Share Four Somethings: December 2020

We’re almost through 2020. I’m not magically expecting January 1st to be COVID-free, but with the vaccine, there’s hope that the second half or final quarter of the year could be more like we’re used to. I’m at the minimum optimistic that I’ll get to see my parents and brother (and SIL and nieces) in person at least once next year. This year didn’t turn out at all like I thought, but there was still joy to be found. Check out some of this month’s highlights below and head over to HeatherGerwing.com to read others’ Share Four Somethings or link up with your own.

Something Loved

A friend introduced me to Frixion pens years ago and a different friend recently reminded me of their existence when she said she used them for her planner. I decided to jump on board with using them for my 2021 planner and am already excited about them. I struggle with perfectionism so the existence of erasable pens is quite a blessing. I can have multicolored ink all over my planners and can remove canceled events instead of having to scratch through them. This is especially helpful after all of the schedule changes we’ve experienced this past year.

Something Read

This year I’ve been trying to focus more on writing and developing new skills. I know there are fears and other things that hold me back and I want to move past the obstacles and thrive in this passion. I picked up the book Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles by Beth Pickens just because of the title and I was not disappointed. It covered a variety of topics that can cause anxiety for artists and I felt seen, understood, and given strategies and resources to move past the barriers that keep me stuck. (P.S. The book releases on April 6, 2021. I got my digital copy from Netgalley. You may be able to get it from there as well if you can’t wait three months.)

Something Treasured

My husband was going through the book Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad by John Eldredge with a group of men. In addition to introducing me to the Pause app, we went through an exercise where we separately wrote down life-giving people, places, and activities and then discussed them together. I thoroughly enjoyed this time where we shared and discussed our lists. It was nice to have some purposeful time of communication.

Something Ahead

Every January for the past four years I’ve participated in Adriene Mishler’s free 30 Days of Yoga program. All that’s required is signing up to get emailed a new yoga video every day. There’s also a calendar you can reference to find out how long each video will be. Usually, the first day is an intro video and the practice doesn’t start until Jan 2nd, which is good if you are exhausted after celebrating New Year’s Eve. I love doing yoga and Adriene makes it accessible to everyone. I always feel good at the end of the month for having taken the time for self-care. One year I turned it into 100 Days of Yoga which was an enjoyable challenge. I encourage you to join me for Breath – A 30 Day Yoga Journey.

Thus ends 2020’s Share Four Somethings. I hope you’ll join me next month when I share the first highlights of 2021. Before you go, please share one highlight from your year with me.