Gratitude | Where I Stand in February 2019

As I’ve written before, I love the beginning of the year and its many opportunities for reflection, renewal, and transformation. It’s something that will always be special to me. But this year, I purposefully didn’t discuss my goals publicly. On January 1, I wrote down my intentions in a small notebook and then entirely focused on finding my rhythm. Honestly, last year was one of my most difficult years to date, but I didn’t want to dwell on it; it was important to me that I put all of my energy toward positive thinking, prayer, and manifesting good. It felt like extended musing and reflecting on the past would only slow me down; I just needed to jump in and get started. As my friend, Rashell, succinctly put it: “Don’t talk about it, be about it.” And so I privately wrote down my goals and intentions and then jumped into action.

I promised myself that each month I’d reflect on my emotional, physical, and spiritual state and then set goals for the upcoming month. So here we are — February 2019 — and I’m so excited to finally tell y’all about all that happened last month and this month’s new intentions.

January’s Beauty

In January, my intentions were to essentially establish a rhythm and routine. While I didn’t accomplish every goal perfectly (for example, I wanted to exercise and journal more often), I do feel that the month did me a lot of good. In January I:

Read 9 Books — “Recent Reads: January 2019” was released on the blog this week! I voraciously read 9 books and enjoyed every minute of it. It felt good to do something solely for myself each night & nothing felt better than getting into bed by 9:00 PM with a good book by my side.
Lost 10 Pounds — For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while now, you’ll know that maintaining a healthy weight has been a struggle for me. This year, I decided to treat my body with care, rather than resentment, and it’s made a pretty big difference. I joined Weight Watchers (I’ll write about this in full later!) and committed to always wearing my Fitbit Versa. I also started working in the produce section at Whole Foods, which helps me to average 15,000 steps/day and get in some heavy lifting (cabbage is heavy, y’all!) I’m also surrounded by fruit & vegetables all day, every day, which has (surprisingly) made me crave them more.

This first week of February, I indulged a little bit more heavily than I had in January and gained back 1 pound. But even so, I’m only 4.3 lbs away from my first goal weight & 14 lbs away from a “normal” BMI,* which blows my mind. *I know, I know — “normal” is relative & BMI isn’t the best metric of help, but it helps me to keep my eye on the prize!
Joined a Bible Study — The ladies at BHLDN host a bi-weekly Bible Study and I finally joined! We’re reading the book of Ephesians & the night before our meetings, Jeremiah and I read & reflect on the assigned chapter together, which has been a really nice way to spend time together.
Further Built Community — I love my Whole Foods community and have developed friendships with the folks who make up my morning shift (I’m all about that 6 AM—2 PM life), which has been so lovely. We celebrated two people’s birthdays in January and being able to be joyous and make someone feel special is always a wonderful feeling. I’m beginning my teaching career this July (more on that later!!), so my Whole Foods friendships feel even more special, since I know I won’t be able to see everyone daily come the summer.
Established a Bedtime Routine — My beauty routines are pretty minimal —I usually wash my face in the shower with bar soap and call it a day — but this month, I wanted to try to have more of an evening routine. I purchased Simple Truth Organic’s face wash and moisturizer, as well as witch hazel, and got started. While I’ve skipped my routine more often than not, I’m looking forward to kicking things back into gear this month.

February’s Intentions

Go Solo — There are a lot of places around ATL that I’ve wanted to visit, but I haven’t wanted to go alone. I also noticed that I sometimes feel sad when friends make plans without me, even if I wasn’t available to go anyway, and I want to get over that ASAP. The only thing stopping me from enjoying ATL by myself is…well, me! So this month, I want to get out and experience more solo. So far, I’ve signed up to go see Marlon James talk about his new book, Black Leopard, Red Wolf. There are also a few cafes I want to stop by and photograph, so I’m pushing myself to get out there & enjoy those things independently!
Be Present & Intentional —This month, Jeremiah and I started marriage prep! Every Tuesday, we meet at our church with a few other couples and discuss how God fits into our relationship, how we can better come to love and understand each other, and what to expect from marriage. It’s super important that I remain present and really invest in all that we’re learning, especially knowing how much it’ll help our relationship in the long run. We get “homework” and I’m excited to take my time with the prompts & really dive deep.
Develop a Book Club — I asked whether y’all would be interested in an ATL book club & received a resounding “YES!” I have a lot on my plate with wedding planning, but it’s really important to me to develop this community, so I’m working on making it a reality!
Re-learn Spanish — Did you know that Brown University alumnus get access to Rosetta Stone FOR FREE for the rest of their lives? Yeah, and guess who hasn’t ever even logged in or used it? Oops. I used to be able to speak Spanish beautifully, and now, not so much. It’s really been a goal of mine to re-learn the language so I’m getting my butt on Rosetta Stone ASAP. And who knows — maybe I’ll join an in-person class when/if I feel confident enough!