Good morning, Cyberspace, and welcome back to my little corner of the internet! I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, mostly in regards to life and the seemingly mundane-ness of it all, and I thought it would be fun to take a day each month and just focus. On the good things. On the little things. On the things people often overlook in the general hurricane that each new day presents. Specifically on the blog, these are going to be published as my monthly thoughts, and we’re starting off right here in January, when everything is snow-covered and quiet and still.

So today, I’d like to encourage you to grab a cup of tea (or coffee, if you would like to be wrong about your life choices) and join me in a reflection of January.

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january thoughts

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thought one … stillness

I don’t often say that I love January, but there is one thing I do so enjoy, and that is the stillness that comes with this time of year. December–and, truthfully, November–is absolute chaos for many people, what with Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years all bunched into one little pocket of time. But then you reach January, and it’s like someone slams their palm on the big STOP button of life.

Everything is still. Everything is quiet. Everything is covered in ten feet a soft layer of snow. I don’t know if everyone loves the quiet that comes with January’s stillness, but I know that I do. To me, it is peaceful and gentle, like a soft blanket and a good cup of tea and a favorite book I’ve been meaning to reread for a while, but just never found the time to.

I also do enjoy snow days, if I’m lucky enough to get them. There were a couple times this month when the weather sent us home from work early, or brought us in a little later than we were supposed to be, and that’s always a nice surprise. (driving on the hazardous roads, however, is another story entirely.)

That’s not to say that I adore January. Of all the months, it’s one of my least favorites. But January brings a reset, and I think that in and of itself is good for the soul.

thought two… books

I’m a hermit. An extrovert, sure, but deep down inside, my favorite day is when I can be in bed by 8:30PM with my tortilla blanket, a flashlight, and a book. To me, January is the perfect month to read. The sun goes down early, the temperature drops, and what better way to wind down from the stresses of life than to curl up with a book? Summertime finds it more difficult to read at night with the sun staying out so late, but in January, the sun loves sleep as much as I do. We’re good friends, January and I.

I’ve read a lot this month–more so than I have in a very long time–but I’m sad to say that none of the books I’ve read have been particularly wonderful. It’s more often than not been one flop after another–or, to put it a little more kindly, one slight disappointment after another. I’m sure I’ll do a book recap post sometime before January ends, but for right now, I would much rather focus on the future books that I’m excited about reading.

These are books that I’ve read fantastic reviews for and, since I’ve done my research and also know one of the authors, I am perfectly positive will not disappoint me in the slightest!

THE ORB AND THE AIRSHIP by Jenelle Schmidt

I am so ridiculously excited for this book–reason #1 why it is going at the top of this list). Jenelle is such a dear friend to me, and quite honestly a self-publishing fairy godmother to us all, and if you haven’t ever checked out her books or her blog, you are missing out.

As soon as I found out that this book had airships, I was sold. It’s steampunk and fantasy and pirates, and like…? How can you go wrong with a premise like that?

In my January of disappointing books, I’m certain that this one right here is the book I need to break me out of my reading rut.

SNOW & ROSE by Emily Winfield Martin

This book has been on my shelf for years. Somehow, I still haven’t read it. With all the snow and chilly nights ahead of us (hello, February), I figure what better time to read a Snow White & Rose Red retelling than the present?

For reasons I won’t get into, the tale of Snow White & Rose Red holds a very special place in my heart. It’s one of my favorite fairy tales to date, thought people don’t often know about it. I still love it, though, and I’m excited to see what Martin does with it! (and I’m hoping that, whatever it is, it’s as good as the blurb makes it sound!)

BETWEEN JOBS by W.R. Gingell

This book comes highly rated by… well, literally everyone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this title while assisting with the Silmaril Awards, or the amount of shame I feel whenever my friends start discussing the books and I must, once again, duck my head and say I still have not read them.

But!! I now have this book in my possession, and we are going to read it! With the reviews this series has received from my friends, I can’t imagine this one is going to disappoint like the reads of January have thus far…

thought three… school

When I was a kid, I loved going back to school. Fall was my favorite time of year due to being filled with freshly sharpened pencils, brand new notebooks, and the wonderful feeling that I was going to learn something new. Ever since I’ve graduated, there’s been an empty space in my soul from those wonderful golden days.

Thankfully, God saw that and decided it was time for me to go back to the wonderful days of essays and learning. Since the beginning of January, I’ve been taking online classes for Early Literacy to help me create better opportunity for my library families. My first class–creating inclusive storytime programs for littles with disabilities–has been incredibly insightful, and I’m excited to implement what I’ve learned moving forward. I’m almost at the end of my first course, and my second–Supercharging Your Storytimes–begins in February.

It’s definitely been an awkward balance trying to find the time for writing, reading, full-time job, and school. But I know that at the end of it all, it’s going to be so worth it. This is the next step to leveling up in my career, after all. (though one might argue I’m currently pursuing two careers…)

thought four… coziness in the midst of chaos

I’m not a huge fan of deadlines. They are ugly creatures that despise me just as much as I despise them, and I will rue them till the day I die.

Or, more likely, till the day they all rear their ugly heads and strike me down.

This month, I have many deadlines… So many. With book deadlines, work deadlines, school deadlines, and the goal of reading all of the books ever written before I die, it’s a rather big shock that I’m even still a semi-functioning human at this point.

(lies. we all know that I have never been a semi-functioning human, and instead derive my power off of three minutes of sleep and 1,000 cans of Dr. Pepper a day.)

Eventually I hope to find the beautiful harmony that is balancing all of these things without feeling like I’m constantly drowning, but as for tonight–as I type this–I will be thankful for the spare minutes I have in the evening to type up this blog post. But I have also learned in my 20-something odd years on this earth that, truthfully, there’s never going to be the perfect balance. It’s always going to be give or take. Sometimes reading a book is going to take precedence over writing a blog post. Sometimes writing a chapter happens on my one hour lunch break, hunched in an uncomfortable chair, and other times it’s over a cup of tea with my cockatiel beside me and my laptop propped on my desk. (the latter of which is obviously my favorite.)

The fact of the matter is, there isn’t one tried and true method for creating a cozy life. Life is just life, and it’s our job to make the most out of each little moment we’re given. As I get older, it’s easier for me to understand what my brain and body and heart are yearning for in my day, and more often than not, it’s less the busyness and excitement of having a million things to do, and more so the quiet contentment of knowing that this is the day I’ve been given, and trying above all else to do with it what God intended.

If January has taught me anything, it is that coziness can happen even on the horribly busy days, even during the late nights and stressful afternoons, and most certainly when you surround yourself with the people, birds, and creativity that you love the most.

I am thankful for January. It teaches us under no uncertain terms to slow down and make the most of today, and in a world constantly turning turtle, I think that’s exactly what we need.

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TALK TO ME, PEASANTS!

what are your thoughts on January? do you enjoy this time of year? dread it? what creative endeavors are you working on lately?