08 | at least 100 good things

Yes, this is a year-end list. Yes, it got too unwieldy and had to be pared back. That's probably a good thing.

Here we are, arrived at the shortest day of the year. We’ve hit the turning point on the long dark mornings and early dark nights. We’re headed back towards the light. Towards the holidays, and a new year - a new beginning.

photo by Skylar Kang on Pexels

You’ve probably seen more than one newsletter, email, or social media post that calls for a pause for reflection - a look back before we move forward. And yes, this is one of those posts. I originally thought it would be feasible to bullet-point 100 things that made my year, but it turns out that post is one none of us probably have time to read, so I’ve pared it back to 50.

It actually gives me a lot of joy to know that I could think of at least 100 good things in this year, which had its share of challenges. While making this list and combing back through my bullet journals to remember what I was even doing at the start of the year, it was encouraging to note that even on the hard days, something good usually happened, too.

Without further ado, here are 50 of the things that got me through 2023 and brought me joy.

1. I started the year off reading the Silmarillion with a few friends and discussing it chapter by chapter.

2. Aquavit & tonic! I love a good gin & tonic, and this year I tried a twist with aquavit, a spirit that centers herbals like caraway and fennel rather than juniper. I also discovered Oaxacan gin, which has a really smoky agave taste, a bit like mezcal.

3. Taking down the Christmas decorations in January is always a little depressing, so this year I started a tradition of decorating with candles and other forms of light to replace those decorations and continue bringing some coziness to the winter season.

4. I started to plot the novel that became Project Alchemy, which has developed into a fully-fledged draft over the course of this year.

5. Listening to the Game of Thrones S6 and Skyrim soundtracks while drafting

6. A trip to my favorite bookstore, Eighth Day Books, and the White Crow Cider Company in Wichita with my dad this January

7. This interview with Diana Gabaldon, author of Outlander. Her writing process sounds chaotic to me (me: a plotter-discovery writer hybrid who writes in chronological order), but it was so comforting and affirming to hear her make peace with her process and embrace how writing works for her rather than plotting or drafting according to some prescribed method.

8. Playing the Dungeons & Dragons campaign my brother is running for a group of friends. (I’m currently a level 9 half-elf ranger with some cleric abilities, for anyone wondering!)

9. While preparing to play D&D I looked up some actual play shows on YouTube to see how others played the game. I ended up hooked on Critical Role, and have watched much of Campaign 1, Vox Machina. I really enjoyed a few other actual plays, including Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, and the Worlds Beyond Number podcast.

10. John O’Donohue’s poetry and spiritual writing. I read him whenever I need to face my interior life with a sense of peace and joy. This year I read Walking in Wonder and returned again to his lovely interview with the On Being podcast.

11. Attending the 9th annual Inklings Oktoberfest event in Wichita. Re-connecting with others who are writing fantasy stories and designing TTRPGs. Spending time with a writing friend.

12. Reading the Sandman comics and listening to Endless: A Sandman Podcast, which analyzes each issue.

13. Doing a coffee crawl of local coffee shops with friends in Kansas City

14. The brightest double rainbow I’ve ever seen appearing in the sky while I was out running errands

15. Seeing my writing friends get some incredible writing wins this year. One got an agent. One started an editing business. One received an offer for the publication of her book. One won an award for a short story. Several self-published books. Several began querying for the first time. Some of them got back to prioritizing their writing after a hectic season of life. I love seeing my friends make art, and either a.) get that art out into the world, or b.) achieve their own version of success, which might just be writing something they loved.

16. Finding ways to move that feel fun to me. Swimming. Cardio HIIT workouts from emkfit’s YouTube channel. Strength training from the Coconuts & Kettlebells blog. Anything to keep me moving and laughing while doing it.

17. Playing board games like Lords of Waterdeep and Aqueduct with friends

18. Feeling like I finally got a bit of a handle on my my iterative process of bouncing back and forth between drafting and outlining while working on a novel

19. Watching the birds of prey that often fly through our neighborhood, including hawks, falcons, owls, and even a bald eagle!

