Monday, February 3, 2020

Good-bye January, Hello February!

I am not going to lie, winter is not my favorite season.  I used to think it was the cold, but now I think it revolves around lack of light.  Winter is the season of darkness!  Thankfully, I have learned to endure and even thrive.  So it is with a happy heart that I bid farewell to January!  February is here!  I am one month closer to spring.  Rejoice!

One of my favorite podcasts is The Next Right Thing Podcast with Emily P. Freeman.  She sends out a newsletter as well.  Emily has the great practice of looking back and reflecting on her past month in order to move forward into the next.  Here are her 3 questions for January and my attempt to answer them as well.  

1. What was my most life-giving yes in January?
2. What was my most life-giving no in January?
3. What's one thing I want to leave behind moving into February?
What was my most life-giving yes in January?  I think it has to be saying yes to Fly Lady again.  Installing her app and actually making a promise to myself to do the daily routines has given me life.  Last week I fell sick.  The babies had a cold, I was doomed.  Yet, my simple and life-giving routines kept me moving forward.  Last Monday, my hardest physically speaking, I literally just did one thing, checked it off and sat down until I could do the next thing.  I got through my whole routines that day and my whole world felt better.  To borrow a phrase from Gretchen Rubin, "Outer order equals inner calm."  I did not get the whole house clean last week, but I did get to what mattered most. My family even remarked at how well we ate while I was sick, thank you Instant Pot! 
What was my most life-giving no in January?  I struggle saying no.  When I know that I have to or should say no, it can even wake me up at night, especially if I really care about the person I need to say no to.  In January I had to say no to a couple future babysitting dates to a precious family member.  I knew that it was possible to do the work but I would be dreading it for weeks and then the actual dates would come and I would be overwhelmed with 3 babies, all one-year-old.  I hated to say no but after I did, I knew I had just saved my sanity!  I wish I could do it all, but I can't.  Know your limits! 
What's one thing I want to leave behind moving into February?  I felt a great deal of despair while I was sick the last 10 days.  Despair on top of wintery blues is what I want to leave behind.  I tend to catastrophize when I am sick, even with a cold.  I wonder at how people with real sicknesses manage to cope?  I start to think about changing careers, changing locations, wishing I could stop the world and hide until I was well.  See?  Ha!  And then I start to feel better and the sun shines and I am feeling like living my life again.  I know I will get sick again, that is life.  I want to move into February without all the weight of those feelings.  They are past.  February is a new start.  I am healthy again.  Time to look for ways to enjoy this season that I am in.  
And there we have January!   
~Jenn 

1 comment:

  1. Oh Dear, I'm sorry to hear that you were sick, and for 10 days no less! I'm glad you are better!!! Yes, it seems like once Groundhog's Day arrives, there is hope for spring. All the gray of winter gets me down too... plus the house is a lot colder without our passive sun shining in. I'm proud of you knowing your limits and saying "No", I'm sure that was hard, but good for your sanity! May February be a great month for you!

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