Monthly Update #12

Ho – ho – ho
It’s late, very late in fact. I should be sleeping for a long time. Well, at least I’m already in bed as I type these lines. The laptop is balanced on my belly, stabilized nicely by the cozy flannel bedsheets I only get out in winter, the ones that keep me so nice and warm during these cold winter nights. The tomcat snuggled up against my feet also helps. “Schmusig”, my boyfriend would call it, a cute little word meaning cuddly. I hear voices outside on the street, cars gliding over the wet streets. Did you ever notice how much louder traffic noises are after a rainfall? The rain itself has stopped pattering. Shame, actually, I love the rhythm it taps on my window sill. 

Little moments like this one make me deeply happy. Small, quiet, intimate moments, free from pressure and responsibilities. A simple moment filled with happiness and pure energy. 

I feel reinvigorated.

Christmas is practically around the corner, and usually that means one thing for me above all others: STRESS. The last couple of years I was frequently close to losing it around this time of the year, completely drained, the last days of the annual cycle stretching out like an eternity in front of me. Usually, when a year comes to an end, I only want to wrap it up as quickly as possible. I finalize cooperations, get Christmas presents, attend festive advent parties and have a barrage of small and bigger responsibilities raining down on me, all of which together tends to weigh heavily on me in December. I’m not usually in a festive mood at all. But it’s different this year. While there’s a lot to do, I am super motivated right now, I feel challenged, in just the right way, instead of being overwhelmed. I’m basically just up for it. But up for what exactly?


Truth is, I thought a lot about the changes I want to make next year. I don’t know why, but somehow I feel I was stuck in some kind of rut the past two years, I didn’t really get the sense that I was moving much in the world. Pretty frustrating for someone like me, who loves and needs permanent change. Stasis, on the other hand, depresses me.

The upside of all that is that this year was a bit of a breather for me, and that was way overdue. It wasn’t a break from anything, more like a stable routine. But ultimately routine is the bit between adventures, right?

So, which adventures lay ahead?

I can’t really say just yet. All I know is that I’m ready new things. My new podcast comes to mind, it’s a project that really lit a fire in me. I know I promised to launch it in November/December, but it needs to be just right, so I pushed the launch back a month. It’s going to be awesome, I promise!

What else can I think of? In fact, there’s an adventure on the horizon I barely dare to name yet because of how important it is to me. It’s a goal I’ve had on my bucket list since I can remember. Am I going to make it a reality this year? I really hope so, very much.

Random:
Birthday season has started for me. What I mean by that? I don’t know why, but it seems I’m getting on particularly well with Scorpios, Sagittariuses and Pisces, among a few other signs. So, yeah, that means that birthday season has started in my circle, one after the other. There’s gotta be something to Astrology, guys. A look in my calendar is enough to confirm that for me.

BIG NEWS: I did it.

I fulfilled my biggest wish ever and had laser eye surgery. Almost all of my life I’ve had to rely on glasses, but those days are over. I can still barely believe it, even though I had the surgery almost a month ago. Every night I have the impulse to take out my lenses before going to bed, only to realize with a smile that that’s no longer necessary. It’s like a dream, but one that’s come true. I took you with on social media, and we really went in-depth. I saw that you were really interested in the subject, and will write a full blogpost about my experience soon, where I’ll discuss my reasoning for choosing the method I went with. In fact, I compiled a little FAQ, for which I bombarded my doctor with questions. This whole thing is definitely one of the big highlights of my year, I still can’t believe I actually did it.

Thoughts:
The other day a follower wrote to tell me she missed my political posts. Politics is a really emotional subject for me. The news frequently upset me, and sometimes, when I can’t contain my emotions about a particular subject anymore, I post on Instagram. Well, it’s not exactly been a quiet couple of weeks, politically, not like there’s been nothing to upset me, but I find myself in an unusual state of festive relaxation mixed with a certain resignation. Earlier on the day I received that message I was actually thinking to myself that it’s been a while since I’ve written a political post, so I was really receptive to that nudge from my follower. It’s not always easy to position yourself clearly online, there’s always so much headwind from whichever camp you’re disagreeing with, and that tends to make me even angrier than I already am in those moments. At the same time, I consider it crucial to raise awareness for certain topics, which is why I appreciated that message enormously. It reminds me of why I’m doing what I’m doing. Thank you, I really needed that.


Audiobook: Alte Sorten by Ewald Arenz
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the pretty cover. My curiosity thus aroused, I gave it a try, and I never looked back. I enjoyed every second of this deeply empathetic story. It’s set on the countryside, where two women meet, learn more about each other, discover similarities, and heal one another. The story unfolds slowly, but with such stylistic brilliance that captures a certain sense of quietness so perfectly that it never drags. Perfect for peaceful hours.