Everything I Read in February

I struggled to read this month. I tried to read some different fiction. I struggled through a few non-fiction book. I enjoyed perusing some cookbooks (reading, but of a different sort). I finished with a great fiction book, but even though I enjoyed it, I had to work to finish it. Anyway, here's the list for this month:

11. Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell—This is a short, condensed book about leadership. Comprised of ten questions and their answers, it tackles issues like growth, influence, efficiency, discipline, and priorities. Maxwell asserts that being a leader is ultimately about raising up leaders. Legacy, he states, is when the things a leader starts live on after him. That is a high aim, but one to work toward. Reading Leadership 101 is a place to start.

12. Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie—This was a GOOD book, not overly theological, but with scriptural and spiritual content, for sure. Each devotional advocates against the “Perfectibility Paradigm,” the idea that trying harder will eventually make a person holy, righteous, and deserving of the “good life.” The devotional readings challenge readers with a “good enough step” to take in the journey of sanctification with each entry, however. This book felt like a warm hug for a striving perfectionist like me. It encouraged me to consider that life itself is “good enough,” or as the authors write, already having “what it takes to make something good happen.” I recommend this book and have it on my “to-gift list” for some of my good friends.

13. The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay S. Nixon—I read this cookbook during a period of egg-flation, in hopes of learning more recipes to make with tofu. What I discovered was a goldmine of “my type” of recipes: low-fat, whole grain, mostly simple, and vegetable-heavy. Nixon bakes with more sugar than I do, and I do not regularly stock ingredients like chickpea flour, miso, nutritional yeast, or TVP. Still, I already made the cornbread from the book, and I would probably make more recipes if I owned the cookbook (rather than checking it out from the library). If I ever decide to go more vegan again, this would be a great resource!

14. The Flirtation Experiment: Putting Magic, Mystery, and Spark into Your Everyday Marriage by Lisa Jacobson and Phylicia Masonheimer—I’ll be honest. I resisted this book a little bit. It’s my job to keep the romance alive in my marriage. No, but as the authors state, I can only control myself, and if romance is something I want, it’s my responsibility to put in the work. Maybe my husband will respond. Maybe not.

The two wives in this book are from different generations. Trading off chapters, they share how they “experimented” on their own husbands to try to bring romance back. In each chapter, they cover a different topic, sharing their own experiment, scripture to support it, and how it went. Occasionally, there are sections where the husbands reply. The authors share honestly. These experiments were challenging. They were also healing for their marriages. That is the hope they are offer readers in their writing—that maybe a flirtation experiment  will bring about more than just romance, but also renewed love and commitment as well.

15. Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron—I read this book because I wanted to read a book about running. I thought it would be good for me to read a cross-cultural book. This book, about fictional runner Jean Patrick, did expose me to the culture of Rwanda. The author wrote beautifully about the country, and the story was redemptive, even with scripture. I learned about some of the horrors of the Rwandan genocide. This was a hard book to read, though, The cultural references were thick, and I did not always follow. Bloodshed was heavy. There was swearing and sex. The author, a Tucson, Arizona resident, must have done a very lot of research to write this book, and she did it well, so well she won the Bellwether Prize awarded by Barbara Kingsolver. Even so, I cannot run the risk of recommending this book. It is too dark and too rife with unchristian things. Better to avoid the rifts one could cause in one's soul by reading.

16. The No Meat Athlete Cookbook: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts—And the Rest of Your Life by Matt Frazier and Stephanie Romine—This was, and wasn't the book I was looking for. I wanted a book to help me understand how to fuel from a more plant-based foundation. What I found was a cookbook full of somewhat complicated main dish recipes, and one treasure trove chapter (chapter seven) about plant-based fuel for workouts. This is what I was looking for! I definitely took notes from this chapter. All in all, though, the rest of the book was just a good culinary cookbook for vegans. Buying this cookbook is a no-go for me. Reading it from the library was helpful in seeing ways I could add more plants to my life, however.

17. Waymaker: Finding Your Way to the Life You’ve Always Dreamed Of by Ann Voskamp—In another poignant treatise on life, Voskamp explores addiction, attachment, and struggle, things that point to God as WayMaker. Voskamp lays out her SACRED way, revealing how it came to her even through times of pain in her marriage, and fears that cropped up as her family adopted Shiloh, a baby from China with big heart needs. Voskamp points out the deep human need for attachment to God and others. She reveals how struggle makes ways for intimacy that nothing else could. Voskamp writes in her usual thick, imagistic language, but the book also makes space to point out poignant quotes, and the SACRED way is truly applicable for everyday life. It took me a while to make my way through this book, but is that not the way of life? Learning as we go? Learning about God, self, and others? This book is a thick read, but worth it.

18. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen—Jessica loses her leg in an accident. She was an up and coming high school runner, but not now. Maybe not ever. This book chronicles her struggles, to get back to school, to get back to walking, and to get back to running. The book showcases more than recovery, though. It showcases teamwork, abilities disabilities, and even has a sweet surprise way that Jessica returns to running. The book is easy to read, yet contains some timeless truths and quotable quotes. I haven't read young adult literature in a while, and this one, written by a teacher and runner herself, was a dream!

19. Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon Training by Hal Higdon—More then just a training guide, this is a compilation of the stories of many half-marathon runners, from beginner to advanced. While I did not find the training information that different from what is available for free on the Hal Higdon website, I did enjoy reading the tidbits from other runners. The “Tween” and “Do-It-Yourself Training” chapters are unique. From a champion marathon runner and long-time journalist, this is a decent book, but more for beginner runners than those wanting to shatter personal records.

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Does anyone have tips for reading when they don't want to read? Or is the solution to just let the season pass? I know that reading is good for me, and when I don't do it, I tend to do less productive things. Maybe the issue is just that I am not very motivated.

Lent 2023: Less for More

My favorite holiday awaits: Easter. But first, Lent. That season of lack. That season of giving up, clearing out, cleaning out. Intentional fasting to make more room for Jesus.

I struggle with Lent every year. I don't want to give things up. Most years, though, the Lord shows me something I need to give up. And He shows up when I do.

Fasting is a choice. It is not required. In fact, biblically speaking, fasting is never commanded by Jesus (Anderson, 2021). Fasting is, however, expected. In the Bible, fasting is a response to sin, a way to mourn, and a way to seek God's face for favor and fulfillment. That last part is where I want to land this year. I want to approach Lent not ascetically, but with a heart that hungers for the spiritual more than the physical. A heart that is filled and contented with Jesus.

I can tend towards ascetism, especially during Lent. This year, I want to focus on enjoying what I have. I want to focus on how deprivation can lead me to indulge more in God and His goodness (Rubin, 2023). God is always enough. He is always here. He always provides. While I simplify my life more during Lent, though, I hope I see this more. So here's to the less of Lent and the more of Jesus. May God bless it for His name's sake. Amen.

References:

Anderson, J. (2021, September 19). "Mark 2:18-22 - Divine Truth & Human Tradition Do Not Mix" [Audio recording]. Grace Bible Church. https://www.gbcaz.org/sermon/mark-218-22-divine-truth-human-tradition-do-not-mix/

Rubin, G. (2023, January 3). Trying Dry January? Turn deprivation into indulgence. Gretchen Rubin. https://gretchenrubin.com/articles/turn-deprivation-into-indulgence/

Keeping Heads Warm

How it started...

I offered to make some ear warmers for my friend's daughter:

Crochet chained ear warmer (Easy Crochet)

Beginner friendly crochet ear warmer (Oombawka Design Crochet)

Crochet ear warmer (Stitching Together)

And I got a little obsessed with all the free patterns out there.

Puffed crochet headband (Easy Crochet)

Sophora headband (Burgundy and Blush)

Easy textured earwarmer (Simply Hooked by Janet)

How it's going:

I made myself an ear warmer, but it turned out child-sized.

Twisted crochet ear warmer headband (Sarah Maker)

Determined, I tried again.

Crochet twist headband (Easy Crochet)

This one actually fit!

So I made a few more:

Sailor's knot headband (Crafting for Weeks)

Easy summer headband (Crafting for Weeks)

Crochet headband with cross pattern (Joy of Motion Crochet)

Needless to say, I will have no problems keeping my head warm. And you know what? I had fun making these. All these took were a little internet research, scrap yarn, and time. A heart-warming endeavor, if you ask me.

My Favorite Running Podcasts

I wrote about some of my recent training and nutrition strategies in my Mesa Marathon 10K recap. I haven't learned that on my own. I have picked it up from professionals, mostly professionals on podcasts. (I spend a lot of time commuting, and listening is therefore a good way for me to learn.) So that others might benefit, I thought I would share some of my favorites:

Ali on the Run (A mix of inspirational running stories from pros and regular people)

Fuel for the Sole (Real life running advice from two coaches and a sports dietitian)

C Tolle Run (Mostly runner stories)

Nail your Nutrition (Nutrition advice from two sports dietitians and athletes)

Running Explained (Not one I listen to every week, but helpful as reference for specific topics)

Run to the Top (Another good reference podcast)

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If you listen to podcasts, please let me know if you have any favorites (running or not). And if you listen to any of these, please let me know your favorite episodes!

Happy Heart's Day!

I have never been much for celebrating Valentine's Day. I haven't liked what it's stood for, and I hate the commercialism of it. But in this current season of life, I am up for celebrating anything and everything, even silly holidays. Since today is a work day, I took to celebrating Valentine's Day with my love on Saturday, our date day. I themed the day with hearts, but with a twist, in that each time I gave my husband something heart-shaped, I tried to tell him something I appreciated about him. I almost forgot with the first one, though!

