Notes from My Bookshelf: September

NOTE: To be perfectly frank, I wrote most of this blog post at the beginning of September. But the last four days of the month have changed everything. The community where I live in upper East Tennessee was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Roads washed away (including portions of I-26 and I-40 between here and Asheville, NC), houses completely gone, electricity and water cut off - in some areas it will be weeks before it comes back, people have lost everything, and the final total of casualties has yet to be determined. While we, personally, had very little direct impact (a tree down, lost water for a day), our community and the surrounding areas, are hurting, and therefore, so are we. We're doing what we can to help - cutting up trees, volunteering at our local Park and Rec to receive, organize, and hand out donations, but it the weight of this event is still being felt, and it will be years before this beautiful mountain area I am blessed to call "home" recovers. Please pray for us, for East TN and Western NC, and upstate SC. 

WRITTEN PRIOR TO 9/27 ↓

I got a new mug for this fall season that reads, "The -ber months are finally here" and nothing could sum up my feelings about autumn any better than that. The occasional morning crispness, the evening chill that takes us from summer heat to the hint that cooler seasons will not abandon us forever. The smell of bonfires, the crunch of autumn apples (dipped in caramel), and the pumpkins. Of course the pumpkins. Forever a pumpkin girl. The self-seeding pumpkin patch in my backyard is all ablaze with yellow flowers and growing enough pumpkins to satisfy even my desires. And every November, when we toss them back into the corner, it's a bit like saying, "Goodbye dear friend. We'll see you again next year, when winter has brought rot and spring has turned you to seeds. When summer is finally over and your green stems will poke out again and remind me, as surely as you always do, that you will be back, just in time for autumn." 

Photo by alex geerts on Unsplash

Knowing that I had already met my goal of 48 books for the year didn't stop me from attempting to stick to my sub-goal of reading four books a month. What did stop me was a hectic family schedule and a large proofreading job the last week of the month. Life happens. EDIT: I still had hopes when I updated this on 9/25 that I would finish at least one more book, possibly two, but after Hurricane Helene unloaded on us on 9/27, all thoughts of reading were gone.

However, it also didn't deter me from getting into some more comfortable territory, with mystery being a top contender for my attention this month (I have two more going in my Kindle app at the moment). Now that the "race" to complete the larger goal is over, I'm still focusing on the books that have been sitting on my shelves (virtual or physical) for months, even years, awaiting their turn on my nightstand. Here's what I read through this month:

1. Swiss Family Robinson by Yohann David Wyss - ★★★★ It took me almost a year to get through this book with my youngest (she was 11 when we started, she's 12 now), but it was more a matter of life interruptions than disinterest in the story. After showing her the old Disney film, I insisted that we read the book together so she could hear the original. It was our regular read-aloud on her night each week (until life intervened), but we finally finished it this month and she was glued to the story. Our biggest complaints (and the reason it's probably more like a 3.5 star than a true 4 star) was just that there were a LOT of animals and names to keep straight, and we both found that a bit difficult, in addition to the boys names being similar. However, while I don't plan on reading it again, it is a definite "should read at least once" book. Just make sure you get the unabridged version! Three-and-a-half-stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
2. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - ★★★★★ Oh my goodness, I had minimally high hopes for this one, and for once I wasn't disappointed! I've been so sick of three star books, so this was a delightful discovery. The way I've been describing it to people (and I know I'm a bit late to the party, but still...) is like every cozy BBC mystery show meets Jessica Fletcher and her friends. Nursing home friends with plenty of kick left in them, solving crimes using a lifetime of skills and connections. No questionable language (THANK YOU MR. OSMAN!), no unnecessary sexual encounters, and an ending I can totally live with. Two thumbs way up. I got this on Kindle last October, and now I'm thinking it's time to use some Barnes & Noble gift cards I've been hoarding to buy the others! Five stars. {Amazon Associates Link}

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. Wherever you're reading from, I hope you and your family are safe and well, and that you're enjoying whatever signs of fall are showing themselves in your area. Make time to read and do the things you love, with the people you love, because we're not guaranteed tomorrow. 

