& I'm back
a reset, a look ahead, + the next slow read
Hey friends! I hope your holiday was good and you are enjoying this weird in-between time. I enjoyed time with my kids. We had a super simple but tasty dinner and opened presents slowly all day, which was fun. Then a big snowstorm came and forced us to stay cozy inside for a few days.
I love this time at the end of the year. The big jobs are done, my brain is finally relaxed after several puzzles and games and books, and I am feeling energized for next year.
I am working my way through the Choose Your Own Adventure wrap-up/look ahead. You can grab a copy here.
That process initiated a little reset to help me prep for an upcoming doctor’s appointment. (Who schedules their blood work right after Xmas?)
For the next 2 weeks, I aim to eat clean. No more Diet Cokes, York peppermint patties, or huge bowls of buttery popcorn. I am also cutting out meat (mostly, I don’t like it) and highly processed food like crackers and tortilla chips. I am upping my water intake, which has lapsed since classes ended, and taking my vitamins, which lapsed when school began.
So nothing new or hard, just a recommitment to the things that make me feel good. A reset.
To make it fun, I created a little zine/journal to track my progress and vibes. That includes taking my BP each day, completing some deep breathing, gym time, and my energy/mood. Because it is a short time, it feels fun, indulgent, and like an investment at the beginning of the Spring semester.
What are you doing to savor these last days of the year?
Upcoming
In 2026, I want to continue to look at attention, but up the ante a bit to focus on experience. Let’s track our attention but push further and embrace more somatic experiences and hands-on, analog activities.
I expect to be journaling a lot more this year. Brain dumps, collages, ephemera, collections, and archiving. On the front, I bought a daily planner, which is a huge shift as I was (still am) devoted to a slim, oversized monthly planner.
But I want to archive this year, which feels personally pivotal to me.
If you are up for that, stay tuned! I am working on a weekly series on experience through the senses with readings, journal prompts, resources, and, of course, activities that root us in the physical world.
I also want to announce the next slow(ish) read, which will start in January.
Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy is packed with history, art, and bold ideas. We will read a chapter a week, share what was salient, and link to additional research material. I will share the reading schedule next week, so if you are in, grab a copy!
Finally:
On Wednesday, I will be sharing my two favorite light crafts. One is pretty, and the other is more reflective and a great project to do NYE (if you stay in) or New Year’s Day.
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