Here we are, at the end of another year – can someone please explain to me how that happened? The past 12 months have been such a whirlwind, and yet January 2022 feels like five years ago.
My word for 2022 was INTENTIONAL and I feel like I did a decent job at being intentional with how I was spending my time. Did I occasionally spend too much time scrolling the ‘gram? Yes, I absolutely did. Did I still manage to read over 100 books again? Yes, I did that too. Going into the year, I wanted to be cognizant of the fact that sometimes I needed that mindless time, and that it was okay to not read. Coming out of the year, I’m glad I gave myself that grace because there were more than a few times I needed it.
COVID hit my household twice, the first time when my son tested positive in January and then again in April when my husband did, followed by me a few days later. The reading moments were few and far between while my brain went through the full range of emotions, from unbearable sadness that despite following every health restriction to the letter, the virus had still managed to find its way into my home. Having my son hit first, before he was eligible for his second dose, was one of the hardest things my mama’s heart has had to handle. Fortunately, he was only really sick for a couple of days, and then he bounced back quickly, and we made the most of being quarantined together, even if we were all in masks at home. Then, when my husband tested positive, we rallied again together, and it’s one of the reasons I love my little family so much – the tough times really do bring us closer together as a family.
In the fall, I also hit a crazy reading slump – the husband and I are starting up a chess academy in our community and the number of ‘to do’ items running through my brain, combined with my son getting one cold after the other when he went back to school, had reading taking a backseat once again. Yet, with INTENTIONAL at the forefront of my mind, I tried to be focused when I needed to get things done, but also give myself some mindless evening time of watching Netflix instead of forcing myself to pick up a book, and it worked. My reading mojo gradually came back on its own.
This brings us to 2023, and the word I’ve chosen is STRIVE. In 2023, there are so many things that I want to accomplish, from putting more focus on being active, eating healthy and drinking water consistently, to helping to grow our new business to stretching myself creatively. I’m not setting concrete goals (i.e. no ‘lose X pounds’) but the word strive means that I will keep this word at the forefront of everything I do. Will I slip up every now and then? Absolutely. When I do, I will pick myself back up and strive to do better.
For my reading, this also means no concrete number goals this year. I set my Goodreads goal at 50 again, which I always easily hit, but that’s only because I can’t not set a goal this year. I have a list of 23 books to read in 2023 as well, but I’m not posting it publicly for the first time, and I think that it might help me to actually read them all — there’s nothing that un-motivates me to read a book quicker than when I post online that I’m planning to read it. I’ve also started a reading journal this year, which ties into the creative piece I mentioned earlier. It’s been so wonderful to write about books in a space that isn’t public, so I’m planning to keep it up. I may share about it later, but we’ll see.
Happy New Year, friends, and may 2023 be everything that you’ve hoped for.
Writer Grrl Reads 