Ham Week reflections
+ some basic bitch 2024 aspirations, ideas, links, and apps
I haven’t washed my hair since Christmas Eve, have barely worn shoes in a fortnight and ate Pavlova for second breakfast this morning. I gotta tell you, I never feel more ‘me’ than in this annual period of blur.
There are a few things I find myself doing throughout this rest/restore period. First, I purge. Wretched thread-bare towel that we never reach for? See ya later. Cables and mini screwdrivers and scratched-up cookware and pointless ladles? Get out of my life.
Next, I walk and listen. Sneakers are strapped on, AirPods are inserted and off I go. It’s like I’m walking off the year while absorbing new ideas that I might like to take into 2024. Move and mull, move and mull, move and mull.
I loved this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast on the 6 questions to ask yourself for instant clarity and insight to make 2024 your best year yet
and this episode of our podcast with our white witch Bec Jurss about change, seasons of life, the roles we play, ‘returning to seed’, and all the juicy woo-woo things to make you feel all the feels!
Then, I write - thoughts in my notes app, scribblings on post-it notes - random things like “GO TO THE MAGIC”. Yup, this is the shit that comes to me, and I swear if any of you laugh right now, so help me God.
This year I’ve gone balls to the wall and printed this 29-page workbook. It’s Mel Robbins’ (yes, her again!) signature year-end printable where you take a look back at your past year and use that wisdom to make your 2024 plan. It’s free and it’s fabulous and certainly worth a crack if you feel like reflecting or setting clear intentions for the new year.
I also start falling in love with reading again. Here’s a little list of books I’ll be buying/have already ordered from my local library:
Olive by Emma Gannon
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
Hagitude: reimagining the second half of life by Sharon Blackie
The Guest by Emma Cline
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
And yes, I’ve made a (loose) pact with myself to read 10 pages per day next year. Will I do it? Can I commit? Time will tell, but my strategy is to have a solid list of books ready to go at all times. Stop sniggering.
Then, I re-shuffle my phone’s home screens to reflect the things I want to prioritise in 2024. That means my gym, pedometer, library, and meditation apps are all front and centre each time I stare at my phone. Insight Timer is the free guided meditation app that I love the most. Last year, I really got into it (for all of three weeks), but once again, I’m determined to click on one 5-min med each day, because honestly, it feels amazing to lay flat on my back and zone out. Dane walked in on me the other night and promptly walked back out. End of year Lise makes him nervous, I can tell, particularly when I stand outside in the back yard under a full moon ‘grounding’ myself, barefoot on the lawn, or when I wake up at 5:50am to read ten pages of a new book. Keep ‘em on their toes, I say.
For the first time ever, I’ve also signed up to a 21-day manifesting challenge. I can feel your eye rolls from here but hear me out. It came highly recommended from a trusted friend who does it EVERY SINGLE YEAR with her teenage daughter. It’s run by Gabby Bernstein, a NYT bestselling author, coach, and one of Oprah’s ‘new thought leaders’. Look, I’m in hook, line and sinker and will absolutely report back. It cost me $37 and that’s worth it to sate my curiosity alone. I just checked my welcome email and if you use the code FRIEND50 you get 50% off the price. Zero kickbacks for me, I assure you. I don’t know Gabby from a bar of soap. I just figure you may as well spend $18.50 less than I did, amiright?!
That’s it from me for 2023! I hope today’s newsletter has given you a few new ideas or at least a good giggle. I’m nothing if not a hopeful and excitable basic binch and I’m A-OK with that!
See you on the flip side,
x Lise