Life, Writing, Work, and Joy updates for Jan. 2026
I’m typing this update on my phone, in the car and with a fully reclined seat (because I refuse to give in to tech-neck).
Adrian and I just got out of a passport appointment. After finding out that the post office was two minutes away from the trendiest neighborhood in town, decided to get an early lunch.
The thing about early lunches though is that you often have to wait for your favorite afternoon menu items to become an option before you head in.
Hence the car-phone-update thing we have going on here.
After our impromptu lunch date, the plan is to get back home, write, make platform content, train, then finish up some planning for tomorrow.
I also need to catch up on my reading for a book club meeting this weekend. Hopefully I can get through at least half the book before the meeting so I actually look like I know what I’m talking about.
That would be nice.
So, here we are.
Grab a blanket, settle in, and let’s dive into the first month of ‘26.
…
Lunch update:
It was amazing and we decided that it would be our Valentine’s Day dinner.
THE LIFE
January has felt long. Like there were actually several bonus months through the past few weeks no one cared to tell me about.
To tell you the truth, though, it’s been really nice.
After the aftershocks of December came and went, I’ve found a lot of time to focus on the big projects I have coming up.
I also have had more time to spend with Adrian and my family, which has been amazing.
It’s crazy to think that I was running a classroom this time last year. I was stressed, overwhelmed, and terrified to skip in the off chance I would have one less day to stay home if, God forbid, I was deathly ill at some point in the future.
Fast forward to today, and I just made a mid-morning appointment, had a lovely dinner with my amazing Adrian, and got to spend the rest of the day doing what I love.
No lesson plans, sub instructions, or behavioral referrals required.
Just me and my work.
It’s been magical.
Adrian and I also made time this month to go visit my family in Texas. Moments like watching my baby cousin eat his first mouthful of cotton candy on the deck of a freezing pier and catching up on my family’s stories are definitely ones I’ll remember fondly for the rest of my days.
Lucky for us, we made it out just before the freeze.
Lucky for me, I should stay. Adrian was sad he missed another chance to play in the snow. I was just happy to not become a human ice pop.
Maybe next time, Love.
THE WRITING
I forgot how much I love to write.
I feel like I could write for hours on end, letting the time tick by and my coffee cup slowly drain while I put thought to paper.
(*Was going to write ‘thought to doc’, but it sounded too on the nose.)
What I’m working on now is what to steer content towards and how to do it on a schedule.
I want to write about so many things, but I question if anyone would make use of what I create.
Would anyone care?
Then again, maybe there are a select few who do actually care about the same things I do, and I could create for them.
Maybe I just need to remember that I am not making content for everyone, I am making content for the select few.
Doesn’t that make what I do here that much richer? That I do not pander or chase views, but aim to connect to others instead?
I believe so.
As far as topics go, there’s going to be content about books and projects to look out for.
If you’re into those sorts of things, stay tuned.
As for when to write, the goal is to produce something every day.
I thought it would be fun if I made it a game.
I am not measuring word count or writing time. Instead, my metric is the finished product.
By the end of each day, I need to write, edit, and post what I make. If I succeed, I win. If I don’t, I better be near death – because lost.
I’m a very competitive person, so we will see how this goes.
THE WORK
I’ve been bombarded by options lately.
I don’t mind options. Really, they are great to have.
Options just take time to think through and plan once you choose them.
Everyone out here in Internet land says you need to niche down to get things done.
But what if you don’t operate that way? What if your mind and soul seek out experience and uniqueness?
If experience and uniqueness were a ship, you’d find me on it: a Captain’s hat snuggly on my head, one hand on the steering wheel, and my face tipped up towards the sky.
Our ship has sailed.
The real question for myself right now is what option do I choose for the present and how can I achieve the related goal?
The challenge here is consistency. Once I choose something, I need to see it through to get the benefits.
There is also the small matter that I will most likely look ridiculous the first few times I try something new, and that will suck.
Sad but true, for everyone involved.
After the ridiculous part happens though, after I get myself settled and get my style established, I can reach the goal on the other side.
It’s like finding a new machine at the gym.
You get excited about it.
You look ridiculous figuring out how to get in it.
You feel even sillier as you actually use the thing.
But, after a few weeks of using it, you find out the machine actually makes your backside look ten-times better than what it looked like before.
Suddenly you’re extremely happy you found the darn hunk of metal in the first place.
I’ve gone through this gym process hundreds of times (though not all my gym experiences involve my posterior muscles). I can do it again for my work.
This week I am choosing an option and seeing it through until the end.
THE JOYS
Reading
Training:
I just finished Daughter of Mine, by Megan Miranda, on audiobook.
This was the book I listened to while training this past week. The whole vibe is ‘creepy, small town, everyone knows’, which went perfectly with my morning session since it’s still crazy dark at that time.
The book is a good read, but I would try to abstain from doing anything that requires focus, like curb jumping, while listening to big plot points.
It was on one of these morning training sessions when I was switching from jogging on concrete to asphalt when a big moment started on audiobook.
I was too focused on what I was listening to to realize that I didn’t clear the curb.
Next thing I knew, gravel was digging its way into my knees and palms.
You’ve been warned.
Housework:
Last week I found Stronger, by Michael Joseph Gross, to listen to while doing housework.
It’s a nonfiction piece about the history of muscle. Gross pulls information from as far back as the ancient Greeks and as current as muscle studies from 2024.
He’s packed in a lot of info that’s not only freaking cool to learn about (like that young Spartan women would train like men until they were married), but also really good to know for your personal health (like how resistance leg exercise can reduce your risk for hip breaks in the future).
It’s so good, I listened to it twice.
Tablet:
Tribes, by Seth Godin, is a true brain breaker.
I tend to favor anything Godin writes – specifically because he tends to think differently about everything, often shifting things into a simpler light.
Tribes has been about the need for leaders, what leaders actually do (not just what you think they do), and how to become one.
It’s brilliant if you’re looking for something thought- provoking to read.
Hardcover:
My book club is reading Callie Hart’s Brimstone this month.
It’s honestly been really difficult to find the time to immerse myself in Hart’s world with all the projects I’ve been working on lately.
This would typically be my late night read, but I’ve had to bookmark it to make way for planning.
Rain or shine, the goal is to be half way through before Friday for the club meeting.
Watching
Adrian was home Friday and we watched a biopic of RBG titled, On the Basis of Sex.
I have a soft spot for movies based on history. Throw in a strong female lead and I’m hooked.
Although some of the scenes seemed off and there were few indications of time passing between one year and the next, it was an inspiring story.
After weeks of Adrian getting excited about the new Marvel show, he and I finally sat down and watched Wonderman.
And we stayed there until we finished it.
All 8 episodes.
We actually finished the series in two days, but that’s as close to binge watching as we get.
I did not think that I was going to like it as much as I did. A part from the seventh episode, each installment had great dialogue and conveyed the story really well.
Good job Marvel. You got one right.
That wraps up this month’s Musings Report.
Happy end of January!
P.S: I got the idea to do this kind of content from an Instagrammer I just started following, Kendra Mase.
Kendra has a beautiful grid of content all geared toward reading and being an author. Check her out @kendramase on IG and Substack.
You’ll thank me later.
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