Reflection Questions

Some very honest responses to prompts for 2024

Reflection Questions*

1. Do I have an achievable goal?

In terms of goals, the only yearly goal I keep up with is my reading goal on Goodreads. I made my goal 56 books for the year. I ended up reading 58! I exceeded my goal, which is a first in a long time. This is also the most books I have read in a year in a Long time! This is my second highest reading year ever, exceeded only by 2019 when I read 62 books. I have been doing the Reading Challenge since 2016, best decision I have ever made in terms of helping my reading life. It has changed me in so many ways, for the better. I love tracking and remembering the books that have shaped and formed me, and discovering new authors who will forever be my friends. Thank you Goodreads for making me a better, more motivated, and much more self-aware reader. I also recommend taking the time to try to remember the books you read before Goodreads, something I did at one point as well. Now it’s more like “All the books I’ve ever read….” crazy to think about sometimes, but so fun for nerds like me. :)

2. Who Do I want to connect with?

My sister, my kids, a few friends from college who I’d like to call….

3. Can I choose a word or mantra to orient myself in this season?

Deepening. We are always deepening our commitment, our energy, our connections to God and others. This is my mantra for the end of the year. The new year? I have chosen the word READY. I am ready for the next phase of my life. I also want to make preparation a theme for life in the new year. This feels right to me.

4. What do I want to read, watch, or listen to by the end of the year?

On my list: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. That will get me to my reading goal!

My goal is to do a no-spend month other than GIFTS! Last year in TN, December was a very good reading month for me! But what if I just want to read cookbooks, write more, and chill out? Watch more movies and listen to more music and podcasts? I don’t really want to buy anything. I have a few books that I bought that I haven’t had time to read. The Norse Mythology and The God of the Woods come to mind. I will probably get some things at the library and coast to the end of the year! Little Free Libraries, don’t let me down!

5. What will set the tone I’m craving in my space?

This year I committed a FIRST. I decorated for Christmas *before* Thanksgiving. Literally, I have never done that before. It looks cozy and bright in my apartment. I’m happy with the little touches I have accumulated for the holiday. I have a Christmas candle collection now with seasonal smells when I’m not cooking or baking cookies. I bought a Christmas tree soap dispenser and a new seasonal doormat. Little tiny details! I pray for contentment and peace in this season, a time to think of others rather than idolize the perfectly decorated house.

6. What or who should I give some distance?

I noticed today that I’ve spent a lot of time this year listening to podcasts/audiobooks and playing wood puzzle on my phone. It’s ok if I’m multitasking- like walking or doing dishes. But just sitting and playing games? Probably I need some distance from this habit!

7. Do I have a uniform?

Hmmm….Nope! Maybe I need a uniform! I wear jeans a lot. I have an assortment of dresses and a few skirts. I’m not really thinking uniform at this point. This question is weird and odd to me, because it’s not a big part of my life to think about my wardrobe. I just wear what I wear. I’m sorry if that’s super uncool! I’m happy with my clothes, though.

8. What decision is lingering that needs to be resolved?

Our friend John Ault recently came up to us to chat at fellowship hour. He said “If you ever need marriage counseling, let me know.” Wow. We both said, “How did he know to say that?” We need to make a decision about starting counseling.

9. Is there something that will let me enjoy and not just survive this season?

I have been getting really excited about some recipe ideas, and I think cooking fun things will help me make it through. I have some meal ideas I want to do for sure- shrimp scampi, and Caprese salad with avocado. I also really want to make this special cheese-and-crackers recipe. You mix butter, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, parmesan and spice and bake it. Then you mix cream cheese, cheddar, onion, and mayo and bake it. Oh it looks so good! I also want to make my Grandma’s fruit salad. You cut up fresh fruit, add some canned fruit, mix it with whipped cream and mini marshmallows. YUM! Also pepperoni with cheese and cucumber on skewers. Also chex mix. I found a special recipe where you drizzle white chocolate and melted butterscotch chips over nuts, pretzels, and chex cereal. YUM! It will just be a fun appetizer charcuterie board for my kids, that feels like a party. Plus, I was thinking of doing Party Punch with rainbow sherbet, or maybe to make it easier, mini cokes and mini sprites. My kids will love it! A fun little Pre-Christmas celebration.

Connection with others has been an important touchstone this year. Participating in Bible Study and the church Holiday potluck have been so pleasant. I love my friends here, and I’m more thankful everyday for the community I have built here.

10. What am I looking forward to next?

What am I NOT looking forward to right now?! There is so much on the horizon for me and Chris, it’s kind of RIDICULOUS.

First, getting married. Then, a little mini-honeymoon to celebrate being married!

We will have Post-Christmas celebrations in Rhode Island, I believe. Then moving. There is SO MUCH to look forward to!!! Decorating for the holidays, Molly helping with the mural, moving in and furnishing and decorating the house. How am I doing anything other than preparing these days?! I have been bogged down by the paperwork and scheduling appointments and mostly just WORKING all the time, but soon we will pause, catch our breath, and really get down to business in the preparation department.

My second life is about to begin. My in-between life in an apartment languishing is about to END. I’m entering into a new era. My second family era. My Pearce era! Crazy to think about, but very exciting and beautiful. The house is in Potsdam, closer to work, church, and all the stores and coffee shops and restaurants and parks and hiking trails!

I need to shop for Christmas presents, and Molly’s 17th (!!!) birthday is also on the horizon, mid-January. Planning and party and some gifts will certainly be in order in addition to moving. My oldest and youngest girls will have birthdays a couple weeks apart!

