Here We Go Again

It's time to dust off the holiday cobwebs and get moving again!  
Yes, my friends.  It's time to . . . 

(On Monday mornings, I share a few things I found over the weekend.)

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A Quote

"Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing."
--- Sarah Ban Breathnach

(Believe in yourself.  Believe in whatever you've decided you want to do this year.  Believe you can.)

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A Word

Today is one of those especially challenging Mondays for many of us . . . that first Monday after the holiday season.  It's time to go back to work or to school or to routine.  And, sure.  It feels kinda good.  Because you can only be in a holiday-coma on the couch for so long.  But still.  It's a tough Monday.  

To help you find the best word to describe your mood today, here is a list of 19 Words for the Cranky and Disagreeable from Merriam Webster.  

So.  How are YOU feeling today?  Are you a bit peevish?  Surly, maybe?  Splenetic?  Or perhaps just a tad . . . narky?  However you're feeling . . . you can be sure there's a word for it!

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To Read

If you follow along with the daily news, you might feel a bit . . . discouraged with the State of Things.  You might feel like we're all going to hell in a hand basket.  Or that it's just one big dumpster fire out there.  (Maybe you're feeling, oh I don't know . . . captious, perhaps?  Fumish?  Shirty, even?)

Well.  If you ARE, indeed, feeling a little shirty, the headline on this opinion piece from the New York Times may take you by surprise:  This Has Been the Best Year Ever.  Go ahead.  Read it.  It'll give you a different (and maybe better) perspective on the times we live in.

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To Listen

I love to check out all the "best of" lists that come around at the end of the year.  One list I took special note of this year came from NPR: the 25 Best Albums of the Year.  I decided to listen to all 25 albums (because I want to challenge myself to listen to more new music) (you'll hear more about this in future posts).  I'm not even close to completing NPR's list yet, and I don't like everything I have listened to.  But. . . there is some really good stuff on this list!  My favorites, so far, are Lana Del Rey and Brittany Howard.  (But of course, I'm familiar with - and like - both of them already, so no surprise there.)  But I also really liked John Luther Adams Become Desert.  

Check it out.  Listen along with me.  Challenge yourself -- and listen to something new.

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And that's it for this first Monday in January 2020.
I hope your week is off to a great start!