I am attempting to read a book by an author from every country in the world in alphabetical order! Is this a slightly crazy project? Hell, yes! But I felt called to do it, and the call kept nagging, and so here I am. Embarking on an epic reading project.

I have a backlog of books that I’ve read since October 2023, so I need to play catchup with some blog posts. Because if you are going to read a book from every freaking country, then you better document that shit, right?

Up first: Afghanistan.

Full disclosure: I actually started with Albania because I had already read The Kite Runner by Afghan author Khaled Hosseini, but then I decided I want to read a book from every country in order, without skipping any countries. So I hunted around for another Afghan author and stumbled upon My Pen is the Wing of a Bird, a collection of short stories by Afghan women.

This book was heartbreakingly wonderful. So much anguish but also hope, perseverance, and resistance. I’ve seen so many stories about Afghanistan in the news, but these stories profoundly depend my understanding of the tribulations Afghans face, giving me glimpses into their domestic lives.

This book was developed through Untold Narrative’s Write Afghanistan project and I’m so grateful they translated these stories into English and gave me a window into this world. As I writer, I was reminded of how blessed I am to live in the United States, where I don’t have to censor my stories and can write freely about subjects taboo in other parts of the world, like mental health and peri menopause.

It’s books like My Pen is the Wing of a Bird that remind me of how important stories are.

I like to concoct lists of projects that I hope to complete during the new year. I got this idea from one of my favorite podcasts, Happier With Gretchen Rubin, and I’ve been doing it since 2022. Here’s the progress I made in January on my 24 in ’24:

1. No soda or caffeine. I have no had a drop of soda! That’s the primary goal. On the caffeine front, I’ve had chocolate (acceptable, according to me) and I had one Thai iced tea at a restaurant. I’m really only concerned about imbibing caffeine via coffee or soda, so I’m winning here.
2. Take an introductory class at a rock climbing gym. Not yet.
3. Read 100 books. As of today, I’ve read eight books and according to Goodreads, I’m on track to finish 100. .
4. Attend 100 hot yoga classes. I attended nine hot yoga and hot pilates classes in January, so I’m a smidge ahead of schedule.
5. Write the rough draft of my third novel. In progress! My kids wore me down and I’m writing a children’s book for them.
6. Paint a room in our house. Or the front door. Or a mural. Not yet!
7. Try 24 new recipes. I tried two new recipes in January, pad Thai and smashed chicken meatball sliders.
8. Record an audiobook. I did a little research about this, and honestly, this might not be the DIY job I imagined.
9. Get 52 mega nature doses. I got four mega doses of Mother Nature: (1) a trip to Santa Barbara wine country with Nathan, which included lunch at the beach, driving through beautiful countryside, sitting on the front porch of a winery and soaking up the vineyards, and stopping at a scenic point to see a dam; (2) a walk around Descanso Gardens; and (3) and (4) walks at the Huntington. I hadn’t been to the Huntington since before the Covid shutdowns, but I felt inspired by 24 in ’24 to renew my membership and damn, I forgot how much I love that place.
10. Make a five year plan. Not yet!
11. Complete 24 craft projects. I worked on several projects — a crochet poncho, amigurumi pigs, and this big ass embroidery project that will take all year — but I did not complete any.
12. Help the kids prepare a family meal once a month. Julian prepared the new smashed chicken meatball sliders, and Pippa made pad Thai.
13. Plan a family trip to the Grand Canyon. Nathan and I are actually planning a trip to Mt. Rushmore for this summer, so I haven’t thought about the Grand Canyon. Need to nail down those our South Dakota logistics first!
14. Get 24 minutes of fresh air every day. I did this every day in January and have continued my streak into February. Today, it’s been raining all day but I put on a jacket, grabbed my biggest umbrella, and took a lovely walk.
15. Tap dance 20 times. I haven’t done this yet. I should start tomorrow since it will still be raining!
16. Walk an average of 10,000 steps/day. I’m a little behind here. I average 9,448 steps/day in January, but this is actually motivating me to find new ways to sneak in my daily steps.
17. Record 25 podcast episodes. I recorded one in January and a second on February 1.
18. Create a TikTok 100 weekdays in a row. I started doing this on Thursday, January 4, and have not yet missed a weekday.
19. Visit the Gamble House. Not yet.
20. Take monthly family portraits. We took a family portrait in January, and I have it on my To Do list for February.
21. Learn how to make balloon animals. Not yet.
22. Visit The Broad. Not yet but discussed doing this with a friend.
23. Track time spent sitting vs. time spent standing for a month. Not yet.
24. Joy Tracking! Wherein I keep track of things that boost my wellness and happiness but are not part of this project (e.g. boardgames played; movies watched; new places visited). I’ve been doing this!

Full disclosure: My daughter LOVES selling Girl Scout cookies. It’s probably her favorite part about being a Girl Scout. And I think it’s a great confidence builder, getting out there and asking friends, neighbors and teachers if they want to buy some Thin Mints.

But there are some issues.

I do not love that in the Los Angeles Council, troops need to participate in the Fall Product fundraising (selling shitty nuts) and sell Girl Scout cookies before they can participate in other types of fundraising. What about making friendship bracelets and selling them for $1? Just so the girls get the experience of designing and marketing a product? I find these restrictions on fundraising especially slimy because the top three executives in Los Angeles are paid in excess of $200,000, and those fat salaries come from Girl Scout cookies peddled by cute little girls.

Girl Scouts is an organization that empowers girls. This is awesome! Yeah, girl power! Yet the business of selling Girl Scout cookies is largely powered by parental volunteer hours, and though I know some dads help, the burden is mostly carried by moms. What message does this send? Girls are awesome but once you become a mom, you should pour your soul into volunteering at the expense of your sanity?

Then there’s the way the business of selling cookies whips girls and parents into a frenzy. In 2021, when there were cookies shortages, parents did not behave well. I attended a Zoom session for cookie chairs and watched in amazement as moms lost their minds because their daughters were not going to be able to earn some shitty prize. Cookie season fires up my daughter’s competitive spirit and she gets worried that the neighbors across the street (six daughters, four are Girl Scouts) are going to “steal” her customers.

Then there’s the way selling cookies exposes girls to diet culture. I’ve seen it happen. The girls are outside a grocery store, selling cookies, and customers says, “I can’t, I’m on a diet.” Diet culture is pervasive, but this article drew my attention to some issues I’ve never considered so now, when comments like that get made, I can have an honest conversation with my daughter and the girls in our troop.

All in all, I think the pros of selling Girl Scout cookies outweigh the cons, but by becoming aware of these issues, I can address them with my daughter and turn the dark side of Girl Scout cookies into a positive learning experience.