FEBRUARY FAVORITES

So happy that the dark months of January and February are almost over. We're on the other side of Winter! Before the month is out, I wanted to share some of the things I've been loving this February. I hope you love them too!

MY FAVORITE PLACES IN BROOKLYN

Sometimes it's hard to believe that I live in New York. It hits me most often when I'm walking down the street, to or from work, and look around at the buildings, at the fashionable, busy people around me. More frequently, it hits me as I narrowly avoid colliding with another pedestrian or elbow my way into a subway car.

While the hustle-and-bustle of Manhattan makes me feel like I'm in a movie, I enjoy time spent in Brooklyn more. Which is probably why 3 out of the 4 New York City apartments I've lived in have been in Brooklyn.

I purposefully resisted from including restaurants on this list, because that would have made it three times as long. I'll share my favorite Brooklyn restaurants in another post :)

So here are some of my favorite spots in Brooklyn. What are yours?

Discussion Guide: The Night Circus

Although my book club meeting got pushed to next week, I still wanted to share my Night Circus discussion guide with you all! Couldn't leave you hangin' :)

I think this is a great selection for a book club. While the plot is driven by an impending life or death duel of skills, it's still a relatively light read, the playfulness of the circus and influence of the younger characters making the book feel hopeful. Fantasy, romance, and adventure are all at play in this book, making it a great crowd-pleaser. This is the perfect read for the train, or a free weekend, and the changing perspectives will make it fly by. So if you're looking for a quick read that will make you feel like you're somewhere a little more magical, try The Night Circus.

This book is rich in detail, so I felt there was a lot to explore in the minutia. Larger themes were also at play, and I wanted to bring those together, as well. Literary influences, time, names, family, and fate were some of the themes that I explored in these questions.

It'll be fun to unpack them next week with my book club, and I hope you can use this guide for your own reading, or your club's discussions, too :) 

Did you pick up on any other themes? Tell me what they were in the comments, or on my Instagram!

Year in Review

Good riddance, 2017! Last year was a tough one. For the world and for me personally, it brought a lot of unexpected turns. But that doesn't mean it's all bad. A lot of lessons came from 2017. Here are a few that I learned:

Take Risks

I left a job that had a lot of promise in the beginning, but turned out to be a wrong fit. I stuck it out for a year, but the weight and struggle of every day there hung with me through nights, weekends, every moment. I took a big risk, switching careers and moving to a much smaller agency, not knowing what it would bring. It was mainly a gut decision and came with a few sacrifices, but it absolutely paid off. My gut was right, and my new job is everything I hoped it would be and more. Taking that risk is one of the things I'm most proud of from this year.

Move On

I had a few things that I was holding on to coming into 2017. Grudges, silences, hesitations, guilt. I realized that holding on to things like that does no good for anyone, especially me. I also realized that the reason I was holding on to all these negatives was fear. Fear of getting hurt, fear of making the wrong decision, fear of failure. I let go and I moved on from a lot of that fear, and it's made my mind and heart lighter. 

Go After What You Want

So often, before embarking on a new challenge or new chapter, the question pops up in my mind: But what will people think? Nothing good comes from this question. Self-doubt, procrastination, loss of momentum, and often, giving up. This question almost stopped me from doing things that have brought me so much joy: getting a new job, starting my bookstagram, moving in with Scott, sharing this blog more widely. If you stop to wonder if you're good enough to pursue what you want to pursue, or if you'll face criticism, or if you'll look silly, you're wasting time that you could be spending working toward what you want.

In 2017, I had to make some big decisions, make some big changes, and try not to have a heart attack every time a news story broke. There were low points in this year: the election, losing my best girl, Tashmoo, leaving my first job. But there were some really big highlights, too: traveling to San Francisco and Copenhagen, getting a new job that I love, moving in with Scott, exploring even more of New York, making some great friends.

So here's to 2018. Let's make it the year we go after everything we want, without fear.