January Reflections
Happy February, friends! We made it through January!
Every January I set the goals I want to achieve throughout the new year. All that does is weigh me down in pressure and stress, so this year, I am approaching 2026 in a new way.
I still have goals, of course. Everyone should have goals. But instead of letting those goals lead me, I am going to let joy and happiness take the wheel. I know that I want to finish writing my second novel. I know that I want to read more books and have a youtube channel based around books and writing, and I know that I want to have a successful online bookshop. Lots of things.
But I also know that I want to grow in my faith and spend as much time with my family as I can because, as we all know, the time we have here on earth can be over in an instant, time lost with our loved ones is time we can never get back.
So, I am giving myself some grace by allowing myself to be lead by what is bringing me joy and happiness in the moment. I may not reach my goals as fast, but I will reach them without the restraints of focusing on the time it will take to reach the destination. I want to enjoy every moment of the journey. I have lived in a “rush rush” mentality for so long, I am ready to slow down and take in every moment as it comes.
This year I am prioritizing faith, family, the beauty of life, and my passion for writing and reading - everything I want to accomplish will fall as it may, where and when it’s meant to.
Cheers to a beautiful year ahead.
Memphis was heavily impacted by the winter storm last week - my kids have been out of school for a week and a half so far! I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t enjoyed being snowed in with hot cocoa and lots of extra weekday snuggles we don’t normally get.
What I’m Reading
I finished reading The Last Christmas in Paris - loved it. I have it 4 stars because through the middle the letter format got a little tedious for me but it was so worth sticking it out.
The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff - 5 stars! I talk about how this book made me ugly cry in one of my first YouTube videos on my new youtube channel, Kat’s Bookish Obsession.
The other two books I am currently switching back and forth between is All Adults Here by Emma Straub and Jenny Cooper has a Secret by Joy Fielding, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
Another honorable mention I’m reading is Winter: The Story of a Season by Val McDermid. It is a beautiful memoir honoring the cozy adventures winter has to offer.
Since I have hundreds of physical books on my bookshelves and hundreds of books on my kindle that I have yet to read, one of my goals this year is to read the books I already have instead of buying more.
I have already failed BUT, if a book is speaking to me then I’m okay with adding it to my library guilt-free.
What I’m Watching
Have you watched The Beast in Me on Netflix? If you haven’t, I highly recommend!
What I’m working on
A few fun things!
I continue to work on my second novel, as well as my online bookshop, the Cozy Couch Book Boutique and my book-centered youtube channel, Kat’s Bookish Obsession.
I’m getting to the point in my life where I’d rather focus on the things I am passionate about instead of bouncing around from hobby to hobby. Would it be amazing to have a full time career focused around my writing and books? Absolutely, yes. If it stays at hobby level, that’s okay too. Just being around it makes me happy, and that’s what matters.
I hope you all have a beautiful and productive month ahead!
P.S. If you haven’t already, check out this week’s author interview with fantasy author Orin Steele.