What’s Happening January 2019

January seems like a perfect opportunity to check in with ourselves. Many folks are resolving to do this or that…eat well, exercise, be intentional, stop swearing, etc. In the past I’ve created long and well-organized lists on paper or neatly typed into a word document. Last year, I even organized categories into a spreadsheet. Seriously.

As January 2019 was approaching I felt myself getting swept into the mental clutter of deciding what I’d like to resolve for this year.

Maybe 2019 is when I’ll stop swearing?

Nope, not ready for that one yet.

Maybe 2019 should be a marathon year?

Nope. Just, no. Hell no.

Maybe 2019 is the year our garage will not look like Beirut?

Seriously, we just aren’t those people. Our garage is a disaster! You know what…maybe…2019 is the year of owning it!

So this year, I didn’t write a list. I didn’t write it out in cursive using color-coded flair pens. I didn’t organize the categories in a spreadsheet. This year, I’m trying something different. 2019 will represent a continuation of my journey of my growth as a creative woman who shows up well in her life. Instead of making a list that will be tucked away in a notebook on a shelf or in a folder on my Google drive, I will spend some time daily focusing on gratitude, planning my dreams, and checking in with myself:

• What am I grateful for?
• What am I creating today?
• What am I learning?
• What am I teaching?
• What am I reading?
• What am I doing that is great for my body and my mind?
• How am I showing up in the relationships that are important to me?
• Am I saying YES or NO when it’s appropriate to do so (and, here’s the important part of this one from Rachel Hollis: if I’m not jumping out of my seat and waving my hand high in the air going YES! I WANT TO DO IT! then the answer is NO.)

With these in mind, here’s where I am in January 2019:

• Today I’m grateful for the following five things. I wrote these in my Start Today journal from Rachel Hollis They aren’t always the same five things each day, but here’s what I wrote today:

1. Coffee this, an every morning, on my nightstand from Jamie.
2. No more Facebook.
3. My new Yoga Journey doing Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube
4. Weekends at home.
5. Spontaneous evenings out for drinks and chips with friends.

• I’m currently creating quilt blocks from this book:

I’ll be working on block 11 later this evening. Each of the 100 blocks is different so they must be built individually. Here is what I’ve created so far:

I should note here that the purple one with the frog face in the center is now in the trash can because I didn’t like the way the striped fabric framed the frog. Hey, it’s part of the creative process and it’s how we learn what works…and what doesn’t!

• Today there is lots of learning! Jamie and I are currently taking “Conversational Spanish, Level 1” with Dona Olga at the Community College. We need to practice asking and answering greetings and phone number exchanges. Our next class is Monday night. Later today I’ll be brushing up on paper piecing quilts. I’ve done this before, but need to refresh a little for an upcoming quilt project which will run concurrently with the 100 other projects I have going the Tula Pink quilt 🙂
• Today is Saturday so there’s not much teaching going on. Maybe later there will be a lesson on picking up laundry without rolling your eyes…or unloading the dishwasher…or feeding the dogs the first time I ask. Ha!
• I’m currently listening to this book:

and reading this one:

I recently finished, and highly recommend, this one:

and this one just might change your outlook on life:

Happy January! Did you make a list? Do you have some plans? I’m looking forward to 2019, a year I plan to continue to create, learn, teach, show up, and grow!