Volume 3: Good Riddance to 2022 & Hurtling Toward 2023
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Hi friends! Before I get into the meat of today’s newsletter I want to thank everyone who has reached out with support for my mom. She came home from the hospital on Xmas eve. Some things have improved and some things have not. The short version is that she has been staying with Nicole and I in our apartment and we are currently full-time caretakers. The road ahead is going to be a bumpy one for sure.
That being said, I have learned so much that I will share with you in the new year that I hope will inspire folks into being better allies and accomplices.
My 2022:
ID: screenshot of my Reddit year in review of my top comment this year. The comment is the word “cries” surrounded by asterisks and it is in the Fantasy subreddit.
I want to start with a quick review of my 2022 goals, which were hit and miss. But they always are! I actually enjoy that about the process. It helps me look back to think about the things that were important to me at the start of a year vs. at the end of the year. Here were some of my goals and here are where they stand:
Read 130 books: I’ve read 110 books and I’m feeling really good about this. In spring of this year, I stepped back and reimagined some of my reading duties for Book Riot. If I had kept running myself into the ground I would certainly have read over 150 books. Instead of meeting this reading goal, I instead chose peace and rest. A+ would do it again.
Maintain a daily writing habit: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Stretch daily: Started off strong but fizzled out
No internet after 9pm: Actually doing pretty well on this and it’s done wonders for my sleeping habits
Get up by 8am daily, even on weekends: Y’all, I have been all over the place on this one. I don’t even know.
Leave reviews for things: Yes! Maybe not every single thing but I’m trying to focus on reviews for some of my favorite establishments as well as always leaving reviews for crafters I patronize.
Give away some books: I had planned on doing some book giveaways. I even boxed up some books and they’re staring at me, ready to go; however, I simply never had the spell slots nor inclination to go through the hassle of managing a giveaway on Instagram, much less multiple.
Make pasta: Nope. But I want to and I’m really fucking excited to share with you the things I got for Xmas regarding this specific goal.
No phone while eating: Yes-ish. Really successful with no phones at the table during dinner to the point of it feeling weird if they happen to be at the table and I enjoy not having my phone while eating. Maybe this year I’ll also aim for no phone while having lunch.
Take days off: Yes! We have taken an extra day off every month to do something fun like a museum, botanical garden, beach walk, or science center. It has been absolutely phenomenal for my mental health to know that there is a fun day on the horizon.
Get good at making beans: If you follow me on Instagram and have looked at my stories or cooking highlights, then you know what’s up!
Monthly goal check-in: This has been the key to doing even a few of these. Having the goals visible in a place that we will see frequently and sitting together and looking at our goals at the end of every month is actually great and I highly recommend it. There are some things that a couple months in we’ve been like, “This is no longer important. I’m going to cross it off from the list as no longer being a goal so it doesn’t hang over me.” Much better than coming to the end of the year and seeing many things I “didn’t do.”
I had written out my draft of my 2023 goals, intentions, etc. a couple weeks ago before shit went completely sideways and I am definitely seeing them in a whole new light. It is fascinating how priorities can change in an instant. The things that have come off the list are still things I very much want to do but they have fallen way down the priority list. I will let you know what they are, though:
Learn how to crochet
Write snail mail weekly
Get really good at making pasta. Yes I want to, but it’s not a super-high priority at the moment
Read all of Octavia Butler’s books
Listen to new music
Listen to more records
And I’m sorry to say, my new moon and full moon rituals may not be happening as regularly
I also have a couple creative projects in the works that are on hold for now.
This does not mean that I now have no plans and I’m just going to let everything devolve into chaos. I do really well with structure. It keeps me grounded, especially when there are so many things happening that are out of my control. There are a number here where the bar is very low and some others where it’s a single (but big) “to do” item but it’s finite. Do it and be done.
I want to note that I share my goals, intentions, whatever for a few reasons. I like the accountability, for one. People have told me they like seeing my plans and who knows, maybe I’ll inspire a reader or two. I also share them to show that they don’t always need to be some kind of flashy-manifestation-girl-boss-success-abundance-productivity-hustle-grind-situation. If that’s your thing, cool! It totally used to be my thing and I get it. If that brings you joy, if that brings you satisfaction, if that brings you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, then you do what you need to do for you. What I’m saying is that none of us have to. We deserve fulfillment and joy and peace regardless and our new year’s goals, visions, ideas, plans, intentions, etc. can reflect that, too.
So, here’s what I want to do in 2023:
Weed books: I gotta get a lot of books out of here and already having scheduled some appointments at the used book store has gotten a fire under my ass.
Make our bedroom a more peaceful space: We need a sanctuary.
Stretch daily: I know I’m happier when I do this. Just like, 10 minutes a day. Nothing fancy but I also struggle to do things that are “just for me” so this is good practice. My plan is to set an alarm to do this because consistency helps me.
Paperwork and finances: I have been putting off some things that I am ashamed about and definitely beat myself up about so this year, they’re getting taken care of. Specifically, getting earthquake insurance, dealing with end of life paperwork, and paying closer attention to retirement planning.
Closet cleanout: It is a dire situation in there. There is a lot of other decluttering to do as well.
Go outside every day: I want to go outside more. Often the only “outside” is when I’m getting in and out of my vehicle to run an errand. I want to go outside deliberately and specifically for the purpose of noticing the outdoors. It could just be standing in front of my building. I’ll use the same timer that I use to brew my coffee: 4 minutes. Outside for 4 minutes, every day, noticing the sky or a plant or the temperature or whatever.
Journal & use a planner: Full disclosure: I have failed repeatedly to be a planner-person and a journaling-person so I stepped away from the idea of either for a few years but then this year, my therapist has had me answering a few specific questions in a journal and I don’t hate it. Through this, I realized that I am better with these things when they are more guided and structured. Knowing this, I now have a 3-pronged approach. First, I’ll continue with the journaling questions from my therapist which I’ll share here a future issue of this newsletter. Second, I got a daily planner that has more structure. Third, a publicist sent me a copy of You Already Have the Answers which claims to be a gratitude journal but as I talked about on this All the Books! episode, I think that is a stretch.
As you see, I went for what I think are mostly realistic and manageable goals for me this year. I hope to get to some exciting creative projects but with the unexpected caretaking, I’m running on a spell slot deficit. There is something I had planned to have in place by this time for those of us who are interested in being accountability-buddies but it’s gonna have to wait a bit. It might be for the better, because it’s often really easy to hit those resolutions the first couple weeks of January before things get tough. See ya next year!
That’s it for this week! You can shop any books I’ve mentioned in this newsletter at my affiliate shop, The Infophile’s Bookshop, and support independent bookstores. If you want to send me some snail mail, you can find me at P.O. Box 21481, Oakland, CA 94620-1481. If you are a paid subscriber and would like for me to send you some happy mail, feel free to give me your address.
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That’s it for this week! You can shop many books I’ve mentioned in this newsletter at my affiliate shop, The Infophile’s Bookshop, and support independent bookstores. In fact, any Bookshop, Amazon, or Etsy links in this newsletter are affiliate links so if you shop through those, it helps support my work. Or you can leave me a tip on Ko-fi, Paypal, or Venmo.
If you want to send me some snail mail, you can find me at P.O. Box 21481, Oakland, CA 94620-1481.
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