I started that day with a heart-shaped Hershey's chocolate chip caramel Kreme doughnut. (Thank you, Krispy Kreme for the Valentine's Day theme!) I had some heart shaped Cheerios on hand as a back-up, less sugary breakfast.

I attempted to make pizza with heart shapes for dinner (pan pepperoni pizza for him and thin crust radish pizza for me).

We did some date night questions from our heart jar.

Then we made a Valentine's Day cookie house (since we never got around to a gingerbread house this Christmas).

All in all, a fun day, and a day worth celebrating. I guess not every day can be that way, but maybe we can find ways to celebrate a little every day? Especially with/for those we love?

Real Life Marriage: Exercise

Having an active spouse was on my list of dreams when it came to marriage. When my (now) husband and I were friends, and then dating, we spent a lot of time walking and hiking. We even got engaged on a hike! I had hoped that we would be able to carry on with getting in our physical activity together after marriage. That hasn't exactly been the case. There are lots of reasons why joint physical activity has fallen by the wayside. We are both very busy, and our schedules don't often align. We have different weather tolerances, etc. Bottom line, when we get to hike and be active together, I enjoy it, but it doesn't happen often. That leaves me in a conundrum. Exercise is important to me, but should I still do it if my husband can't do it with me?

For the most part, I try to exercise when my husband is busy with other things. Sometimes, I do it early in the morning. Other times, I try to do it while he is otherwise in another activity, either out with friends, doing his studies, or something else. Sometimes, though, like when I have a long run before a big race, my exercise time takes from time we could spend together.

Thankfully, my husband recognizes that exercise is important to me. I have not had to argue my case for making time for exercise. I have still had to rectify the time I spend for myself, though. Is it okay that I take time away from us to do my own thing? At this point, I have decided, "Yes." The benefits of exercise help me feel better, and in turn, that increases my frustration tolerance so that I take less out on my husband (not okay, but something that happens when I get stressed and don't cope appropriately.) Having less pain and discomfort make me more able to do things that benefit our marriage, like cooking, cleaning, etc. The joy exercise brings me hopefully helps me be a nicer person with whom to spend time. Sometimes, exercise gives us alternative chances to spend time together, whether it be traveling to races, waiting for medal ceremonies, or something else. And sometimes, like with last year's Patriot Run, races give me something to share with my husband. (In that case, it was coffee, which he drinks more than me.) In that case, I got the joy of running and of giving a gift I received. Hopefully my husband benefitted from both.

Exercise. I think it's beneficial when I get to do it with my husband. I also think it's good for me to do just on my own. Exercise is an endeavor that benefits both of us, both separately and together. 

Center: 30 Day Yoga with Adriene Challenge Review

I am not sure I actually enjoyed this challenge. It wasn't the challenge, necessarily. It was me. I had a lot on my plate this spring with training for races. I already knew I had limited time during the week due to my work schedule. And I chose to do the challenge anyway.

What Is This Challenge Anyway?

The Yoga with Adriene Challenge is a yearly challenge to do yoga everyday in January. Adriene Mischler, a yoga personality, actress, and entrepreneur, curates and films a collection of practices and then posts them free on YouTube. People who subscribe to her newsletter can get a daily note about the practice, and then do it. The idea is to make yoga more accessible, and incorporate yoga more into daily life. Each year's collection has a theme to unify it. The theme this year was, "Center."

What I Liked About the Challenge

The practices in this journey were a little shorter than in some of her journeys. (Most were 30 minutes or less). Adriene wrote about her intentionality with this in one of her newsletters. She wanted to make the practices easier to integrate into everyday life. I liked that Mischler also included some fitness elements in these practices, like building of core strength, some Pilates-like moves, and even a few push-ups. Some of the quotes in her newsletters were quite moving. I think that is part of what keeps people coming back to Yoga with Adriene. She has a sassy, sweet personality that makes it fun and inspiring to practice with her.

What I Didn't Like About This Challenge

The daily practices were just too long for me. I prefer around 10 minutes maximum. Many days, I did about ten minutes of the practice in the morning, and then I did the other minutes of the video in the evening. I sometimes benefitted from the evening practice, and sometimes really disliked the fact that it extended my to-do list for the evening (but I was bound and determined to finish once I started). Mischler did make a few inappropriate, or borderline-inappropriate jokes (though less than in other journeys) which I could have done without. Nothing striking made me dislike the challenge.

What I Learned

I think I learned through this that I like yoga, but that every day is too much, at least with my life as it is now. Maybe one or two practices a week benefit me, but other than that, running and my other exercise is enough. On the flip side, this journey showed me that I struggle with stillness (I often looked at my phone to read or did my own stretches and foam rolling during slow times), so maybe I actually need more yoga. I guess my takeaway is that I need to center my practices around what matters to me. Right now, that is not yoga every day. Will it be some day in the future? I don't know. Will I do another yoga journey? I don't know. I think I need to consider my priorities and what really matters to me if and when that time comes. (Next year, Mischler?)