embracingcalm: Sunset (Default)
[personal profile] embracingcalm
After a bit of thought, I've recanted. I think it might be best for me to make some concrete goals for the coming year. This one was so hectic I barely did any reading or made any art. There were also plenty of things I wanted to do and could have done but didn't. Sure I made it through, but I think if next year is going to be more of the same maybe some challenge would help support my mental health.

So, with all that in mind, here is a list of goals for 2026.

Go to Crystal Lake
Finish 25 paintings/mixed media pieces
Take a photo of 58 sunrises
Complete 100 hours of yoga/pilates
Read 25 books
Go Kayaking 15 times
Collect fresh water from the fresh snowmelt in late spring
Grow Marigolds, Sunflowers, Sweetgrass, and Kale
Go on 17 hikes
Buy a bike
Make 100 pieces of paper
Write 1k words (poetry)
Make 12 desserts/sweets
Get my nose pierced
Complete 2 rugs
Make 1 granny square dress using thrifted yarn
Go to 5 local concerts
Make 10 new linocuts
Go with my husband and dog to the park 53 times
Have 6 picnics
Make 1 plein air painting
Complete 5 sewing projects

---

It's sort of a lot. I think that might be good though. The pressure was all external in 2025 maybe some internal pressure will help me feel I have some small degree of control.

2025 summarized + 2026 Survival Plan

Dec. 31st, 2025 12:18 pm
embracingcalm: Sunset (Default)
[personal profile] embracingcalm
It’s the last day of 2025 and for me it’s been a mixed bag.

My 19 year old cat Virgo Valentine passed away, I was very ill in spring due to a missed miscarriage which was not detected for over a month, an allergic reaction to hair dye resulted in me needing to shave my head, I finished very few art projects, my husband and I got Covid for the second time… all that against the back drop of the second Trump presidency and all that has come with it.

However, I also moved with my husband to this gorgeous new state where the changes in environmental factors have allowed me some relief from my MCAS symptoms. Quitting all streaming services allowed me to discover new music and grow a nice CD collection. Plus, I got a new kitten (Diogenes), my spiritual base has deepened to include daily practice, my husband has remained a kind and lovely person, our patio has been visited by a multitude of animals thanks to a habit of putting out offerings and… well, honestly I just love it here so much. People here are kind to me and I feel thankful for what I have

I have a feeling that 2026 is going to be full of hardship on a national and global level, more so than typical year. I hope I’m wrong and miraculous things will happen that will turn everything around. If things keep on course, I don’t have a specific intention or idea of how to navigate what’s coming. I do have some ideas to guide me through though.

First, now that my symptoms have improved to the extent that I’m no longer sick every time I try to eat, I need to retrain myself to eat enough to nourish my body without the anxiety. Even though I no longer get sick after eating, I’m still afraid I might be which has made me avoidant and a bit malnourished. I'm also going to intentionally limit the amount of news I take in and instead try to use that time for reading going on walks doing creative work, and doing whatever else helps me feel calm. Also, I want to make an effort to really show my husband and the animals that they are important to me by doing extra little things and giving my undivided attention whenever I can.

I guess the plan is to just take care of myself and those I love at the most basic level.

Tea Leaves For a New Year

Dec. 30th, 2025 02:49 pm
embracingcalm: Sunset (Default)
[personal profile] embracingcalm

 


I don’t attempt to read tea leaves often, so I’m not particularly sure I’m an expert. I certainly don’t do them often for myself. The last time I did was election night. It was quite easy to find a T and an Aries sign. Which is a bit spooky if you don’t think about it or if you really allow yourself to think of it as some sort of divination. Really it’s just a meditative tool to help you extrapolate your hopes and fears. I started thinking about this last week (maybe last month?) sometime after reading about the Baba Vanga World Cup 2026 alien prophecy. Which, if you haven’t been down there already, is quite a fun little rabbit hole, sensationalism or not.


So, what did this cup say about my upcoming year? That little lump at the bottom lies between the area of sorrow and hate and it points up to that big mass at the top corner which is associated with contentment. When you read tea leaves you spiral from the bottom clockwise letting you mind draw associations between shapes and the zones they lie in. For the most part, this cup lacks shapes but the distribution of these tea leaves falls on mostly on areas which symbolize simple aspects of life that bring happiness or at least make it more comfortable: beauty, wealth, love, honor, fidelity, art, generosity, endurance etc… with very few of the bad sections speckled with tea at all. To me, that says that the worst struggles in 2026 for me, will be concerning issues of hate and sorrow but that I will be given plenty of chances to create contentment through the good things in life like love, friendship and helping others.

Of course, like I said, that’s just how my hopes and fears are reflected through this cup of tea if I take the time to stare at it and think about life for long enough but it's enough to help me feel a bit better.

First entry

Dec. 30th, 2025 11:38 am
embracingcalm: Sunset (Default)
[personal profile] embracingcalm
I’m not sure what to write in my first entry here and I’m a bit apprehensive. I predominately need a place to do some daily journaling about my rather mundane life and eventually post some art progress, ramble about my cd collection (which focuses on genres that most people consider boring), share some creative writing and post photos from day to day life. My search for a place to do this safely, while avoiding billionaire owned companies and edgelords has been… frustrating at best. Places that have algorithms feel a bit toxically rage baited and many other non algorithmic areas tend to only appreciate female presence if it remains open to objectification. Hopefully this will be an okay space for me. I would really like to connect to some likeminded people.

Profile

lillilah: (Default)
lillilah

December 2025

S M T W T F S
  1 2 3 4 56
7 8 9 10 111213
14 1516 17 181920
21 22 23 2425 2627
28 29 30 31   

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jan. 1st, 2026 12:23 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios