Can you believe we’re already at the end of the first month of 2023? For us that means we’re closer to Spring and longer days with more light and less darkness. In Toastmasters it means contest season is getting underway as speakers prepare to represent their clubs in the area competition. For me I’m getting closer to my beach vacation in Delaware in June.
This segment is a rewind of some of the highlights of the past month. To avoid making this blog long winded and for the sake of time, I’ll use my rule of 3s and highlight those three things that stood out to me for the month. That will make it easier for me when I go to work on the Top Ten of 2023 in December.
New Year’s Resolution? Reading the classics.
We have our resolutions we make when we wipe the slate clean on January 1. Lose weight. Eat healthier. Save money. Be nicer to our family. By the 15th, we’ve reneged on that promise to work out and are eating fast food (part of our busy lives I guess). We’re trying to save money, but have to pay off those bills from the holidays. Being nice to our family? Well you can pick your friends but not your family or in-laws.
My New Year’s resolution? I love books. While past reads have been sports or politics-related, I decided to pick up some of the classic novels. I picked up the works of Jane Austen and Shakespeare and will focus on those in 2023, along with The Iliad and The Odyssey, and the Nutcracker. I’m also reading Michelle Obama’s latest book.
The blog has made a big comeback.
I fell back on posting content to the blog because all I had to post content on was my phone. My cousin Katie, who has her own blog, learned of my dilemma at the family reunion back in October. At Aunt Sue’s New Year’s Eve get-together, her and Brendan gifted me an old laptop which was converted into a Chromebook.
The laptop has been a godsend for me. I’m going to purchase a webcam so I can attend virtual Toastmasters meetings and events via Zoom, plus I can play CD’s (if possible) and upload pictures from my camera. I’ve added some new segments to the platform like Fashionable Friday and Self-Care Saturday. I’m closing in on 400 blog posts next month and, if I keep up my content, an even bigger milestone this Fall.
Like 2022 Never Even Happened
2022 was supposed to be my year as I was building off the highs of the year before. I was growing the blog and I started to find myself when I came out as non-binary. But big changes also happened that year as I left my job of 13 years and came over to Giant Eagle. I felt I was losing my support system that I had in place at WIS. I struggled for most of 2022 with my feelings and wondered whether or not coming out was the right thing.
The latter part of 2022 read a lot like 2019. I was in charge of my happiness and success and not as dependent on other people’s opinions. January made it sound like the past year didn’t even happen. I didn’t feel depressed, nor did I second-guess myself. I got out more (the mild weather had something to do with that), spotted joy in everything I did, and was able to manage my time well. I still had my share of bad days, but the good outweighed them.
I look to continue building off that positive energy as we begin February.
Stylish 🍒 