Adventures Big & Small

Photos from a recent adventure

I just started listening to Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam, and one of the ideas she mentioned was planning 2 adventures each week: one big and one small. As I was listening to her describe the rule, I thought about what I had planned this week and realized that I had a few adventures planned without thinking of them in that way. It really helped shift my mindset to realize that I do have some fun and novel things planned, and I'm curious to experiment with adding this to the routine, particularly as we are settling into a new city. I feel like I've plateaued a bit the last few weeks even though things are finally starting to feel settled down. I hit a point where I missed our Colorado friends and my old job, even if I feel like this move and taking time to be at home is right for us in the long run. Thinking through new adventures in this new phase of life is a way to balance some of this feeling of discomfort that always accompanies big changes.

My big adventure this week was going on a (toddler) long hike to a new spot with some new friends. The hike culminated in a stream and there was something so magical about splashing in the creek with Avi and our friends, and seeing her climb on to stumps and logs and jump off. We saw deer, hawks, woodpeckers, and lizards. There were definitely lots of hard moments of Avi not wanting to walk or being too tired, but overall I would rate it a successful adventure to explore somewhere new and see how capable she really was.

My smaller adventure this week will be to check out a book club organized by a local bookstore. Joel and I went into the store last week, and I heard the owner discussing it, so I'm looking forward to chatting books with some new people. Is anyone else drawn to the idea of two weekly adventures? If so, what are some recent adventures of yours?

Comments

Two November Experiments

Avi as a strawberry for Halloween. Since I'm feeling a bit more in a routine work and schedule wise, I've decided to try two experiments this month. I've been thinking about both of them for a while, and I think I have the bandwidth to try them out this month. Experiment #1: The Seven Minute Workout I struggle to get into exercise routines. It's not my highest priority, but I always do feel more energetic on the days I exercise. I've decided to do the seven minute HIIT workout everyday in November to see how it feels. It definitely gets my heart rate up without feeling too hard, and it's easy to fit in right before I shower in the morning. Although I've done this workout intermittently, I'm curious to see what it feels like to make this a daily habit. Experiment #2: Time Block Planning at Work Attempt #1 I read Deep Work by Cal Newport earlier this year, and I've also been listening to his podcast recently. In both the book and podc

Some Favorite Reads of 2020

Reading is a core part of my identity, and I'm glad that I was able to read a lot of great books this year. I also loved seeing reading through Avi's eyes as a way to make sense of the world and learn new words. All that being said, I thought I'd share a few favorites from this year: My favorites: * The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. This book hooked me from the beginning. I'm a sucker for well-written books with multiples perspectives and timelines, and this was deserving of all the hype it got this year. I also gifted it to my mom for her birthday, and she devoured it too! It's the story of two identical twin sisters who go down two different paths in life and split directions when one of the sisters decides to pass for white and leaves her past behind. Bennet's other book The Mothers is definitely on my to read list. * The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. This was a beautifully written fantasy book that contained an

August Goals

The plus side of not writing this post until August 8th is that I've already got started on lots of these goals! August is always a big month of transition for our family. Joel's starting a new semester of grad school and TA-ing, and it's the start of a new school year for me. Back to school looks very different with Covid. Both of us are starting the year virtually, and so I'm trying to think creatively about ways to connect with a new group of students and families. This year Avi's starting at daycare too! It's the first time she's ever been cared for outside of our home, but so far we've been really happy with her teachers and the set up. I think she will love being around other kiddos too. Given all these big changes, and the air of uncertainty that comes with back to school this year, I tried to focus on goals that would support overall well-being without being too ambitious. My biggest goal for the month is to give ourselves time and comp

Eye to Wonder

Search This Blog