The title is s total joke... it's a play on a Taylor swift song "22". It's a breezy up beat song that makes it feel like a Friday night, early-early Saturday morning where breakfast is had at midnight, and life seems endlessly fun.
While, I'm actually 33, I feel more like an adult than I ever have. I haven't had the same distractions here in Minnesota that I had back home in Nebraska. Here I don't have plans to go for a run (HELLO executive lock down), a part time job to run off too, or full time job to get to. A lot less scheduled appointments, while physically I have so much energy I've been finding it hard to sleep, emotionally I am processing a lot of heavy emotions.
Luckily due to COVID-19, restrictions that kept me from seeing my NE therapist, have been temporarily lifted. No co-pays and I'm able to meet with her once a week in our temporary apartment via telehealth. What a blessing. As I was talking with my therapist, she asked me what has given me the courage to not only face these emotions but to speak about them out loud. Turns out when there aren't as many distractions you have no other choice but to face the things right in front of you.
I've also been doing a ton of reading and audio book listening. I've consumed so much content in the last year about facing your fears, overcoming adversity, taking responsibility that I am feeling just a little more equipped and empowered to not only be a better person, but a stronger woman. Even though it's a day late for Woman Crush Wednesday I want to list some of my favorite books that I think every woman over the age of 30 can not only relate to but learn from. (Also... all the books are written by women!)
In no particular order here are books to read for my over 30 female friends. (Full disclosure you can read these at any age, but they've helped me so much in my life right now that I'm feeling thirty three-ee--ooo--OOO-OOoo)
Taking Aim
Nothing has fueled my passion for ethical hunting like Eva Shockey's book. I've had a desire to be a bow hunter for a little over four years now. Hunting had always been an experience I wanted to share with the men in my life. I was always the girl who wanted to do what the boys did. Every year for as long as I can remember my dad and his buddies would go out to my aunt's and hunt for a full weekend. Then when I married my husband and he and his buddy brought back their first deer, I was so interested in the details that his wife, my friend, said "You need to go hunting with them." The more I learned about the bow the more convinced I was that it was the more humane choice. While bow hunting is notoriously harder I am determined to be an ethical, accurate hunter, and to crash the boys hunting trip.
We're Going to Need More Wine
This woman is magnificent. She spent summers growing up in Omaha and her young adulthood living through some of the most difficult things a person could live through. Rape. Divorce. Infertility. This girl explains how the harrowing experiences of her younger life has helped her own her sexuality, while encouraging you to own yours. This book is not for the faint of heart. Using words that some might blush at, she gets right to the heart of what it's like to be a black woman in American and relating to every woman about what it's like to raise kids who are not from your own womb, as well as what it's like to grow older.
100 Days to Brave
Annie F. Downs is a woman whose heart is truly focused on God. I read through this book with a friend recently and it was not only inspiring, but challenging. She encourages you to share your faith, eat your vegetables, and dares you to believe in your dreams. She also helps you tap into what some of your dreams just might be. She breaks up the 3 months by different goals to focus on, putting your faith in God, despite how we might doubt his process.
Open Book
I have a confession. I have had a girl crush (aka deep admiration) on Jessica Simpson since she burst onto the scene. Everything from her voice, her faith, and now her clothing line has me crushing hard for this woman. This book, also might not be for the faint of heart but this woman leaves no stone left unturned when it comes to the mistakes she's made in her life. The path that some of her decisions led her down. The thing that I was most surprised to learn was that she was also abused as a child. She talked about her parents silence on the abuse, her fathers later decision to leave her mother, the love for her sister; why she really left Nick Lachey. She airs her dirty laundry to in hopes that we love and forgive ourselves for the sins and mistakes we've committed. This woman also wants you to believe in Jesus despite what the world thinks of us sinners. This woman wants you to love yourself. This woman wants you to know you are not alone when it comes to abuse, the lies we tell ourselves, and how holding nothing back from your therapist can actually help save you.
The Happiness Project
I don't know about you but have you ever wondered what it would be like to just be truly happy, ALL THE TIME? I'll admit Gretchen Rubin writes at a higher level than my brain can keep up (i.e. googling words and phrases she wrote.) I wanted to know if the steps she took, truly made her happier. Backed by research and being her own guinea pig she broke down how you can structure your own happiness project. I haven't set about to create my own happiness project but it helped shape my thoughts around things such as "will buying the value pack of tooth paste make me happier vs buying one because it's cheaper? Will splurging on myself actually bring me happiness or create buyers remorse? Will having a creative outlet make me a better person?" If you can keep up with the big words, it's absolutely worth the read.
That's What She Said
WOW. This book. If you haven't been introduced to what it's like to work...basically any job...as a woman, this one is an eye open. Everything from how women dress, talk, are paid; and treated. It's not just a liberal, man hating perspective, this is driven data research on what we can do differently to help women not only succeed but be believed. It's an idea on how to open the conversation with the opposite sex on how women are perceived and what we can all do to change the narrative.
