š Hello everyone!
Happy new year! š I hope that the holidays treated you well and werenāt too stressful. Ours were great, full of family and food and fun advent calendars and lots of cooking.
Lately, life has been more up than down, which Iām very thankful for. I think a big part of that is working with my new therapist over the past few months. It turns out Iām great at taking care of everyone, worrying about everyone, giving myself to everyone, but not really saving any of that care for myself. (Any other INFJs, Enneagram 2w3, empaths out there? š) For a long time, self-care seemed selfish to me; but Iām learning that I am also worthy of love and support, just for being me, and that my name should pop up somewhere on my care list (and someday, maybe at the top). Who knew? š
Iāve also been trying to get out of the house more. Weāve become such homebodies, and I get so comfy cozy at home that itās hard to just walk out that door and be out in the world. Lately Iāve headed out to coffee shops (sometimes a walk to the nearby Starbucks, sometimes a visit to my new favorite spot, Palomino Coffee), to the Korean grocery, to Central Marketāby myselfāto hopefully avoid me becoming a total hermit. (This reminds me of a t-shirt I saw once that said, āIntroverts, unite! Separately!ā) š«
What have you been up to lately? Iāve beenā¦
š² Eating + Drinking
Lately Iāve been making videos of my meals, rather than taking photos. So if you wanna see what lovely foods Iāve been cooking and eating, you should head over to my little YouTube channel. (And subscribe while youāre at it!) New video should be up in the next day or two. š¤
š Reading
Iāve been reading again! Iām looking for some good nonfiction booksāif you have any suggestions, please send them my way! In the past week or two, Iāve finished:
Emergency Contact - Super cute romance with nerdy, witty youngāuns that made me laugh out loud throughout.
The Kiss Quotient - Super sexy (like S-E-X) romance between a professional escort and a woman with Aspergerās. Fun and entertaining, even with some odd plot holes.
Good Talk - Super thought-provoking graphic-novel-esque memoir about growing up as a brown woman in America.
š Loving
National Park Candles. We started buying these a couple of years ago, and now we canāt live without them. We love Big Bend and Acadiaāthey smell amazing and have those flat wicks that make lovely flickering noises while they burn.
Rolife DIY miniature kits. Specifically Emilyās Flower Shop, which Iāve been working on for months, with no end in sight. I thought it would be like putting together a puzzle, but instead I find myself trimming toothpicks to the millimeter, cutting tiny swatches of fabric for seat covers, and painting beads to look like flower pots. Itās fantastic.
Mandarins and berries. I have no idea how this combo came about, but my new favorite snack is mandarin oranges, blueberries, and raspberries. I just eat them by the handful, and itās so good.
š Laughing
Thatās it! Thank you for readingāhit reply and tell me what youāre up to.
--Crystal