Happy 62nd Day of January...
What makes January feel like the longest month of the year?
Hi friend!
Hoping this note meets you wherever you are on this Friday morning (or late Thursday evening for the night owls). I have a bit of a soapbox in me today, but thought we would start with a “kitchen island debrief” (the name needs some workshopping, but at least it’s a start). This week, I am pretending you are sitting and listening to me unload the zigzag of thoughts in my head as I chop an onion for supper. Speaking of supper…
I made this one-pot pasta recipe this week and it was 10/10. It came together quickly, used up bits of things in my fridge and required very little effort or clean-up. I used fusilli pasta and didn’t add the spinach this time because we were out.
I stumbled across the Improbable Meet-Cute on my FYP and immediately opened up Amazon to confirm. A few of my favorite authors and some new-to-me have dropped a collection of short stories that you can access for FREE if you have Amazon Prime. I have already listened to the Abby Jimenez story and loved it.
I VIVIDLY remember the first pair of wide leg ‘long & lean’ denim jeans I bought from the Gap in 1997. I used all my babysitting $ to buy them. Wide Leg Jeans are apparently 'in’ and I have tried and failed to find a pair that worked for me until I stumbled across this pair from Mango. My first Mango purchase but it won’t be my last. Note: it’s a European brand so check sizing. I sized up on everything I ordered.
I know that keeping my car clean with tiny tornados who devour goldfish in the backseat after school is a ridiculous proposition, but this new little portable vacuum has rescued me from more than one spilled snack situation. Someone else said they keep theirs in the bathroom to vacuum up their hair off the floor!?!
The funny thing about soapbox moments is they aren’t typically wildly original ideas. I am, most likely, not telling you anything you don’t know. But I find the power in the soap box happens because it comes across your path exactly at a moment when you need to be reminded of the message.
Did you know today is the 62nd day of January? The jokes about January being the longest month nearly write themselves. I’ve always associated the length of the month with the weird weather North Carolina tends to get in January and the come down from the holidays.
It rains a lot. It occasionally snows. The temperature swing can be drastic. But beyond the weather, I think I’ve figured out another reason this month seems to last forever: the pressure of the Fresh Start. It’s EVERYWHERE.
We have to get in our 10K steps, wash our face twice, eat enough protein, clean out our closets, drink 100oz of water, do lymphatic massage, call our best friends, sneak cottage cheese into everything and clean out our inboxes. Listen, I LOVE a fresh start and deep cleaning the pantry. I firmly believe in washing your face every night before bed. And I lug my water bottle with me everywhere I go.
None of these things are bad. Quite the opposite, I find that all of these things are good. I think the rub comes when the ‘New Year’ rolls around, the noise is everywhere and it feels like everyone is doing all the things.
My plan to do some sort of Peloton workout every day in 2024 ended on January 13th when I fell asleep before starting my mediation (yes, meditations count - some days all I can manage is to exercise my brain). Beyond being wildly disappointed at my day 13 fail, I am weirdly exhausted even though I am getting enough sleep.
Maybe this soap box is just for me. Maybe I need this reminder as I sit here thinking about the garage that is begging to be cleaned out, the laundry that needs to be done, the steps I didn’t get in today and the 10,000 other things that I ‘should’ be doing in January to kick the year off on the *right foot*.
Pick your lane. Pick your thing. Declutter your closets. Move your body. Drink your water. But for the love of all that is holy, remind yourself that no one else is doing ALL THE THINGS and doing them well. (Even if social media tells you they are // they aren’t // I promise.) This doesn’t mean you can’t pick a few new things to add to your rhythms. It doesn’t mean you give up if you miss the mark on something. It just means you keep repeating ‘no one is doing it all’. And you tell yourself: ‘Today I am going to try to do these *three* things’. Good job. Keep trying. Keep going. Keep remembering: NO ONE IS DOING ALL THE THINGS…
xo,
KNW
PS: I do appreciate good focused help with decluttering and have loved the refreshed Simplicity Challenge. I haven’t completed every task but my medicine box is happy and I went on a social media clean-out frenzy the other day…
PPS: I missed the mark with 2024 Daily Peloton-ing but still recommend the app for everything from stretching to strength. They even have pilates and barre classes. The free trial is 100% worth exploring and I can vouch for the membership.
Bookmarked the pasta recipe for next week and sent the Amazon Meet-Cute link to my book club. Thanks for keeping it real with the new years goals. I had my sights set on getting 5,000 steps per day and we ended up getting 9 inches of snow this month that kept us home bound for over a week 😵💫 It was a good reminder to make plans, but not let our plans make our life. I didn’t get my steps in, but did get lots of sweet snow day snuggles. Loving these fun round-ups!
How much do I wish that we were all around this kitchen island irl? I put off way too much in December and could probably use 62 days to unbury myself in January, ha! This was a nice note in my inbox!