March 17, 2021

SIX


Can someone explain to me how it's been SIX years since I first arrived in Romania? I'm having a hard time comprehending this concept. I feel like I just wrote this post about celebrating five years in Romania. And here are years four and two, if you're interested. Apparently I skipped years three and one!

As I think about the last six years here, I'm feeling very grateful. I don't know if the chaos of 2020 is magnifying that gratitude or if I'm just grateful, but either way, that's what stands out as I process the last six years. 

I'm grateful for the good, the growth, the challenges, the loneliness, the deep relationships, the adventures, etc. All of it. I've said this many times before, but the last six years have not been easy, by any stretch of the imagination. The last six years have been challenging and rewarding and messy and beautiful and humbling. It's been A LOT, to say the least. 

I think it can be easy to compare our lives to other people's lives and feel like we haven't done much or that we don't have anything to celebrate or be grateful for. (Confession: This is something I deal with constantly.) Anyways, I know living in another country can seem special or glamorous to some people, but again, it's so hard and comes with so many challenges. 

Wherever you live, whatever you do...it's important and special and valuable. You were placed where you are for a reason. There's work to be done there. There are people to love and serve there. There are things for you to learn...and ways for you to grow there. 

Whether you're approaching an anniversary of working somewhere, living somewhere, being married, becoming a parent, volunteering somewhere, going to school somewhere, etc., I would encourage you to celebrate! Look back at the days, weeks, months or years that you've spent doing that thing or being in that place, and notice all of the ways you've grown! Make a list of things you're grateful for. Celebrate where you are and how far you've come!

Morgan Harper Nichols
Morgan Harper Nichols

January 26, 2021

Currently: Part IX


Can someone help me understand how I haven't written a Currently post since the end of 2017?! I went back through my posts to find one so I could remember the order of things, and I was shocked to see how long it's been. Oops. 

Honestly, I've been wanting to write a blog post for awhile now, but I haven't felt like I've had anything to say. And that's where the Currently post comes in handy because it's like a little guide that helps me to share a little bit of what's going on in my life right now. 


Reading: I am currently reading Fighting Forward by Hannah Brencher and loving it! This book released on the day I left for Romania. Since I pre-ordered it, I was hoping and praying that it would get delivered before I left for the airport...and IT DID! I started reading it in the airport, and then I took a little break. Sometimes, with nonfiction, I have to read it slowly in order to fully digest the contents. And this book is FULL of good stuff so I'm taking my time and trying not to underline every word Hannah wrote. The subtitle is "Your nitty-gritty guide to beating the lies that hold you back", which is something I'm majorly needing these days. 

Click here for this recipe and lots of other filling ideas.

Eating: I have been loving this viral tortilla/wrap hack from Tik Tok. I don't have Tik Tok, but I tend to see them on Instagram. The basic idea is that you lay out a tortilla and cut vertically, from the middle to the edge. You then fill each 1/4 with whatever goodies you'd like and cook it in a pan with a little butter or oil. This hack stops things from falling out like they usually do when you wrap it like a taco or burrito. It's genius. 

I've been doing a simple ham, cheese, veggies and sauce one for lunch, but last night I made a dessert one with banana, strawberry and nutella! SO GOOD. For someone like me, who hates to cook, this is literally the best hack ever. You can fill it with whatever you have on hand and, voila, it's a meal! I'm going to try the taco/crunchwrap one soon, as well as a breakfast one!

Thinking About: Excellent question. I've been thinking about a lot of things, most of which I'm not ready to blog about. However, something I was just thinking about last night is whether or not I'm going to choose a word for 2021 since it's already January 26th. As you might know, I usually choose "one little word" at the beginning of each year in place of making resolutions. I usually think and pray about a word and allow it to guide me, more or less, throughout the year. You can read about my previous words here: 2020, 2019 and 2018.

For some reason, I haven't chosen one for 2021. I haven't really wanted to up until this point. I don't think it's ever too late to choose one so maybe I'll change my mind, but for now, I don't have a word for the year.


