Today – February 2, 2018 – is Groundhog Day. It’s also the midpoint of winter, which means we’re halfway to spring.
I don’t care much for January and February. Maybe it’s the inevitable let-down after the fall and holidays. I can’t say it’s because of the Indiana winter weather because even when I lived in San Diego, I didn’t like the early months of the year either. This time always feels a little off, and slightly melancholy.
Last year, at this time I wrote a piece called What’s Saving My Life Right Now. It’s a post that many bloggers write on February 2. The concept comes from author Barbara Brown Taylor. In her memoir Leaving Church, Taylor tells about a time she was invited to speak, and her host assigned her this topic: “Tell us what is saving your life right now.”
The idea behind this prompt is most of us know what’s bothering us and can articulate all those things pretty clearly (see above paragraph as proof). But, she says, few of us stop to note what’s giving us life. What are these things — whether little or big — that are helping us live our lives?
I enjoyed reflecting on the things that made me happy last year at this time. So at this midpoint of winter, I’m writing down the things that are giving me life today:
- My family, of course
- My health and my new-found physical strength
- Beautiful sunsets and sunrises
- The natural beauty that surrounds me (even if much of it is bare trees at the moment)
- Running
- New friends
- And old friends, too
- Walking my dogs
- Sun shining on the winter days
- Snow, especially when I get to watch it from my family room with a fire going
- The upcoming Power of Narrative conference in Boston
- Reading good books
- Watching Sophie grow and thrive
- Writing nightly in my “one line a day” journal
- Podcasts
- Music that makes me think
- My new Indiana project that’s launching soon (stay tuned …)
See you in a few short months, spring!
Tell me what’s saving your life right now. Or better yet, make your own list!