Simple Goal Check-In (September)

In January I wrote a post outlining the 24 #simplegoals I had selected to work towards in 2024, and I gave a longer update in June about how things were going at the half-way point. As we're entering the final quarter of the year (mind boggling!) I thought now would be a good time to check in on those and let you know where things stand. 

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

24 Simple Goals in 2024

1. Buy no new books. Two, maybe three books. Calling this a success! 
2. Read 48 books from my own shelves. DONE!
3. Use the treadmill. Walking six days a week since June 1st.
4. Put the phone down. TERRIBLE, but a work in progress.
5. Clean out and pare down. Some, but not as much as I was hoping to.
6. Save for a rainy day. Did well, had low income months, had to use it for bills.
7. Use cash for certain expenditures. Off and on.
8. Burn the candles. Two thumbs up! But...I also bought more. {Facepalm}
9. Create a repertoire of simple meals. Meh.
10. More fresh foods, less processed, sugary, high-carb stuff. Definitely working on this!
11. Avoid Amazon on bad days and late nights. Better, but room for improvement.
12. Say "yes" to something new at work. I just did, in fact!
13. Say "no" to things that don't add value. Much better at this!
14. Eat the food we already have. Working on this, but still room to improve.
15. Participate in teaching my newest driver how to drive. There's been a "pause" on that.
16. Save for a school trip in the '24/'25 school year. See "bills due, low cash months."
17. Host more meals with friends and acquaintances. There are seasons for this - yes and no.
18. Listen more. Talk less. I feel like I've improved in this area, but still room to grow.
19. Spend time with my parents. Time is fleeting. Been mindful about stopping by.
20. Give quality gifts, not quantity (next Christmas). Fewer gifts, for sure. Progress.
21. Build relationships with family. I think there have been some positive steps.
22. Write more. Shockingly, I've been faithful to write at least once-a-month on the blog!
23. Don't stress about what "might" be. I have been learning to let go faster.
24. Count my blessings. Work in progress.

Under the heading of each of these goals, I also set some sub-goals that give me baby-step achievements along the way. Something to celebrate and help with motivation. For example, when I set the goal of reading 48 books this year, I broke that down to reading at least four books a month. Obviously, there were months when I read more than that (and achieved my goal for the year sooner than expected), but setting that smaller monthly goal helped keep me on track and motivated to keep going. 

I did the same thing with using the treadmill, but I didn't figure out the sub-goals for that until the middle of the year. I had started out strong on the walking in the beginning (like most people when they set their New Year Resolutions), but then faded off after getting sick and having some calendar challenges. But in May, when I was fed up with my lack of self-discipline, I decided to set a goal for the month of June: Walk Every Day in June. About 10 days into it, after talking to a couple of my accountability partners, I decided to take Sundays off. So six days a week, I was downstairs, walking between 5-30 minutes a day. I gave myself a wide target to hit...making it easier to achieve my goal. I don't feel like walking...it's just 5 minutes. And usually, after 5 minutes, I would tell myself, "It's just 5 more, keep going." Which is how, most days, I ended up walking at least 20 minutes a day. 

In July I decided to change the target: Walk Six Days a Week, at Least 1 Mile. And I did it. In August, I decided to work on increasing my speed from a 20-minute mile, to less than 20 minutes. Didn't matter how much less, just that it was. By the end of the month I was regularly walking in the 16:50/mile range. Just by setting a smaller sub-goal to challenge myself, I was not only hitting my #simplegoals for the year, but getting a renewed sense of accomplishment each month as I checked off another goal. This month I decided I would take the first step to work my way up in mileage, by walking 1.25 miles every day, under 20 minutes. Not only is it good for my mental health, but I am noticing more stamina, less shortness of breath, and definitely better calf muscles. That's a win-win-win for simple goals!

How are you doing with your goals for the year?

Do you do a regular check-in to see how things are going?

It's not too late to set smaller goals for the remainder of the year!