I’m a January girl. Naturally, I had to do a quick search to find out if there were any songs about me, and surprise, there is!
Lord Kitchener’s January Girls from 1956. It’s a pretty smooth tune, but don’t listen to it if you were born in any month besides January. I guess that leaves out most of you.
All that to say: I really love January.
Now, I’m not much on New Year’s resolutions because we all know how those work out. Step 1: Bold goal. Step 2: Start strong. Step 3: Fail absolutely.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to improve or better yourself in some way. I’m just thinking that you ought to start small and build on that. Choose one little thing to make into a daily habit and then build off of it. This year, I accidentally began to build muscle (thanks to a workout group I joined because I needed friends and community while in Austria). It wasn’t long before I was working out more at home, too, because Gosh I needed to be able to keep up with my group on Monday nights!
Etsy workout clothing swoons:
Okay, so I just want to tell you up front that I found these shops on my own and I’m gushing over them on my own accord. I can’t promise you anything about these articles of clothing except that they caught my eye. After all, my mini goal for 2016 is to keep getting strong.
Headband by TrueNorthCollection.
I have something to admit. I don’t have any headbands right now, and I’ve been doing something super ghetto. I’ve slashed a band of fabric off an old skirt, and I’ve been wrapping it a few times around my head with a jaunty little knot. It looks athletic, and it works. But let’s be honest, TrueNorthCollection headband would be much more ideal.
Never would I ever call myself athletic or an exerciser, but I think both terms have found me. And I’m not even that frou-frou of a girl (super girly, pink, bows, make-up all the time). I like this tank, though, because it’s a bit more truthful about me if we’re going to be honest. I like being strong and pretty.
Don’t you dare tell me that you’ve never imagined being a mermaid. If you haven’t, we can’t be friends. Okay, kidding. But honestly, I adore these leggings because I’d probably wear them always because mermaid.
If anyone’s feeling generous, I’d be happy to provide you with sizes and shipping address. Now, where did I leave that winking emoji?
GUYS, 2016 is a LEAP YEAR.
So this year, you have 366 new days, which means 366 new chances.
So why don’t you make things happen in this 2016? Why not? What does it look like for you to live courageously and boldly?
Okay, okay. I’ll stop with the quotes and brave words. And move on to other things that are materialistically inspiring because not only are we meant to be inspired mentally and spiritually but we live in a physical world.
Favorite Food: Spice Cake
Perhaps it’s because my grandmother loved spice cake or maybe it’s because in January you still need the warm comfort of these cozy spices topped with sweet frosting. Now I haven’t tried the recipe for this cake here, but it’s one that I would try. Because YUM. But I do think I’d leave out the raisins…
Current Jam:
Current Book in My Bag: Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans
And now some humor for you. Something between winter and exercise.
As you venture into this new year whether it began with a hangover or a quiet morning of thoughtfulness, may you take tiny steps (even if they wobble) towards living a life that is sustainable and beautiful for you. May you release yourself from impractical and guilt-inducing expectations, learning kindness and grace towards yourself and your community.
Courage, 2016!
Leave a Reply