In the first half of this year, I read 27 books. Twelve of those were non-fiction books that I think qualify as “self help.” Maybe a better way of describing these books is to say they are for my personal or professional development, but isn’t that just trying to put a spin on the fact that I am, in fact, trying to help my Self. I have always enjoyed this type of book ever since I read I’m Okay, You’re Okay in high school. I have seriously considered joining or starting a Self Help book club. Here are the books Read More
Tag: Life
Epic Road Trip Adventure
When I chose the word ADVENTURE for my 2019 theme, this road trip was already in the works. Last year, I attended the Bright Line Eating Annual Family Reunion in San Diego all by myself. It was my first vacation alone, and while I loved spending time with my Bright Lifer roommate, it felt like a waste to pay for a nice room at a resort with all these amenities and not get to use them. I got the crazy idea in my head that my family could come with me and enjoy the resort. Naturally, we thought it would Read More
Second Quarter Review 2019
It’s the first of July, so we are officially at the halfway mark of 2019. This means it’s time to check in with our goals and themes for the year. My theme for the year is Adventure, and I tried to couch my goals in that theme. Let’s see how much progress I made in the second quarter. It feels like just the other day that I just wrote this post reviewing the first quarter…. Was it really three months ago? It was. So here’s my Q2 progress report. Mood I explained that the first three months were rough, so Read More
A Woman’s Words
Dystopian fiction is social commentary with a side of terror. It uses hyperbole to try and help us see that we are the frogs in the water that is starting to boil. It takes situations that some people are currently giving the side-eye, projects them into the future, and magnifies them x100. According to Rare Books Digest, the first dystopian novel was written in Russian but was banned and had it’s first release in the U.S. in 1924. What better way for such a form to make its debut than as a banned book? Aldous Huxley and George Orwell quickly Read More
First Quarter Review 2019
It’s April, and that means we have moved into the second quarter of 2019. Spring is in the air, and it’s a good time to check how we are tracking on our 2019 goals. I love using my Rituals for Living Dreambook and Planner to plan my year, and it is conveniently formatted by quarters to help break your long-term projects into achievable tasks. You might recall that my focus for the year is ADVENTURE, and I planned to embody that word through three avenues: attitude, activity, and (of course) books. Let’s review each of these and I will give Read More
Making the Political Personal – A Visit From Angie Thomas
One Book One Community I love my community. I live in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. This is a unique place to live, because it is not centered around one city but four. Then there are the smaller towns adjacent to those cities. I live in one of those. I grew up about an hour from my current residence, and I consider this entire region HOME. I am a Razorback. I spent 14 years working at a certain retailer that is based in the area. We are truly blessed that our area is thriving and growing. We have a world class art Read More
Early Spring!
Thank you, Groundhog! As a person diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder and Raynaud’s Phenomenon, I have a vested interest in whether or not my dear friend Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow each year. This year he came through for me and called for an early spring. I immediately went outside and had a picnic. Groundhog Day is the official midway point between the first day of winter (solstice) and the first day of spring (equinox.) Regardless of whether you believe in Phil’s prediction, this means spring is on the way. I find myself simultaneously energized by the longer days and Read More
Nothing to Say
Speechless? ME? It will come as a surprise to most of my friends – and definitely to my family – for me to say that I have recently found myself more and more frequently at a loss for words. How do you write a blog when you don’t have anything to say this week? I believe you do this the same way you do most difficult things – you just do it anyway. Has Trina finally used up all the words? One of my book clubs is reading Vox soon. This is a book where women can only speak 100 Read More
Currently Reading – Are you a Multilegerophile?
To the best of my knowledge, and my Google search results, I just made that word up. Multilegerophile: Someone who loves to read multiple books at once. People who paid more attention in Latin class might have a better term for it, but I’m going with this one. On the sidebar of my blog there is a display of my “Currently Reading” shelf on Goodreads. As I write this, there are eight books on that shelf. How many books are too many to read at once? And how long does a book sit idly on the shelf before one is Read More
2018 Annual Review
Welcome to my year end review of 2018. My first instinct at the end of the year was to go through my journal and make a list of all the cool things I did in 2018. There were so many things! While I was making my list, I received an email from James Clear with his annual review. I decided I liked his format. He got the idea from someone else, and I have seen a few others use it as well. If it works for them, it can work for me, so here goes…. What went well this year? Read More