Hello, bookworms; this was originally meant to be a post about November. It then turned into December, and now it’s about winter. The process of giving myself more time is a great one. These past few months have flown by. They always do, and so for that, I am not surprised. It’s comforting to be aware of a pattern because it feels right. For no other reason, then the validation from the universe, that you were correct. Anything that makes me feel special, I won’t be questioning. In November, I started to slow down in my thoughts and interactions with others. I half-committed to NaNoWriMo, more of the thought that counts for me. Half-commit sounds like quite the conundrum, but let me have this.

A lot of hurdles that I work through and commend myself for are ultimately mental ones. And so many of them seem so simple. It’s only a shift in mindset. Generally, it goes from “I can’t do this” to “Why not?”. I seem to place my limits in a box. A lot. Not that knowing one’s limits is a bad thing, but I fall into this cycle that I find to be a little cruel. I commend myself for being ever so self-aware, thus giving my mind an excuse to belittle itself. I make excuses for not pursuing something, as I am the most incredible mind on earth, and I have predicted its failure already. If anyone struggles with this, feel free to give me better methods to handle it than wanting to run into a wall.

What are pillows of comfort? I am not sure exactly. But I would love to invest in a comfortable cloud pillow. If the two are related. Have any bright minds invented this yet? It was a bit of a term I used to personify this month. Pillows seem to have their gravitational pull in the winter. Albeit, don’t they always. But these months appear to increase their strength, and I certainly yearn for its comfort. All the other seasons are beautiful in a way that needs no defence, but winter seems to have a subtle beauty. Almost an enigma of sorts. Coming off as harsh, with its temperature and brutal physicality. But those who look closely never doubt the secrets it holds.

I’ve also read some beautiful books this year, particularly these past few months. Truth be told, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a successful run of consecutive reads that I enjoyed this much. November and December must have had at least seven four stars, and if you know me, you know I keep my stars close to me. Just to name a few before my posts, I’ve recently LOVED The Idiot by Elif Batuman, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom by Sylvia Plath and The Dutch House by Ann Patchett; just off the top of my head. So, expect an onslaught of reviews coming to the blog shortly! I will be firing them one after the next; the publish button has never scared me, although, looking back at nine-year-old me’s willingness to post, it sometimes should have…smh.

This is a screenshot from an article I read the other day that’s helped me put our knowledge’s limits in perspective. It allowed me to step outside the blinders that I had on. Because what we know is indeed so slim in reality, and this isn’t a bad thing at all; if anything, it gave me a sense of comfort.

Here are a few links to some incredible websites I’ve discovered recently:

• A beautiful site with philosophy resources
• Just incredible, no words for this one.
• Various soundtracks
• A list of notable published novels that are worth reading
• Incredible graphics alongside scientific articles

And happy New Year to everyone reading!
I used to get melancholic welcoming in the new year, and in some ways, I always will. It’s a nondescript feeling, one I wouldn’t classify as sadness. Some of us are too quick to label anything apart from instant joy or happiness as negative, and I feel this can be detrimental to our mental health. Some feelings are meant to be felt, not thought of as too much. Time passing is a fact, a funny fact at that. Things can change so quickly, and they do. Emotions that feel debilitating one moment can feel liberating the next.

The world will continue to reward us as long as we remain constant in our values. Finding love and joy in everything that surrounds us is crucial. Coming to terms with, or peace with, the idea that time will not pass us by, but we will grow alongside it may bring reassurance. Time shouldn’t be given so much power as it’s beyond our control. Time was and always will be around, whether we like it or not.