Hey friends and other human beings! This week, I am doing a special “Year in Review” edition of Five Things Friday. As Five Things Friday has been a place for me to ponder through organized chaos, this list will just be a hodge podge of some of my favorite things from 2023; no real rhyme or reason, just things I really like and feel like sharing.
Without further ado, here is the special “Year in Review” edition of Five Things Friday:
1. Best book I read: The Path to Power by Robert Caro
I shared previously three great books I read in 2023. It’s time to crown which one of them was the best.
This book took me completely by surprise. It’s a masterpiece of a biography, reaching way back into the wayward history of the Texas frontier to introduce you to Lyndon Johnson and the unique context from which he emerged. LBJ was not a president I paid particular attention to before opening this book. Now, I see him as a figure both fascinating and appalling. In many ways, he is the embodiment of both the great possibilities and the corrosive flaws in our system of government.
I’ve talked enough about this book on the blog already. It’s a great book that I’m glad I finished in 2023.
2. Favorite piece of tech: Canon F-1 35mm film camera
Hands down, my favorite gizmo to play with this past year was the Canon F-1 I purchased just before summer. It was originally released in 1976 and it’s true — they really don’t make them like they used to. In a world full of lighting fast tech that’s here one day and in the trash bin the next, there is something so pleasing about this old, mechanical wonder. I’m amazed we have so many of these wonderful cameras sitting around and they still work!
I think going back to film has dramatically improved my skills has a photography. You can snap photos to your heart’s content with a digital camera, but not so with film. Film is precious. It forces you to slow down and consider the variables. You have to be deliberate in what you include in the view finder and where you place the focus. You have to use your brain too!
If it hasn’t made me a better photographer, it’s at least helped with my mental health. Every time I shoot film it feels like meditation.
3. Best trip I took: Austin, Texas
I never, ever thought I would say I loved anything about Texas. But in February 2023, I discovered a love for Austin.
I shared all about our barbecue pilgrimage on the blog, but I think it’s safe to say that Austin offers so much more than just barbecue. It has history, plenty of sightseeing, wonderful architecture and loads of things to do.
I loved this trip because I felt like my fiance and I really made the most out of it. We planned the trip together, we filled our days with so much more than we could possibly do and we got to each bring our own little touches to the trip. It really was a great trip.
4. One thing I want to leave behind in 2023: Not taking care of myself
I think we often begin the new year wanting to prioritize ourselves. That’s certainly true for me. 2023 was when I realized not had I not been prioritizing myself, but I had extremely neglected my care for myself.
I’d like to blame a number of things, as any semi-healthy person would. I spent 10 years working in a stressful career that wasn’t fulfilling and was coming off of 2022, which completely upended my whole world in a lot of ways. On top of that, I was totally inculcated in a “work through the pain” mentality. I ignored things when they hurt and prayed they’d go away or I’d, through some force of will, would overcome them.
To make matters worse, I was not coping with difficulties through healthy outlets.
It’s hard to dwell on it too long without going to some dark places. That’s why I am leaving it behind in 2023, and hopefully for good. When things hurt, I will tell someone. When my body needs it, I will rest or play or wallow or dance or cry. When I can’t deal with things on my own, I will ask for help. I will no longer accept mistreatment as a given of life’s hard reality.
5. Biggest lesson I learned: You will make time for the things you want to make time for
One of my big takeaways from 2023 will be that you have to make time for what’s important to you.
As I’ve fully entered into this realm of middle-to-late adulthood, I’ve learned that you are constantly juggling what things you have to do, what things you need to do and what things you want to do. If you aren’t intentional with what you intend to do with your time, it can easily be taken away from you, or you can just simply waste it away.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard
I talk about reading a lot these days. I made my most ambitious reading goal in 2023. After trying and failing for several years — and yes, trying and failing again this year — I realized one of my problems was I wasn’t making time for it. I’d find other things to distract myself with. Or I would busy myself with chores and errands. I never really sat aside time just for reading.
Obviously, I haven’t nailed it but I have made more of an effort to say, “For this next two hours, I’m going to just try to read.”
It’s the same thing I did with my photography and with different writing projects I took on this year. Rather than waiting for some perfectly clear moment where nothing else was demanding my attention, I instead put the priority on doing what I intended to do and put the other things to the side.
I don’t know that what I’m saying is any kind of profound lesson, but it has made a world of difference for me and made me a much more active participant in spending my time the way I want to spend my time.
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