May 2019

So May is already halfway over, which means I'm almost a month into being twenty-five. How did that happen? Work has been busy as the library gears up for its annual summer reading program, the theme of which is "A Universe of Stories" (coming soon to a local library near you!) To free up the time I'm not working, volunteering, or attending family events ('tis the season for bridal/baby showers and grad parties galore), I decided to attempt ~Media Free May~ again. I did it last year and it led to a five month Instagram fast that ended up being one of the best things I've ever done for myself. This year's attempt hasn't been quite as successful, partly due to the fact that my job involves curating the library's social media presence so I can't 100% abstain from Facebook and the 'gram, but for the most part I've been faithful and have been generally more productive now that "mindless scroll" is no longer an entertainment option.

Unfortunately the creative well has been pretty dry this month, mostly because my creative juices have been drained into planning programs and coming up with weekly activities and crafts for storytime. I did have the opportunity to do some copy editing for a couple friends' websites recently. One is a blogger who researches and photographs abandoned buildings and one is an incredible violinist in the D.C./Baltimore/Newark area. Check them out!

In other news, I've kinda-sorta taken up running again. What this means is about two to three times a week I lace up my neon Nikes, swallow the bundle of nerves that always precedes physical exercise, and spend the next twenty to thirty-five minutes alternating between a walk, a light jog, and something that can probably be qualified as running along the cornfield-lined streets of my neighborhood.

For those of you who don't know, I ran long distance for one season of track my junior year of high school. It was simultaneously one of the best/worst experiences of my young life. Best, because being part of such a supportive and encouraging team was healing in ways I didn't know I needed and because it taught me that my body and mind are capable of more than I ever thought possible. Worst, because I quickly discovered that I hated the actual sport. I was on the verge of tears before almost every race (and some practices) and I spent an ample chunk of time in the guidance office, processing my anxiety with the poor counselor who couldn't understand why I didn't just quit. I didn't understand it, either, but there was something inside that just kept pushing me forward in spite of the dread I woke up with every morning.

Needless to say I didn't do track again after that year, but ever since then I've gone through periods where I pick running back up again. My most recent goal is to run three miles straight. That's it. It doesn't have to be fast and it doesn't have to be in a race setting, but I want to be able to do it. Honestly, I don't know what it is that keeps drawing me back to it. Probably the moment at the end of each run when I stand breathless and sweaty in my driveway, enjoying the satisfaction of having done something uncomfortable but good for me. Endorphins help too.

xo,
Kati

currently...

reading: digital minimalism by cal newport and a wind in the door by madeleine l'engle

watching: the x-men movies! for the first time in my life! i don't know why it took this long but my cousin made me start (which is only fair because i took it upon myself to convert her into a marvel fan around this time last year) and now i'm hype for dark phoenix.

listening: my workout playlist - 90% the spiderman: into the spider-verse soundtrack, 5% ariana grande, 4.5% other, and .05% "he lives in you" from the lion king ii because no one can convince me that song is not about the holy spirit living inside of you and it makes me feel empowered as heck

eating: quinoa because it's a magical grain that can feed you for an entire week if you do it right
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drinking: kombucha

playing: does zombies run count as a game? it's a couch to 5k-esque running app, but in a post-apocalyptic setting with british voices cheering you on the entire time. which is much more motivating to listen to than the sound of my own labored breathing for thirty minutes.