Mark on the trail. Lewis River, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington
MAY RECAP
The two things I’m most proud of from May are:
1. Attending the events I'd committed to and making the effort to connect and chat with some new people. I'll say it again: making friends as an adult is hard (for me), but simply committing to showing up is a good first step. I volunteered at a farm animal sanctuary with a group of women, and also attended a book club that's a part of a larger social group for women who are interested in making friends but are beyond the drinking and bars stage of life (*points to self emphatically*). I really like this group so far, and I especially appreciated that it draws together women from a wide range of ages and life experiences.
2. Finishing our longest hike to date, about 10 miles. We mostly did it by mistake, since we initially went down the wrong path at the trailhead. But it wasn't too strenuous of a trail, so pushing the distance didn't feel too painful (aside from one big blister on my toe and a bloody knee from scrambling up some rocks when we went down to see a waterfall).
The two things I’m most grateful for from May are:
1. Some beautiful spring weather in Portland—upper 60's and 70's and mostly sunny with a few rainy days mixed in (I do still love those gray and rainy days).
2. Getting to explore some new areas of Portland. We're going to be looking for a new rental pretty soon and we're hoping for a house in one of the neighborhoods, so we've been driving around and scoping different areas out. The rental market is pretty competitive, so I don't know if we'll really have much choice in where we end up, but it's been fun to get a feel for some of the neighborhoods I hadn't yet spent much time in.
The lesson I learned and am carrying forward with me from May is:
When you're feeling stressed about rent and real estate prices where you live, don't look up house listings in the Midwest "just for fun." (Kill me now.) On a more serious note, I'm learning that asking for help—asking for what you need—is a life skill. And it's one that I'm not particularly good; I too often feel like I don't want to bother or burden someone else.
JUNE GOALS
My intention for June is:
Stay calm. I'm obviously nervous about the process of finding a new place to live in a competitive rental market, particularly because we want a house. And after owning our last condo for almost eight years, it's been a long time since I've had to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing where I'm going to be living in just a few months' time. It'll likely be closer to July before we're able to begin viewing places, but that's not going to stop me from thinking about the process and stalking Craigslist and my rental apps. But for my own sanity, I need to recognize when I'm getting too stressed out about it all and take a step back. And that stress needs an outlet, so I plan to be a little more proactive about regular exercise, yoga and breathing/meditation breaks.
One thing I aim to do every day in June is:
Read something and write something. Preferably books/journaling, respectively. I'm not going to put quotas on this, but if I'm doing a little bit of each everyday, I'll be satisfied.
Because I am brave, here are two new/scary things I will do in June:
1. Go somewhere/do something fun on my own once a week. I feel like I used to be much more independent without thinking much of it, but over the past few years I've found myself "saving" fun activities until I have company, Mark or otherwise. And, let's be honest, Mark's not always game for doing things like thrift store shopping or craft fairs, and while I would like to make more local friends for these kinds of situations, I do want to get back in the habit of hanging with myself and doing what I want to do.
2. Get back to the gym.
The one book I definitely want to read in June is:
The Likeness by Tana French. I started this a few months ago, and I've been strangely unable to find my groove with it. This morning I realized it's largely due to the small font size and tight line spacing, funny enough. It's just throwing me off. My solution: I requested a Kindle copy from my library so that I can adjust the font size, lol. (Is this what aging is?)
Then I'll also be reading Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen for book club. This is not my typical type of book, but I'm willing to give it a try!
Something I want to experiment with in June is:
Refining my diet a bit. I added several new cookbooks to my collection recently (thanks to my local used bookstore and some killer Book Outlet deals)—Whole Bowls, Joyous Health, Sprouted Kitchen, True Food, and Hemsley and Hemsley's The Art of Eating Well. They all reflect my preference for whole food, veggie-heavy meals, and I'm hoping to peruse them and find a few staple recipes to add to my meal planning rotation.
Just for fun, I will:
Travel someplace new. I'm thinking either a coastal hike (which we haven't done yet) or possibly an overnight in Bend, Oregon.
As an act of intentional kindness, I will:
Work on treating myself like I would a dear friend. (I'm not always good at this.)
{This monthly planning template comes from Nicole Antoinette's email list, Notes of Grit & Grace.}