Own Your Every Day
Confession time. I'm only 4 chapters in but it's great digestible content. This woman is encouraging me and challenging me to throw out the labels, stop chasing what I think I need to chase and live out my actual God Given purpose. I'll keep you posted on this one as I have 10 more chapters to go but for now, it goes on the list.
Girl Wash Your Face
I have another confession. I wasn't absolutely in love with this book. However, I will say I think I need to read it, or listen to it again. I was hook, line, sinker with this book, right up until the end. When one of her last chapters she covers weight. It was hard for me to get on board with her "Eat less, work out more" mentality. As a woman who battles PCOS on the regular (on the reg/everyday) I can attest to this not being true. It seemed like with every chapter she would tell you a story about things that happened to her, tell you how to over come it, deal with it, and relate it to every woman. However when she talked about losing weight... this was the one hard line she drew in the sand. No exceptions. I just had a hard time with it. With that said that Rachel Hollis had some very significant things to say to break down how we build ourselves up in lies and how to break them down.
"If you recognize that your words have power and that your commitments carry covenant weight, you won't agree to anything so easily." This sentence alone helped me change how I scheduled my time. (until of course, I forgot about it and went right about to being overworked and stressed out.)
"Moving doesn't change who you are, it only changes the view outside you window" I love my husband, but one of the first things I said to him before we moved was "we cannot take our Nebraska problems to Minnesota with us". I wanted to leave behind whatever issues our marriage might have had at the time before we moved. While some still followed us, others have gotten better.
The truth is, this book is tough love. I may not have been willing to hear it at the time so it might be worth listening to again.
Alright friends, I am going to start that ever important bedtime routine... before I sign off though here are some honorable mentions that are also worth a listen or read, lol.
Honorable Mentions:
I am Malala
The Girl with the lower back Tattoo
Furiously Happy
The Hiding Place
If you have any books that shaped your way of thinking or feel might be worth a mention leave it in the comments below!
Also don't forget to subscribe, as I tend to blog a little infrequently these days, this will help keep you up to date and please spread the love and not the COVID by sharing my post from the comfort of your home. (muahah I laugh at my own jokes.)
Much love and blessings friends,
A
While, I'm actually 33, I feel more like an adult than I ever have. I haven't had the same distractions here in Minnesota that I had back home in Nebraska. Here I don't have plans to go for a run (HELLO executive lock down), a part time job to run off too, or full time job to get to. A lot less scheduled appointments, while physically I have so much energy I've been finding it hard to sleep, emotionally I am processing a lot of heavy emotions.
Luckily due to COVID-19, restrictions that kept me from seeing my NE therapist, have been temporarily lifted. No co-pays and I'm able to meet with her once a week in our temporary apartment via telehealth. What a blessing. As I was talking with my therapist, she asked me what has given me the courage to not only face these emotions but to speak about them out loud. Turns out when there aren't as many distractions you have no other choice but to face the things right in front of you.
I've also been doing a ton of reading and audio book listening. I've consumed so much content in the last year about facing your fears, overcoming adversity, taking responsibility that I am feeling just a little more equipped and empowered to not only be a better person, but a stronger woman. Even though it's a day late for Woman Crush Wednesday I want to list some of my favorite books that I think every woman over the age of 30 can not only relate to but learn from. (Also... all the books are written by women!)
In no particular order here are books to read for my over 30 female friends. (Full disclosure you can read these at any age, but they've helped me so much in my life right now that I'm feeling thirty three-ee--ooo--OOO-OOoo)
Taking Aim
We're Going to Need More Wine
100 Days to Brave
Open Book
The Happiness Project
That's What She Said
Own Your Every Day
Girl Wash Your Face
"If you recognize that your words have power and that your commitments carry covenant weight, you won't agree to anything so easily." This sentence alone helped me change how I scheduled my time. (until of course, I forgot about it and went right about to being overworked and stressed out.)
"Moving doesn't change who you are, it only changes the view outside you window" I love my husband, but one of the first things I said to him before we moved was "we cannot take our Nebraska problems to Minnesota with us". I wanted to leave behind whatever issues our marriage might have had at the time before we moved. While some still followed us, others have gotten better.
The truth is, this book is tough love. I may not have been willing to hear it at the time so it might be worth listening to again.
Alright friends, I am going to start that ever important bedtime routine... before I sign off though here are some honorable mentions that are also worth a listen or read, lol.
Honorable Mentions:
I am Malala
The Girl with the lower back Tattoo
Furiously Happy
The Hiding Place
If you have any books that shaped your way of thinking or feel might be worth a mention leave it in the comments below!
Also don't forget to subscribe, as I tend to blog a little infrequently these days, this will help keep you up to date and please spread the love and not the COVID by sharing my post from the comfort of your home. (muahah I laugh at my own jokes.)
Much love and blessings friends,
A
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