January Reflections

A brief summary of my January

My December was a wild ride, to say the least (stretch that to my whole 2024, 2023, 2022, etc...).

So understand that when I say that January brought me relief, I mean it.

I spent the month continuing to work on myself and being surprised by life. There were definitely some dips and unexpected turns along the way, but overall January makes me excited for the rest of 2025.

A song to vibe to while you read?

"Lost in NYC, But At Least Blue Hour is Pretty," 2023

Life improvements

The intentional word I picked for the year is "Discipline," because I'm taking back control of my life. I started moving towards this by setting a goal of doing daily home yoga sessions. While I have missed a few days so far, I continue to show up for myself in this way.

I also started weight training again at the gym again this month! Years have passed by since I last trained like this. It's quite embarrassing to share that I'm back to doing minimum weights, but I embrace the pain and journey because I feel that it parallels my mental state. Rock bottom means you can only go up, after all, so I've really been putting in the time, dedication, and sweat to build my physical and mental strength back up.

Since I moved to yet another new state last month, I've also been putting in more work to form and maintain connections. It took a lot of tears and heartbreak to start healing my deep friendship trauma, so I'm insanely determined to keep up the internal work.

On top of all this, the cat distribution system seems to have worked its magic. I was bringing in a package from the front door one day when I randomly found a cat meowing in the bathroom. I still have no idea how he got past me because the door was only open for a few seconds! In any case, it's been a wild journey trying to find his owners and finding out he's a stray. No collar, non neutered, no microchip per the vet. No responses from the lost and found listings I put up. I was already planning on getting a cat companion sometime in the future, but this little guy quite literally just walked into mine and my partner's lives and it's been such a joy to have him around.

Books read this month: 3! I started the year off by finishing the last book from the Plated Prisoner Series, followed by a nonfiction binge. I learned a lot from reading Made to Stick, by Dan and Chip Heath. In fact, on top of learning more about storytelling and sharing ideas, I also solidified my process of note-taking between my kindle and my personal journals. Life is Short and So Is This Book by Peter Atkins was a nice quick read, hammering in some of the life lessons I've also learned through my own internal work.

And probably the most fun update of all, I finally started my cooking and baking journey! It seems that I've taken a break from the visual arts and have been moving towards the culinary arts instead. I've been baking my first loaves of bread, filling up the apartment with the smell of freshly baked goods and herbs along with exploring different cultures' cuisines on the stovetop. I didn't realize how fulfilling it would be, and I only wish I started sooner.

A tufted titmouse, 2023

Lessons I Learned in January

• I had been holding on to people, places, things and ideas so much that it was hurting me. I had to learn how to let go, which was still a really painful process, but I knew it would hurt more to continue holding on to those hopes and dreams. Instead, I've been writing letters that I just keep in my journals to help me process my emotions.

• I solidified my process for note-taking (specifically from books). I enjoy highlighting insightful and impactful passages while I read on my kindle, so I started compiling my notes by handwriting important ideas and structures. Learning new things is thoroughly enjoyable to me and just learning how to learn more efficiently makes me so excited.

  • A library eBook helped me learn so much more about storytelling and sharing ideas.

• Cooking/baking techniques! I keep a log of recipes I've tried and write notes from each attempt so I can improve every time. Lately I've been experimenting with steamed buns!

• I accidentally started an analog bullet journal on a random notebook and have been enjoying it. I learned new ways to structure it to fit my daily life better.

• Changing my morning routine allows me to have what I call my "inspiration time." This is a time period where I catch up on YouTube videos that motivate me which helps spark ideas. A quote from a recent video I watched said something along the lines of, "Happiness isn't some grand event that happens some day in your life. Your life is made up of many regular days, and if you can make small changes to make those regular days more enjoyable, then you'll be happier in general instead of waiting to be happy one faraway day."

• I continued learning more about myself through my regular self reflections, identified bad habits and toxic patterns and started breaking them.

• Learned that I have a mild sensitivity to shellfish (after eating a ton of them at a seafood buffet).

• Printed some of my favorite shots I've taken, learned once again how nice it is to feel the final product of your photography in your hands.

• Learned that I enjoy when others send me longer messages. It either shows enthusiasm for them to share their life with me, or enthusiasm for the topic they're talking about. Either way, it made me reflect that it may be okay for me to do the same, and the ones who truly care about me will also care about what I have to share.

"The Bookkeeper", Busan's Book District, South Korea, 2023

Thank you for reading!

As always, if you made it all the way to the end here then you have my gratitude! The month went by so quickly that I'm still reeling from it all. While I've experienced and accomplished new things, I'm actually falling behind on some of my other goals for the month/year. I'm simply trying my best and will continue to power through, carrying my word of the year with me.

Breaking Through The Wave, San Diego 2023

Until next time,