Listening to: Audiobooks! Not sure if this answer should go in the Reading or Listening to category, but I feel like this one is more appropriate. I've never really been a huge fan of audiobooks. I've tried to listen to them in the past, but I always got distracted so easily. I ended up having to go back (Can I say rewind when talking about an audiobook?) and listen to the same part over and over again. That was annoying and seemed like a waste of time so I gave up on audiobooks.

I'm not sure what's changed, but I'm loving audiobooks these days. I have been trying not to scroll endlessly on social media before bed, and, instead, I'm listening to an audiobook. When I'm cooking meals, doing the dishes or hanging my laundry, I'm listening to an audiobook. I used to just listen to podcasts while doing these types of mindless tasks, but now I might put on an audiobook instead.

For the most part, I've been listening to fiction books. I think, with nonfiction books, I'm always trying to absorb and process every bit of information, but the problem is that I'm not an auditory learner. While I'm trying to process what I've just heard, I'm missing what's being said next...and that's where I start needing to rewind constantly. With fiction, I'm just listening to a story and not necessarily needing to process the information so it works! 

Anyways, I use an app called Libby that allows you to borrow audiobooks (and ebooks) from your local library. Highly recommend. Also, I listen to books (and podcasts) on either 1.5x or 1.75x speed, which means I can get through them pretty quickly. 

That Sounds Fun by Annie F. Downs: This audiobook was a freebie if you pre-ordered a physical copy of the book, which I obviously did because I'm a huge AFD fan. It was like a really long That Sounds Fun podcast episode, which means I loved it. I'm excited to also read the physical book whenever I can finally get my hands on it. 

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry: Someone I follow on Instagram (@alltheradreads) shared this book and it seemed like an easy read/listen. I really enjoyed it. Lots of characters to follow, but such a lovely story. And it's centered around a dreamy bookshop so OF COURSE I loved it. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: I was browsing through the available audiobooks on the Libby app and this one popped up. I love the movie and, a little while ago, a friend told me that the book was way better. When is the movie ever better than the book?! NEVER. I loved all of the extra details in the book, while also being able to picture the characters and scenes from the movie. I'm almost done with the second book in this series and I will be borrowing the third one after that. 


Watching: I am watching a Spanish series on Netflix called La Casa de Papel, also known as Money Heist. According to IMDB, it's about "an unusual group of robbers who attempt to carry out the most perfect robbery in Spanish history - stealing 2.4 billion euros from the Royal Mint of Spain".

It started in 2017, and I heard SO much about it back then, mostly from my teens, but never had much of an interest in it. For whatever reason, I decided to start watching it last week and I'm ALL IN. The storyline, the character development...all of it. I love it. 

Loving: Hmm...what am I loving? Honestly, I really want to say audiobooks, again. I always want to be reading more, and it seems as though I've found a way to do so. Sadly, I go through major phases of reading a ton and then not reading at all, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to stay in the "reading a ton" phase, thanks to audiobooks.

And there you have it. A look at what I'm currently reading, eating, thinking about, listening to, watching and loving. As always, thanks for following along. And if you want to share some of your Currently items, I'd love to hear them!

I first saw the "Currently" feature on the blog Sometimes Sweet, which was a blog by Dani Hampton. The blog doesn't exist anymore, but I still want to give credit where credit is due.

January 9, 2021

One Second Everyday in 2020

 


2020, what a year. I won't say all of the cliche things because we all know how the year was. Even if we didn't take a single photo or video, it was truly one that we'll never forget. Okay, I had to say at least one cliche thing! 

Like I did in 2017, 2018 and 2019, I continued to document my days, weeks and months with the 1 Second Everyday app. As much as I want to be consistent in blogging, journaling and taking photos, in an effort to document my life, I can never seem to keep up with those habits. But I've found my method...my 1 Second Everyday videos.

If you haven't already downloaded this app, I would strongly encourage you to do so. It takes some getting use to and you have to train yourself a little bit to be on the look out for a daily moment to record, but it's so worth it. Try something new in 2021!

And with that, I hope you enjoy a look at my year of 2020 in one second videos.