Life Lately: April 2024
One year after major hip surgery, and I can (sort of!) do some fun yoga poses in the wild again!
After a two month (unintentional, but necessary) hiatus, we are back with my next Life Lately. If I think about my life as a white water rafting adventure, the past two months were level 5 rapids. I could do nothing except for fully be present in it, holding on (for dear life) as I navigated everything. And, like all difficult seasons of life - we made it through. As I reflect back on the past few months, what made it feel particularly hard was the volume. I am generally operating at 110% capacity, and with switching to full-time graduate school on top of everything else, many weeks felt like 200%. Add in some not-so-fun illnesses and a fractured leg for my daughter, and it solidly felt like those level 5 rapids. All that’s to say, it doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it (I love an adventure) but I didn’t have time to think about much else beyond what was in front of me.
As April comes to a close, I feel like we are back on track. My life is not significantly easier than it was a month ago, but I will say - the increasingly warm days, blossoming flowers, and the promise of summer is definitely helping. The lessons that spring reminds us of each year are important. Like plants, we require water, sunlight, and TLC in order to grow. Renewal is possible, even after dark days. And, plants - like us - are sturdy. When I was walking along a gravel road recently, I saw about 50 little yellow flowers that pushed through the hard gravel and find their way to a moment of blossoming. We too, can do that.
What I’m Watching/Reading/Listening:
I have been mostly reading school-related books, but have found solace in thirty minutes of fiction at the end of each day. Most recently, I read Never Saw Me Coming and The Night She Disappeared. I’m just pages away from finishing The Whispers, and have enjoyed all three. In terms of graduate school, many of my textbooks are specific to my work, but I (re) read The Body Keeps the Score for one of my courses this semester and was reminded how much we can all benefit from better understanding the mind/body connection and how stress (and trauma) are held in the body. TV has been extremely limited - I have one last episode of Night Country to catch-up on, I’m halfway through Baby Reindeer, and I do get great joy each week from Abbott Elementary.
What I’m Loving
As my husband and I looked up at a fresh hole in our siding made by a very persistent woodpecker, we joked that we would literally never run out of projects to do around the house and garden. And, it is true. When life gets intense, I often combat that intensity by channeling energy into organizing, de-cluttering, and (attempting) design. I recently came across the Our Home Becoming Instagram account and am obsessed. And this week, I bought and started reading Home Therapy, written by a former therapist turned designer.
101 in 1001
#ICYMI, my second 101 in 1001 list is live. This practice focuses on naming and doing 101 meaningful activities over the course of 1001 days (about 2.75 years). It has been such an important tool for me, and I’m excited by the energy that a new list brings. I have been knocking off parts of a few items (e.g. one item is to try ten new restaurants - I have tried two!). I did fully complete one task - inspired by the home content I shared - and deep cleaned our dishwasher, washer, and dryer. Each month, I look at the list and decide what I am going to try to do for that month.
What’s Coming Up:
MamaConnect Spring Mixer | May 16th, 6:30-8:30pm | Details in the FB Group
MamaConnect TBD Event | June 10th, 7-8:30pm | Details To Follow
On a personal front, I have two work trips to NYC happening over the next 1.5 months, my current semester wraps up next week, and the next starts in mid-May. And, we’re preparing for a summer trip to Brazil! I hope to have a few more community events over the course of the summer, so stay tuned.
PS - I have a new Instagram Handle. You can join me by following @dowellwithkate.
