February went by in a blink this year, as it seems to every year.
This months intention was to List the Joys: See what’s bringing you joy this month. Make lists. Pay attention. See if you can find patterns.
Interestingly, I did find patterns, I found that the things that bring me joy often have an element of my pushing limits/boundaries so I am growing or learning or things that give me a sense of awe. Also sometimes small things but often because they help me connect with a space of awe.
Here are some goals I had for February
Start OLW book and journal if it arrives
Go back to nourish plans/list
do all of HCOTF
Start 100-day project
Journal
Do art
Step away from sugar and gluten for a while
Continue documenting the joy
Do the stitching quilt fun
Read Beth’s books
Connect with friends at least 2 times, ideally 4
Love my people
Find something to learn
Go to SoCal and visit at least 3 schools for D
Read more books (I ready very few in January)
Find a fun documenting plan
Get organized and find a schedule that works at work
Help N with SSAT
Go climbing
Go on at least 2 dates with J
dive deeper into ease, release, equanimity, space, possibility and see what you might want to do for each.
Celebrate D’s birthday.
Setup D’s desk and contents.
On the positive side, I did many of these goals. I started (and am still doing) my 100-day project, read both of Beth’s books, visited colleges with my family, read more than January, journaled but only a little bit, exercised but did quite terribly on both nourishment and water. I did help my folks with their particular journeys and I feel mostly good about that. We celebrated D’s birthday and we did setup his new desk. I also did the values exercise with Brene. It was quite eye opening.
The end of February brought some twists which potentially imply some major changes for my life so that will make March an interesting month and I am grateful for the practice of release and ease I’ve been building into my life for over a year, now that will hopefully be instrumental. February was a profound in what I was able to do and what I’ve learned. I’m grateful.
There are many trigger warnings in the book. This is not a light and breezy book but it’s also full of hope and love. Such beautiful poems. I don’t know her music but now I will have to go listen.
Excellent, excellent read. What an incredible writer. I loved every single minute I spent with it. This book starts with a collection of swimmers at the local pool. It’s interesting and funny and then it gets deeper and deeper to become an incredibly moving story about family, love, aging, dementia and even immigration. I cannot recommend it enough.
When it comes to writing a story that will both blow your mind and get your pulse moving, with a lot of deeply interesting science thrown in, there’s no one like Blake Crouch.
We’re in a dystopian world where the study of gene science is not allowed by scientists. In fact, all the scientists are rounded up by the government for even trying. This is due to an apocalyptic event that went wrong where thousands of lives were lost. Logan Ramsay works for a government organization that finds illegal gene labs/activity and shuts it down.
As a result of a raid gone-bad, Logan Ramsay is now a super-human. He got the brain he always wanted and his body is operating at an extremely high level on all counts. He’s strong, smart and fast. But, like all good things, all this comes with plenty of caveats. And his live soon turns into a cat and mouse chase on multiple levels.
I loved Logan Ramsay the moment I started reading the book. As with all Crouch books, the pace at which things happen here is fantastic, it’s fast-moving, exciting and there’s so much twisting and turning that you’re not always sure who to root for. And of course there’s a deeply-interesting social discourse underlying this whole plot. I won’t give it away here, but there’s a lot to think about and no clear answers as with all of life’s big questions.
Another great read from Crouch!
with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I read this story while I was traveling in the middle of a lot of other things going on which is likely why I can’t give it more stars. It’s on me. This is a slow book that asks its reader to savor the moments with it, get attached to the characters and really let your heart swell and tenderly be broken in places. I didn’t give it the justice it deserved. I will need to read it again another time.
What a fun, wild ride through my teenage years. I am of the generation Klosterman identifies who was here before the internet and can remember so much of both the before and the after. Netscape came out while I was in college. I loved hearing so many of these stories. Only lowered rating because as with many nonfiction, some of these stories could be more succinct and to the point. But honestly, it made me smile the whole time with lots of wonderful trips down memory lane.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the beginning, I thought it was fast-moving, smart, interesting and well written. Then I felt that it started sagging a bit and felt a bit unbelievable and the “twist” was easy to see coming and made me feel like the characters would also have seen it coming. It made me question how much we’re willing to believe something must be true if we’ve made a commitment (in this case financial). i did enjoy so many of the themes and how contemporary it felt.
