January Read-Watch-Do

 

Say what you will about winter, but I love the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate. 

It's the season when I have time to read and catch up on things I like to watch. And it's the perfect time to try a new hobby or plan for future activities, like summer travel. 

Here are our offerings for this month's read-watch-do. 

Read

In January, the A Lovely Life, Indeed Facebook community is reading The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. 

From Amazon: 

In The Light We Carry, Michelle Obama opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: 

• How do we build enduring and honest relationships? 
• How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? 
• What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? 
• What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?

Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. 
 
“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. 

Our book club will meet to chat about this book on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:00pm ET. Join our online community here for access to this and future events. 

Watch

I recently had the opportunity to see Stutz, a documentary made by the actor, Jonah Hill, about his psychiatrist, Phil Stutz. Through candid conversations about Hill's life, Stutz shares some of his visual models of therapy, which he has used throughout his 40+ year practice. 

Early on in the film, Hill shares that his intent is to spread Stutz's ideas and tools to as many people as possible and based on reviews, his ideas seem to resonate. The visual tools, which Stutz sketches on index cards, are easy to understand and remember. Here's the official trailer from Netflix. 

Have you seen Stutz? What were your key takeaways?

Do

I'm not a resolution setter, but I do set intentions for the new year. I love to cook and I often look for new recipes to try and hopefully, work in to our monthly rotation. As someone who is interested in health and longevity, I tend to gravitate towards Mediterranean (pescatarian) and vegetarian meals, so my DO for this month is to try 3 new recipes:

• One new fish-based meal
• One new vegetarian meal
• One new soup or stew

What would you like to add to your weekly or monthly meal rotation? Are you trying to eat more plant-based meals or meals that fit within your chosen parameters? I'd love to hear more in the comments. 

So that's it for January!

Read: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama and then join us for book club on February 23rd in our Facebook community. 

Watch: Stutz on Netlix

Do: Try 3 new recipes this month to mix up your meal rotation.