THEN, I think my Mom is coming to visit. So that’s another fun thing to plan for on the horizon. I really hope and pray moving goes well. I will just focus on making a house a home, and turning an empty white space into a luxurious nest.

11. How was your writing year?

This is my nineteenth Substack post this year. Considering there are 52 weeks in a year, I really could have done better! I imagined I was writing here every other week or so, but it’s more like a little more than once a month.

I have gotten MUCH more faithful with journaling this year. I write in my personal journal almost every single day. If I don’t get around to handwritten entries, I usually type out a journal entry on Google Docs. It has been such a valuable practice for memory tracking, self-awareness, and emotional stability. As I wrote about recently on Substack, I have been trying to modify my writing strategy, but I have depended mostly on the Stream of Conscious method from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way, with Morning Pages holding down the fort.

I am still writing my novel, Adagio Tears about a trip to NYC. It has been a fun project to dip back into and edit and re-edit. I have 34 pages,12,400 words, and 5 1/2 chapters at this point.

I am still writing a little poetry from time to time. Last year, I wrote several songs, this year I have been really slowing down with making music. I like to practice keyboard here and there, other hobbies include painting and baking! :)

Review of 2024- Books, Music, TV, Movies

I already did a book post, but I am sure there are more books that I will want to include in my final wrap-up.

All of the books I read this year:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (reread)

Wintering by Katherine May

The Andy Cohen Diaries by Andy Cohen

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa Terkuerst

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Unmasking Narcissism by Mark Ettensohn

Devotion by Dani Shapiro

Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton

Tripping With Allah by Michael Muhammad Knight

Spare by Prince Harry

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Death by Finding: Diaries by David Sedaris

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

No Dream is Too High by Buzz Aldrin

Small Victories by Anne Lamott

The Scarlet Professor by Barry Werth

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Just Kids by Patti Smith

All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore

Somehow by Anne Lamott

Rebel Rising by Rebel Wilson

M Train by Patti Smith

The Understory by Lore Wilbert

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks

Land of A Thousand Hills by Rosamund Halsey Carr

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Here if You Need Me by Kate Braestrup

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman

Something Special by Iris Murdoch

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

Shopgirl by Steve Martin

Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day by Kate Bowler

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

Bloomability by Sharon Creech

Pearce Oysters by Joselyn Takacs

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon

I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama by Bob Odenkirk

All Fours by Miranda July

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop

Have you read any of these?

Music/Listening:

The new Ben Folds Christmas album “Sleigher”

The new Blind Pilot album, “In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain”

The brand new Mipso album “Gas in the Tank: Live”

The brand new Milk Carton Kids Christmas Album
I’m trying to get Cardinals at the Window: A Benefit Album for Flood Relief in Western North Carolina…. so many amazing artists,

Audiobooks this year: Carrie Soto, Yellowface, All Fours, Be Ready When the Luck Happens

Podcasts this year: I want you to know that I unsubscribed from about 15 podcasts recently. I still have a ton of listens, but I don’t listen EVERY week to all of these.

My biggest hits (every week, basically without fail):

Armchair Expert

At Home With Sally

What Should I Read Next

Awesome Today

My top-tier podcasts (almost every week- if the topic sounds good):

10 Things to Tell You, Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, Lazy Genius, My Favorite Murder, Smartless, That Sounds Fun, The Next Right Thing, A Drink With a Friend, From the Front Porch, Currently Reading, Conan Needs a Friend, Speaking With Joy, A Beautiful Mess

My podcasts for when I come up short with the regulars (once in a blue moon):

Up and Vanished, That Was Us, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Fly on the Wall, TED Talks Daily, Novel Pairings, All Songs Considered, The Working Songwriter with Joe Pug, Fresh Air, Happier in Hollywood, All the Books! From Book Riot, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Read-Aloud Revival

What am I missing?? 🙂

TV:

This is Us— BACKLIST alert! Completely hooked and invested. This is a wonderful revisit if you’re looking for something you may have missed. Excellent chance to peer into the lives of a family with issues like weight struggles, alcoholism, depression, anxiety, entitlement, and post-traumatic stress from war.

Nobody Wants This

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody made a big splash this year with this show. I’m going to step out as the loaner on the internet who was not a fan of this show. It mixed sex and religion in an uncomfortable way. The podcast she participates in was just too inappropriate for my taste. The humor was also a little forced, and in the first few episodes the famous chemistry between them seemed forced to me as well. Perhaps it grows on you in later episodes, but I didn’t stick around to find out.

Great British Baking Show

Chris and I are watching The Great British Baking Show together. We have had some hilarious conversations, mostly involving deep philosophical questions about yeast and ground meat.

Movies: (a lot were with my kids!)

Rewatches: Before Sunrise, Napoleon Dynamite, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Aristocats

New-to-me:

Because of Winn-Dixie

Boyhood

One Love (Bob Marley)

The Simpsons movie

Where’d You Go Bernadette

Where the Crawdads Sing

Identity Thief

Unfrosted

Rad

Want to see: Bob Dylan Movie A Complete Unknown~ Comes out Christmas Day and as a huge fan of his music, I absolutely cannot wait for this Biopic that looks amazing from the previews!

welp, that’s it for a 2024 recap/wrap-up. Leave me a comment if you want to connect!

*These prompts borrowed from Laura Tremaine’s instagram/podcast 10 Things to Tell you, with question 11 added by me :)