20. Having my brother and cousin over for “family dinner” every Monday night

21. For the past couple of years I’ve been a card-carrying member of the Tolkien Society, and I started 2023 deep in a Tolkien kick that was partially nostalgia-fueled (I always like to re-read parts of Lord of the Rings at Christmas), and partly fueled by my gut reaction to the Rings of Power TV show, which initially rubbed me the wrong way. I wanted to examine why I felt that way, and look at where my thoughts on adaptations and the spirit of Tolkien’s work were coming from. Shout out to the Tea With Tolkien and Fellowship of the Readers Discord servers, which both provided welcoming communities for discussion and reading resources, as well as the podcasts The Secrets of Middle-Earth, The Rings of Power Wrap-Up, Fantasy For Our Time, and Amon Sûl, all of which provided differing viewpoints worth considering. Honorable mention to the Airplane Facts with Max Instagram account which mostly just provided pure joy.

22. I finally read The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro after it had been on my shelf for years. It was fantastic. It was my first book by Ishiguro, but it won’t be my last.

23. Trying my hand at flash fiction and short stories with my writing group, and drafting 9 of them!

24. Helping dye the red eggs for my church’s Pascha celebration

25. Not underestimating the rejuvenating power of an iced coffee and reading at the lake

26. Baking things like this sour cream banana bread and these blackberry lavender scones (although I swapped in earl grey for the lavender)

27. Planting a balcony garden with my godson (and then watching the squirrels in our yard eat most of it, flowers included)

28. Buying my first international plane ticket since 2015

29. Getting to return to The Act Break podcast as a guest!

30. Putting up a hummingbird feeder and watching the hummingbirds from our kitchen

31. Taking a developmental editing course and finding that the work feels like a really good fit. Deciding to pursue editing as a business. Registering Labyrinth Editing as an official LLC in August. Actually telling people about it in October.

32. Some fun TV. I finally watched Season 1-3 of Black Sails at the behest of some friends, and the writing is phenomenal. Can’t wait to see what happens in the final season! I also enjoyed new seasons of Shadow & Bone, Wheel of Time, Good Omens, and Barry.

33. The support, commiseration, co-working, and presence of my writing groups. Shout out to Gluttons. Shout out to D.N.

34. Getting to do several events in collaboration with the makerspace at my day job this year. Giving away plants to students. 3D printing lithophanes.

35. Participating in a writing workshop at a local community collective and reading my work aloud.

36. Getting to read books my writing friends wrote and published, like Castle Witch and Stars Like Gasoline.

37. Attending Shakespeare in the Park at a local art museum. Their production of The Tempest was incredible live!

38. Doing a better job of sharing my writing with friends.

39. Hanging out with my nephew. Flying kites. Roller skating. Launching diet coke & mentos rockets. Going to the zoo.

40. Swimming – in a gym, in a pool, in the lake. I always feel better when I swim.

41. Learning more about herbalism from a coworker. Learning to make lemon balm tincture.

42. The sweet sausage fried rice with basil from Thai Diner, a local favorite restaurant. Yes, this merits its own bullet point.

43. Getting to see the Mountain Goats perform live

44. Making cocktails with simple syrup and garnishes from herbs and flowers I grew on my deck

45. Video games made a real appearance in my life for the first time this year. The pinnacle was certainly Playing Elden Ring co-op with some friends, but I also enjoyed trying my hand at Baldur’s Gate 3 and playing Rocket League with my brother.

46. Writing with a fountain pen

47. Going to the Renaissance Faire twice. Making a 3D printed druid crown to wear. Watching people be nerds surrounded by fellow nerds. My brother’s insane homemade set of armor. Beer, mead, fire dancers and birds of prey. Throwing knives. Turkey legs, obviously.

48. Putting together my author website

49. Getting to view the solar eclipse in Santa Fe, New Mexico

50. Finding some books that made me feel more at ease about my faith, like Courage to Pray, Churchianity vs. Christianity, and Anam Cara.

May the coming year bring you at least 100 good things, if not more! I’ll see you on the flip side of the holidays. Take care!