The Change That Stuck in 2023.
Every New Year’s Eve Clay and I sit at our kitchen table, light a candle, and write down our goals for the upcoming year. Sort of like a brain dump, prayer, and a list of desires all in one place. We fold up the pieces of paper, sign them with a date and place them in our “special box” that contains memories, cards, etc that mean something to us. About halfway through the year we revisit the lists and then again the following December to see how much has changed. To be honest, not everything on those lists gets checked off, but many of them do.
It’s March now and by this point it’s clear to see what we’ve lost sight of and what has formed into a routine. One of the habits I love most is reading at night. Sounds pretty standard procedure, but we read together, out loud. The book sits beside the bed and we plop on top of the covers on our bellies and open it to the folded page. Sometimes we trade off, sometimes Clay just reads and I sit on the bed and floss my teeth as I listen lol. It’s oddly therapeutic to speak the words out loud. It helps me to retain what I’m taking in, while also keeping me present, and it’s calming for me to listen to Clay’s voice. Something about stringing the words together out loud feels like an art form that’s been lost. We read a section or wherever it makes sense to stop and then toss it back to the side of the bed and head to sleep.
Even if you don’t have someone at home to read aloud with, maybe you have a furry friend that would fill the spot? It benefits them as well by increasing connections. Even reading aloud on our own has beautiful benefits…especially for those of us who struggle to focus. Here is an article explaining more:)
We’ve been able to shift our bedtime routine significantly through this simple habit. We go to bed earlier and *I* wake up earlier which is a near miracle lol. Clay has always been an early riser, but I thought this was an impossible feat for me. I assumed I was designed to be a night owl. Turns out, I really love the early morning…who the heck knew?! We used to stay up late watching our shows (which I love doing and didn’t want to give up), but simply knowing we still have to read gets us to save the next episode for tomorrow and head to bed much earlier than before. *Side-note: we don’t have a tv in the bedroom so this also makes things easier! I am V particular about that. I’m sensitive to EVERYTHING and struggle to sleep with one in the room even if it’s off, kind of odd, but it makes a difference to me.
This one shift has had a domino effect of positive changes following it. We are learning something new together, we’re more rested which makes life a lot easier, Clay was able to create a new habit of walking Zoey and Penelope individually every morning before he leaves, it feels like we have significantly more time in the day to do the things we desire so the “have to’s” are less daunting, etc, and more sleep has positively impacted my hormones.
Sure, we have a lot more written down on our lists, but sometimes the simple daily changes really lead the way in being able to actualize our biggest hopes and dreams.
Xoxo,
Em