It's somehow New Year's Eve today, and this is only the second post I've made this year. I guess that makes sense. With raising two kids, working part time, volunteering for two local parenting groups and our neighborhood organization, and watching many seasons of Grey's Anatomy for the first time ever, I've been busy!
This year I also listened to a lot of The Lazy Genius Podcast. I try to emulate all kinds of things I learn from Kendra, the host. But one thing I especially enjoy is her year-end summary highlighting her 10 Favorite Discoveries of each year. I don't have much time, so I'm downsizing her tradition to share my five favorites of 2023 with you.
In no particular order, here are five things I loved, discovered, was excited by or want to recommend to you from this past year:
1. The book "Seasons of Wonder: Making the Ordinary Sacred through Projects, Prayer, and Rituals" by Bonnie Smith Whitehouse.
This book is beautiful inside and out, and I've inspired at least three friends to purchase it -- so far! Something I am learning about myself is that rituals hold a lot of meaning to me. Reading a poem to celebrate the start of a new season, doing crafts together with my kids, or decorating with items from nature help me connect with seasons, holidays, and my spiritual beliefs in a strong way. Reading this and sharing it with others has been encouraging, meaningful and fun.
Find this book on Thriftbooks, which leads me to my next point...
2. Thrifting for everything I possibly can.
This isn't the first year I have done a lot of thrifting, but it is the year I really expanded my love of the game. I have thrifted almost all of my kids' clothes, and my own. Christmas and birthday gifts, home goods, party favors -- I've found it all for a steal, and you can too! I even wrote about thrifting locally for Lansing Mom this year. I absolutely plan on carrying this into 2024.
3. Visiting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Ben and I took a trip [sans kids!] to beautiful Marquette, Michigan this fall. It was my first time there, and we have already planned a return trip for next summer. The natural beauty is insane, and the city is full of cool shops and restaurants and even surprisingly good Thai food.
4. My kids' friends' parents becoming my friends.
My kids bring all kinds of happiness into my life. But this past year they also helped bring wonderful new people into my life. It's hard to make friends as an adult, but through school orientations, birthday parties, Wendy's Frosty's on the porch and park picnics, my circle has grown in 2023. I love watching my kids with their friends, and I like to think they like seeing us have fun together, too.
5. New playgrounds all around.
A huge, beautiful, universally-accessible playground opened minutes from our house earlier this fall, and we love it! We also are getting a new playground in our local park, and I got to help design the structure as part of my role in the neighborhood organization. This is really big news in my life right now, and that's special in itself.
So there you have it, a glimpse of my favorite things from this past year. 2023 had ups and downs for me, for sure. But reflecting on these made me smile, and I bet you can find five of your own favorites, too. I'd love to hear about them!
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