N O V E M B E R . [Journal] .

No-Vem-Ber. The eleventh month, the finale just before the curtain call that is December. The eleventh month was cold, literally and metaphorically, with temperatures plummeting to 5 degrees Celsius and some back-breakingly painful news I would have to carry into the new year, this month was busy but I felt like a lonely whistle of breeze floating along, flitting through time and space without really being ‘present’, I can’t even really pin down much of what I did in November because it felt like it started and was over in the blink of an eye.

W E A R I N G : Anything waterproof has been on my body after accidentally getting caught in the most vile downpour on my home one evening. At age 27 I’ve finally hit practicality > style mode. I point blank refuse to be cold or wet anymore, I simply can’t and I shan’t. My trust old Topshop leather boots with thick socks have been my best friend along with the waterproof parka from Boden which, fortunately for me, both stylish, stupidly warm and undoubtedly practical (and ACTUALLY shower proof!).

L I S T E N I N G : “Your love surrounds me when my thoughts wage war when night screams terror there your voice will roar…” – ‘Prince of Peace’ has been on repeat for me, through the choked tears during my prayer time, to when deep anxiety sets in whilst I’m typing away at my desk, squeezing the breath out of my chest and whispering lies of ‘you will never be good enough’ into my ears. Prince of Peace has brought me great peace, a declaration and a reassurance at the same time.

R E A D I N G : I’ve been lugging around Shaun Usher’s ‘Speeches Of Note’ ever since Penguin Books kindly gifted it to me at the end of October. Filled with strong, purposeful and emotional words, I’ve found it a good book to get lost in with a Flat white and a cake (hashtag not an ad I just really like the book!). Apart from that, I’ve been solidly reading my bible, particularly the book of Job and soon moving onto Lamentations – Can you tell I’m really going THROUGH it right now?

D O I N G : From Friendsgiving dinners (with an overabundance of alcohol) to tears, hand holding and exceptional love and warmth with my girlfriends, November was a busy month. I started it with Kachi’s blogger brunch in which I was kindly asked to attend and share the little blogging nuggets I’ve learned along the way, and it was a blast bouncing off of Kristabel who gave her perspective as someone who has cemented her path as an influential full-time blogger. It was incredibly warming to have people say that they attended because I was going to be there, and a good reminder to keep on with the blog, even if only one person reads it and feels encouraged.

D E C E M B E R  G O A L S : I glance lightly at my planner. It is filled with pale yellow sticky notes with purple biro scrawls upon them, listing out a project to get into planning before Christmas, endless to-do lists, a note that I have a pump class at 7:45pm, a barely legible scribble reminding me to pick up a friends Christmas present and I sigh. So what are my goals for December?

• Absolutely nothing.

Nothing. Nada. My goal for December, I suppose is to keep on, keeping on, and enjoy the festive season with my nearest and dearest, being intentional with my resting and working periods.  That’s it!

I’m looking forward to writing up my year in review blog post because boy is it going to be a heavy one! So much happened in November alone that I could write a small novel, let alone the tumultuous hills that I’ve called the entirety of 2018…

Here’s to the final month of the year. Let’s make December a good one.

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