Avoiding My April Fool
fool noun - a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.
I certainly don’t want to be a fool. I think the easiest way to become one is to stop growing and learning.
Spring is definitely in the air. The sun is shining (most days), birds are chirping, the bulbs in my font garden are pushing through the dirt, buds are starting to form on trees. How can I grow or be renewed this spring?
I’ve decided to really hunker down the month of April and really be intentional with my personal growth. I think it’s always important to learn and grow, but sometimes it takes too much of a backseat to the ‘busy’ of life.
Here is my ‘to read’ pile for April:
100 Days to Brave - this is a daily devotional. I think it’s important to connect daily to yourself and your faith. It has prompts and space to write and reflect on thoughts.
Braving the Wilderness - Brené Brown is who I want to be when I grow up. I eat up all her books and podcasts, but haven’t read this one yet. Excited to add it to my repertoire.
You Are a Badass - The online summary reads: “27 bitesized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want” uhm… YES, PLEASE!!
Furiously Happy - The Bloggess is a blog I’ve ready for years and years. I bought this book ages ago to support her and never got around to it. It is her story about dealing with depression and crippling anxiety.
Everybody Always - If you haven’t heard Bob Goff laugh, you’re missing out on one of the true delights of this world. I’ve heard him speak in person a handful of times, and I just love his perspective on joy and love. '“Love people, even the difficult ones, without distinction and without limits.” If that isn’t an amazing goal, I don’t know what is.
Play with Fire - I bought this book at a women’s conference, not knowing at the time how much fire was actually coming to my life.
Why Buddhism is True - I came across this after reading another book. Don’t worry - I’m not trying to convert you or be converted, but this claims to help see the world and yourself more clearly, and that sounds really interesting to me.
Single. On Purpose. - the jacket claims “this isn’t an anti-relationship book, it’s a self-relationship book” and who doesn’t want an awesome relationship with themself?!
The Road Back to You - a friend highly recommended this an an exploration into your Enneagram number and what it says about you. Super interesting to understand myself more.
The Bible - I’ll be honest, this one usually doesn’t crack open unless I’m in an actual study, but my Bible app is front screen on my phone and it’s the first thing I read when I wake up. It’s good to stay grounded and start the morning with words of wisdom and truth.
Two not pictured that are on their way from Amazon:
Everything is F*cked - the follow up to the Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (mentioned below). I’m excited to see Mark’s spin in this book of hope and getting more honest and connected with the world around us.
The More of Less - my favorite Facebook page is Becoming Minimalist. Turns out he wrote a book! “The beauty of minimalism isn’t in what it takes away. It’s in what it gives.” Amen!
These are some of my recently finished books.
The Great Divorce - not about divorce! Super quick and short read, and anyone who watched The Good Place will notice some similarities. It’s a fictionalization of heaven and hell and provides some thought provoking ideas of what hell really is… and it makes you think about your choices and deciding to be ‘stuck’ somewhere.
The Divine Mentor - I read this with a group. It’s a good reminder to look for mentors and guidance in the actual bible. Really good reminder if you want to be more grounded in intentional faith.
Forgiving What You Can’t Forget & It’s Not Suppose to Be This Way - Y’all … Lysa Terkeurst spoke directly to my broken heart through these books. For anyone who has gone through a big trauma (divorce, death, etc.) or is struggling with reconciling a world that doesn’t look like the one they were planning, I cannot recommend these enough. Both have highlights and underlines galore.
Attached - Having not dated in over 14 years, the thought of being in a new relationship is intimidating. Exciting, but intimidating. Attached was super insightful learning my default attachment style and what to keep in mind and look for as the next chapter of my life unfolds.
Atomic Habits - This is a great read for anyone trying to create or better incorporate good habits into their life. Working out, daily reading, etc. There are good practical tips and things I hadn’t considered that were derailing some of my best efforts.
The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck - not pictured, because I did the audio book. This was my favorite read in a really long time. I joke with friends that all of my Fs left a long time ago, so this book was super validating with my mentality of not caring about mostly anything… except for the important stuff - that gets all my energy and intention. Super humorous, and a fun and light read for anyone trying to be everything to all people all the time.
This button MIGHT give me a few cents if you buy something.. if I did it right… but I really don’t care, because that’s not the point of this blog :)
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY…
I keep a project my son did a few years ago as a reminder.
Even in all the growing and learning I am doing, it’s important to remember the key to happiness: joy, understanding, patience, laughter, hugs, kisses, plenty of love and being GENEROUS with others.
