September’s 10 Things

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 10/5/20.

Can you believe it’s October? Can you believe it’s only October?

Time is weird right now. There is a lot of messaging out there about “just wanting 2020 to be over.” And the sentiment of the message is very valid as it’s been a rough year for so many people.

But last week, there was something about the beginning of October that made me pause. We are entering into the final stretch/last couple months of the year. And while I don’t necessarily want to slow down time, I also don’t want to just let this time pass me by. I want to be more intentional about making memorable moments happen.

One of the ways I’m doing this is with an informal monthly recap to catalog some of the memories (big and small, good and bad, funny and serious) that happen in the span of a month. I did this for the first time last week. One night, I scrolled through my camera roll to look at photos captured in September, referenced at my calendar and quickly jotted down a list of memories. Maybe I was feeling particularly introspective that night (or maybe it was the wine), but it ended up being a lot of fun.

I enjoyed the activity so much that I wanted to share with you today. My hope is that you’ll consider trying it out too. Then, by the end of the year, we’ll have four lists of memorable things that happened in these last months of 2020. 

If you are interested,  take out a piece of paper or start a note on your phone and begin jotting down 5-10 things that happened this month. It helped me to look at photos and my calendar, but maybe you want to reference your texts or social media posts. 

Ask yourself, what were some of my favorite moments from the month? What did I learn? What content (books, podcasts, movies) really resonated with me? Did anything hard happen this month? 

If you try this out and like it, I would love to hear about it! And in case you are curious, here are my 10 (very) random things from September. 

My 10 Things for September:

1. I started meditating this month! I heard about Ziva Meditation in August and became really interested in their 14-day online training. I completed the course this month and am maintaining a daily practice that works for me right now! Loving it. 
2. Completely random, but I learned a magical tip for taking care of hydrangeas. When they start to wilt, clip the stems a bit and fill the vase with hot water. I did this before going to bed one night and by the morning, I had brand-new flowers! (Will post a picture on Instagram for proof)
3. The two (non-fiction) books that had the biggest impact on me this month were Burning Bright by Kelsey J. Patel and Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam. Highly recommend both. 
4. I just love my new belt bag so much that I even got one for my mom (I have the pink color and she has the black – hope they restock soon!).
5. My favorite social activity from this month was going out to dinner with friends. We picked a new restaurant, got a few bottles of wine and slowly made our way through a variety of items on the menu. It was so indulgent and SO much fun! 
6. My favorite solo activity from this month also involved restaurants: a couple times this month, I got out of my apartment by heading to a nearby restaurant with a book. I read, had a glass of wine (sometimes an appetizer), and it was so delightful! 
7. Speaking of “solo,” I did not do anything on the dating front this month. I got a bit upset/discouraged with myself at one point, but I gave myself some grace. Things will happen as they are supposed to! 
8. I started turning my phone on Do Not Disturb during my workouts, in the morning before work and on the weekends. Such a nice mental break!
9. My favorite podcasts I listened to during September included anything Brene Brown/Unlocking Us and Freckled Foodie and Friends (new-to-me pod about all things wellness).
10. My favorite songs to run to this month were really random: I’m still running to Hamilton (specifically, Nonstop and Wait For It) and I added Together by Sia and Almost (Sweet Music) by Hozier to the end-of-run rotation.

Want to receive a note like this to your inbox every Monday at 6 AM EST? Sign up here! If you don’t receive the email, please check your spam or junk folder. 

Have feedback, thoughts or a question you want addressed in an upcoming newsletter? Drop an anonymous note to my mailbox here!