2023 has been kicking my ass, and I am entering an era of slowing down, relaxing and healing. Long story short, I volunteered to do All The Things at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year: VP of Volunteers for the PTA! room parent for both kids’ classes! soccer coach for both kids’ teams! OMG first grade boys are insane! art docent for Julian’s first grade class! troop leader for Pippa’s Girl Scout troop! Book fair chair!

AND IT WAS TOO MUCH.

At the start of 2023, I felt burned out and realized the error of my ways. I vowed to dial back on the volunteering for the next school year but felt obligated to follow through on my commitments.

Then my dad had emergency brain surgery in early February and all hell broke loose. He was in the ICU for ten days, during which time he had a second brain surgery. Then he had two more brain surgeries at the end of April. I live in Pasadena and my parents live in West Los Angeles, so 2023 has involved a lot of driving in traffic on L.A. freeways to visit my dad. I’m glad I’ve been able to do this, but it’s gobbled up my time, energy, and mental space, and of course, I have lots of FEELINGS that need processing.

I ended up resigning from the PTA because I just couldn’t. I passed the book fair torch to another mom because again, I couldn’t. Still, I have felt overloaded and burnt out and I’m very excited for the end of the school year.

So with that preamble, this is where my 23 in ’23 Projects stand.

1. Attend fifty hot yoga classes: I have attended 23 classes so far. I originally thought I’d aim for 100 hot yoga classes this year, but my intuition suggested 50 – THANK GOD. It has been really tough to make it to classes as often as I’d like. There’s been all the travel between Pasadena and West L.A. and also my kids have been catching all the viruses this year. Poor Julian even had an ear infection and then a bad reaction to the antibiotics for said infection. 2023 has forced me to be flexible and patient.
2. Track what I eat for 30 days in a row: Done! And I track most days but for my sanity’s sake, I’m not trying to maintain a streak.
3. Drink at least 64 oz of water/day for 30 days in a row: Done! And now, I have been drinking less water, more soda. I’m sure I’ll get back to drinking water when the time feels right.  
4. Publish my second novel: I sent my manuscript to my editor on May 1, and she’s flipping it back to me in mid-June. However, I am not rushing to publish this novel. My priority is resting and recharging my batteries after the s-show that 2023 has been. I don’t want to work on my novel when I feel burnt out because (a) that will burn me out even more and (b) prolong the time I need in order to feel recharged and (c) whatever I publish will end up being crappier than I like. So I’m on track to publish my second novel this year, but I’m being gentle with myself and not forcing anything to happen on this front.
5. Read 100 books for myself: As of today, I’ve read 44 books and Goodreads says I’m six books ahead of schedule. Long car rides = consumption of many audiobooks. I’m especially grateful to the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (sci-fi adventure with lots of sarcasm) and the Campers and Criminals series by Tonya Kappas (cozy mysteries set in rural Kentucky).
6. Try 23 new recipes: I’ve tried five new recipes this year, so I’m behind schedule but as the school year winds down, and I drastically reduce my volunteering commitments, I will have more time and energy to play around with new recipes.
7. Cook with mushrooms 23 times: I cooked with mushrooms twice in January, and haven’t made any more progress on this front, but I have earmarked several recipes I want to try.
8. Bake 23 loaves of bread: I baked one loaf in March, and for 2023, that counts as a huge victory. Now that I’m slowing down, I would love to bake bread.
9. Make 23 different buttons with my button maker: I made one button as an example for Julian’s first grade class for an art project – and then my dad had emergency brain surgery, so we never actually did the project! Le sigh.
10. Finish 23 craft projects (not including buttons): Four projects done – one baby blanket, and three projects at the Renaissance Faire when I went with Pippa. We made rag dolls, fairy houses and learned how to weave baskets.
11. Watch 12 different Creativebug classes: I watched the daily embroidery class and loved it.  I am excited to do more classes this summer as I slow down and indulge in some deep self-care.
12. Draw 12 times: I have drawn four times this year and enjoyed all the sessions. Maybe I’ll draw this week…
13. Play 23 different board/card games: So far, the kids and I have played eleven different games. Pippa especially loves checking out new boardgames at the library. We loved Take 5 but Farkle was meh. 
14. Watch 23 movies with my kid: The kids and I have watched five movies together this year, two in theaters and three at home when we were all sick with a flu-ish cold. Our favorite was hands-down The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Peaches, peaches, peaches, peaches, peaches…
15. Write 23 blog posts: This will be my fifth post of the year. I’m going to blog when the spirit moves me and we’ll see how frequently that happens. I’m not pressuring myself to set up a blog schedule because I’m in a season of slowing down.
16. Visit 23 new places: I’ve already been to twenty new places!
17. Go on 12 hikes: Pippa and I went on a mommy-daughter hike in January and had a delightful time and I haven’t hiked since. Pasadena got so much rain this winter, it often did not feel safe to hike. And then, my time has been diverted but I’d rather spend time visiting my dad than going on hikes. Perhaps the kids and I can fit in a few hikes before the heat sets in.
18. Do 23 things I have never done before: I’ve done 14 new things this year, from throwing metal stars at the Renaissance Faire to sitting with my dad while finding out he needed emergency brain surgery. I have a lot of thoughts on this project. I think it cultivates a mindset that helps me be more flexible. But I’m not feeling super articulate at this moment so let’s continue with the list…
19. Finish decluttering the house! I have made a lot of progress on this front, but still have a lot more work to do. But it feels so cathartic and healing. Sometimes I make TikTok’s about decluttering.
20. Indulge my inner child 23 times: I have consciously indulged my inner child twelve times this year and highly recommend getting a Shirley Temple when the desire strikes.
21. Publish 12 podcast episodes: Nope. Nada. Zero interest. I’m too fried these days.
22. Attend 12 live performances: I’ve been to four live performances, including two Sondheim musicals at the Pasadena Playhouse with Nathan. Yesterday, we went to see A Little Night Music. Before the show, I was feeling cranky and depleted. By the show’s end, my spirit was soaring and I was in a much better headspace. In a few weeks, I’m seeing Bernadette Peters!
23. Spend 20 hours gardening: I have logged 8 hours and 25 minutes and I’m proud of this because again: So. Much. Rain. A couple days ago, Nathan and I reclaimed the area where the kids and I set up our summer vegetables.

Now that I’m embracing my era of rest and healing, I’m excited to see which of these projects help me reclaim my sense of self and which ones get ditched along the way.