What I Learned | Spring 2023
Summer isn’t officially here yet, but school is out and the mercury is rising. It’s probably one of my least favorite seasons, but I am going to enjoy a slower pace for the next few months. I have plans to get a few organizational projects done around the house, embrace the opportunity to get out in nature as much as possible, work on some writing, and add some fun weekend adventures to the calendar.
My spring was almost too busy to sit still, but I did have a chance to take the last few weeks off and reflect on the season. Even though life was chaotic for a while, there were several things I learned or new concepts that I was introduced to. As a Sagittarius, I value learning, through both formal education and life experience, so I like being able to take away something from those I connect with and the experiences I have. Here’s what I learned this spring.
I need to create more.
I stumbled on an old blog post about my creative projects that I had written ages ago and realized that I haven’t taken much time to be creative lately. I never want to feel forced to explore and experiment with creation, but I do enjoy it and find the practice relaxing. On this list were things like painting, gardening, knitting, and researching my antique tea china collection, and I haven’t done work on any of these projects in a few years. It’s definitely time to carve more creative chunks into my schedule.
Speaking of creating, I was introduced to the Goldilocks Theory of Creativity by Austin Kleon and it made me laugh because it’s so true. (If you don’t want to click through the link to check it out for yourself, Kleon shares a three-part drawing where the person on the left side is too depressed to work, the person on the right side is too happy to work, and the center says that life is just depressing enough that work is a happy alternative.) Looking back, some of my most creative times were when I was feeling melancholy or even a little depressed. That’s sad, but perhaps when I’m feeling happy, I tend to focus on more work-oriented projects and not think I “am allowed” to take time for myself to enjoy a hobby. Just another reminder that no one has to give me permission to create!
Some books are windows and some are mirrors.
This was an interesting concept that I saw on an Instagram reel where a woman was talking to a classroom of small children and explaining to them that some books help us see ourselves and our experiences in them, or are mirrors, while others are more like windows and allow us to see lives of those who are not like us. I loved this idea and have been thinking about it with each of the books that I’ve read since.
The Too Long; Didn’t Watch podcast is just what I needed.
With dozens of streaming platforms on top of the thousands of cable channels available, most people don’t have time to watch everything. I know I don’t, but when a show that I haven’t seen is brought up in conversation, it’s sometimes nice to at least know the main plot points. This podcast, hosted by Alan Sepinwall, who is Rolling Stone’s chief tv critic, brings in a celebrity to watch the first and last episodes of a series and chat about it afterward. It’s incredible how much of the storyline you can glean from just two episodes. The particular podcast that got me hooked was Alison Brie watching Game of Thrones, a series that I have NO interest in seeing, and her thoughts on two episodes affirmed my choice.
We don’t give herbs and spices enough credit.
I’ve enjoyed using both in my cooking for years, but I didn’t know all the health benefits of them until Sadia from Pick Up Limes (one of my favorite people ever) did a video and an extensive article on the topic. There’s so much good information about spice combinations and where to get quality spices, and lots of links to do your own research. She made me a lifelong believer in these magical ingredients that I’ve known for years would make my food brighter and tastier, but now also understand the healthful qualities they contain.
It’s okay to take a break and it’s okay to unfollow.
I took a month-long break from social media recently and didn’t miss it much, other than the daily reel and meme exchange I have with my partner, Frank. When I returned to the platforms, I immediately started unfollowing accounts that gave me icky feelings, specifically those trying to sell products (like fad diets or easy weight loss supplements), those who post racist, transphobic, misogynistic, etc. content, even if not blatant, or accounts that make me feel like I’m lacking in some way. I even had to unfollow family members who perpetuated unhealthy ideas and triggered me in a major way. You know I realized? I get to control to whom I allow access to my personal space and that includes people I’m related to. I don’t want the pollution in my life.
