A monthly reflection of all the things!
For anyone new here: the point of this is to dive into things you’re currently into. It’s kind of a fun thing to do and document so you can look back (at any increment of time) and see what was going on at that time in your life. This is fun because most people can relate AND if it is interactive, we might even gain a few things to watch or listen to or read because of someone else’s recommendation! Feel free to join in and share your own “Currently” in the comments below! I’d love to see what you’re up to this month!!
Side note: sometimes I can get a little long-winded, so I’m gonna try to keep it short and sweet this time! If you have any questions or would like some of my deeper, wandering thoughts on any or all of these items, leave a comment or shoot me a message on social and I’d be happy to tell you more! 📩
Let’s do this!!
- Ozark (Season 1) – Jeff and I bailed on The Magicians and are, like, three episodes into this series. We’ve been looking for something new to watch since Outlander only releases one episode each week at this point. I can’t decide what I think of Ozark because I don’t love Jason Bateman, but so far I’m intrigued, or intrigued enough to keep going for a little bit longer.
- Grey’s Anatomy (Season 12) – I knew I would eventually come crawling back to this train-wreck. I mean, honestly, I love this show. It just always feels like a gut-punch right in the feels so I had to distance myself for a while, especially after Derek died. I just wasn’t okay with that, and my heart literally broke, so the time away was for the best. But come crawling back I did, and I’m deep in it. I cry just about every episode and even though my husband keeps asking me “why do you watch this then?!” I don’t really have an answer other than “I just have to.”
- Outlander (season 5) – Still. Jeff and I tune in each week and watch the new episode. If you haven’t climbed on this bandwagon, I highly recommend that you do. The series is so well-done and we just love the story so much.
- Atomic Habits by James Clear – I started reading this because I was heading into Rise Weekend and I was starting to get hyped up about personal development and self improvement again. Also, our teaching pastor at church talked about this book right at the New Year, so it had been on my list. I have not been giving myself permission to binge read murder books lately (because I’m trying to re-build my Audible Credits), so I told myself if it was going to better me then I was allowed to download it. #soundreasoning. Anywho, this book has been so interesting and I recommend it to everyone who asks me what to read lately. It’s just so smart and I feel like it has just reinforced so much about the changes I’ve made in my life the last year. It gives a lot of the good WHYs behind behavior change from a scientific or psychological perspective. I’ve really, really enjoyed it.
- Get Out of Your Own by Dave Hollis – Okay, here’s the God’s honest truth. Cross my heart and hope to die. I’m loving this book. Before (okay, and right after) it came out (last week), I was a little salty about it because it’s basically Rachel Hollis’s (his wife) Girl, Wash Your Face all over again. It’s the same format- like, exactly the same – but it makes it easy to read and the flow is good. I also have already recommended this book to several people, people who didn’t even ask my opinion or for a recommendation. I like the stories Dave tells, I appreciate his willingness to be vulnerable, and I think the “advice” he imparts is universal.
- Celine Dion Radio (on Pandora) – I have basically abandoned all of my podcasts the last month. Nothing has piqued my interest enough, so I’ve mostly just listened to music. I was getting bored hearing the same songs on the radio and on my regular channels (Carly Pearce Radio, Lauren Daigle Radio), so I randomly remembered that Celine Dion Radio slaps and I haven’t looked back. Turns out 90s power ballads are legit my favorite thing and make me so happy. I also never, never get tired of them, so that works out for me. It also worked out that a lot of the throwbacks people got crazy excited for at Rise were all songs I listened to on Celine Dion Radio so I feel like I was already ahead of the curve and prepared myself perfectly.
- Rise 2020 Playlist (on Spotify) – YES GIRL. Honestly, I pull this one out in the shower or if I need a random dance party pick-me-up in the day. It’s great for getting hyped up and feeling good and it’s one of those things that just transports me back to the energy I felt at Rise. It’s such a random mix of songs: throwbacks, inspirational, empowering fast, slow, ballads, Lizzo, Todrick Hall, Lady Gaga, covers, anthems… it’s so good. If you’re looking for a fun mix of random stuff, find this! Ahsohn Williams is the creator.
The Best of Things – The recency of all of the closures and hype surrounding everything with the Coronavirus is straight-up crazy. I agree with social distancing, I am in support of the safety measures being taken. I believe strongly in flattening the curve. But I also know that seeing whole, completely empty shelves at grocery stores rattles me. I also know that seeing people talk about it constantly (on Facebook) was making my anxiety spike out of control and made me feel angry. I worry about the elderly, I worry about the children who rely on school for food and feeling safe & loved. I am worried what will happen to local businesses, small businesses, people who don’t have time to take off from work because they’re sick or because their kids don’t have anywhere to go during the day. I’m worried about the long-term and what’s to come. I’m trying to find the silver lining in each day and I’m trying to make choices that are good for me, my family, and my community. I’m working hard at doing something each day that brings me joy and helps me not participate in the doom-spiral my anxiety likes to take me through.
A Manageable Amount of Anxiety – It takes intentional work to keep my anxiety about our current global health crisis and the state of the state in check. The biggest thing that has helped me, I think, has been deleting Facebook. It was really difficult that first 24 hours and I deleted/re-downloaded/re-deleted the app at least 5 times. However, it’s been a few days now and it feels really good. I will eventually get back on Facebook, and I didn’t delete my account entirely, but it was a big contributor to feeling anxious and angry at the people I saw on my feed. It’s going to continue to take work to keep my anxiety level at bay because the situation is ever-evolving and there are still so many unknowns, not to mention the fact that we are still very much at the beginning of all of this.
What are you doing to relieve your anxiety?
- Not a whole lot (lol)
- Getting intentional about self-care (at home fitness & water intake)
Not an entirely comprehensive list and in no particular order:
- Deleting facebook from my phone last week
- The fact that I ate a real brownie twice in the last week (with real ice cream) (!!!)
- Rosie Revere, Engineer (if you have little ones, this book is a must-have)
- Napping when Sam naps
- This quote: “Ships are safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.”
Did you come up with your own version of this month’s Currently…?
If so, comment below or tag me @glimpseofgrace on social media!
Featured Photo Credit: Photo by Lum3n.com from Pexels
