real in their own ways and how they are struggling with who they are and how worthy that makes them in a romance. And then they find each other and are so open and kind to these insecurities. This is just as true in this novel with Andi and her anxiety and need to go slow due to her own past experiences and Hill and his grappling with having lost one of his legs. Here are two people struggling with life and trying to navigate their way and they find each other, honor each other’s flaws and love each other because of it all. And there are some steamy steamy scenes in this book! I loved the sneak peek of Hollyn and Jasper, too! I really hope there are more books to come in this series! with gratitude to Dreamscape Media and netgalley for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review
I have read and enjoyed Gelman’s previous books in this series so I knew I was going to love this one as well and it did not disappoint. Jen Dixon and her sense of humor juxtaposed with serious and real struggles of juggling midlife with kids, school obligations, career, and parents allows you to laugh at the absurdity of life while bringing a lot of heart to it. This short book covers marriage and exes, navigating custody, taking care of aging parents, trying to get a new career off the ground, finding ways to raise money for a school auction and more. Gelman’s ability to blend heart and humor into these otherwise serious and complicated issues makes it a joy to read and laugh as you shake your head and cheer for her and her characters as they navigate life and its complexities. full of heart, full of laughter. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review
I’ve read Alexandra Franzen’s blog for many, many years and I enjoy her style of storytelling with heart and her ability to get to the heart of the matter and both make you think and make you feel . She can instill courage while making sure you feel held. Many of the stories in this collection are of people who have had major setbacks in their lives and have found ways to move past them and many have found ways to create very powerful outcomes as a direct result of the setback. (So examples of not just “you’re going to survive” but “you’re going to thrive.”) There are a wide range of examples in the book and a wide range of stories. If you’re struggling or in the middle of a setback, this is a good reminder, a good pep talk, and some good advice to help shift that perspective. A reminder that life is long and we are resilient. with gratitude to netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review
This story has so many layers of content and context that giving a simple review of the plot doesn’t do it justice. On the surface it’s a gritty mystery about two dads whose married sons are murdered and when the police seemingly lose interest in digging deep, the dads decide to take matters into their own hands and find out what happened. And yet there’s so much more. One of the dads is white and the other is black and there are a lot of statements, observations and nuance around race and racism in this story. Neither of the dads was ok with their children being gay and it tackles homophobia and more. It tackles incarceration and the aftermath of what it does to a family. It tackles trust, revenge, family, and of course love. This is a fast paced novel with a lot happening, the setting and mood are a part of the story, the characters are complex and jump off the page with their aliveness. The story tackles complicated and nuanced issues and pulls all these elements together with grace and ease. You will remember this story long after you finish the book. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio in exchange for an honest review.  Year of Yes – 176 Happy Friday. I woke up this morning intending to be very productive. But then the universe had other plans. I got a blinding headache that pretty much knocked me out. So I did half my list and then just gave myself grace. I am learning not to resist what is. Because what’s the point? Yes to accepting what is. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 175 Life is not a straight journey. It meanders all over the place and from a distance it can look like a linear path but day by day, it’s anything but. So is learning. A few months ago, I got a coach at work. She and I have been meeting weekly and the topics have been all over place (much like my life lately) and sometimes I’ll end a session anxious that I’m not covering what I should or that I meandered too much or that I am not “progressing” at the right pace. I’ve made a lot of progress in a lot of areas of my life this year. But in my mind I’d reached out for a career coach for a specific reason and I wasn’t actively working on that in our sessions and I felt guilty about that each time. And yet today as we started talking and I was sharing some of the updates from my week and some of my learnings and in seemingly unrelated areas I was able to take a step back and have a very clear point of view and direction about all the things I was intending to talk to her about. And I clearly articulated that I want to do this, this, and this over the next couple of weeks to help towards my goal. It was well thought out, precise, and intentional. Interestingly enough I had no idea that I was going to say any of that before the session started so it wasn’t planned. And yet it came together anyway. This, in my experience, is the gift of unstructured talking time or the meandering nature of life. It looks like it’s all over the place but it’s actually converging and you’re actually progressing. It’s just hard to see when you’re in the middle of it because the messy middle is messy by definition. It also reminded me that I have to give myself permission to wander. Permission to get messy. Permission to not know what’s coming next or where I want to get next. Permission and space. It was a good day. Yes to the messy middle. And on a side note today’s my dad’s 78th birthday. I love and adore you, daddy. I am grateful for you and your kindness every single day. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 174
We’ve been going climbing three times a week for the last six months. And even though they are finally fully open, the gyms are not back to their setting schedule. This means when we go to the gym, there are 5-8 new routes since last time. Generally at least half of those are outside my ability range. So not a lot of new routes for me to climb. But here’s the thing: because I’m climbing so frequently I am able to do harder things every couple of weeks. That means I can go back to the same gym and to the same routes but now new opportunities are available to me. A route that I had evaluated and wasn’t able to do Is it within the range of possibility now. This has made me think a lot about my life lately. What might be something that I maybe wrote off at one point in my life thinking I can’t do it but now if I were just to revisit it, it might actually be possible or might create a new opportunity for me. Unlike the gym the routes are not always there and visible in my life and I’m not regularly going back and revisiting them. I wonder if there’s a way to actually make them more visible. And this way I could rethink or retry them. Yes to expanding perspectives and possibilities. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes  Year of Yes – 173
And just like that the ranunculus are gone. As I was bemoaning this fact to the flower people at the farmer’s market, the farmer said: “Yep they are gone now it’s the season for sunflowers and dahlias and we will move on and enjoy them.” It was a good reminder and perspective shift for me. I love ranunculus the most and I will not enjoy dahlias as much but I still enjoy them and many other flowers (peonies, man they are exquisite!) and if I spend all my energy complaining about how It’s no longer ranunculus season, I miss out on all the joy I can get from the millions of other flowers whose turn is right now. And of course this made me think about work as well. There are definitely some changes and new seasons happening at work. And part of being able to show up for that and lean into it is noticing the beauty and the joys that I can extract from this particular season. Paying attention to what is here now in leaning into it and really being present with it is a major part of my word. So I really appreciate it this good reminder. Yes to being here now and yes to appreciating what’s here in this season. #yearofyes #karenikayearofyes |
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