Can you believe we are at the end of October? This year has absolutely flown by, and now there are only two months left in 2023. Do you ever take time to look back and reflect on the past? I love looking back on history, but lately looking back on my personal life is becoming more difficult to do. It feels like I have fewer good things to remember than when I was younger, but I know if I took the time to really think about it, I could find many good things I’ve experienced during this year.
You might be thinking it’s a bit early to be going through a “year-end review,” and I am inclined to agree, but November is the month of giving thanks. What better way to prepare than by remembering good things to be thankful for? Plus, practicing gratitude now just might help us make these last two months the best of the year. So, how do we practice gratitude mindfully? Well, I’m going to figure that out as I write this post. I invite you to join me as you read, and maybe we’ll figure it out together.
First, I want to find one big thing about each month. In January, I started my final semester in college, and I turned 27. I remember feeling distraught about graduation and still being single. There wasn’t anything I could do about those “problems,” but they lead my thoughts to the month of May. I know that’s a five-month time jump, but a stream of consciousness can be healthy when looking back.
I graduated college on May 6th, 2023, a day I’d dreaded for a year. After seeking professional help, praying a lot, and being honest with my friends, I was able to enjoy and celebrate that day. One small moment that helped me happened the night before: my roommate gave me a graduation card. It was signed by some of my closest friends, each leaving a message of endearment, expressing the same love to me I had shown them.
A short time later, I told one of those friends that I was thankful for all the delays in my life because they had led me to meet these wonderful people. That person told me she was so proud of me for being able to look back on my life with gratitude. I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing, and I felt so much joy. Sometimes I still feel impatient and am tempted to complain about life not happening like I wanted, but I’m far more content than I was a year ago, and that’s worth celebrating.
Wow! All of that just because I thought about January! I wonder what would happen if I kept going. Let’s see, I don’t remember much about February. I think I published with my flash fiction club, but nothing else is coming to mind. I was probably stressing about homework. Haha! I could say the same about March, honestly. And that’s okay. Sometimes big things don’t happen every month. I know if I looked through my calendar and messages, I’d find lots of little events, good and bad. I encourage you to do that in your own time later. For now, I’m sticking to the bigger things.
Next up is April. I remember April being a very stressful time. It was the last month of the semester, I was behind on almost all of my schoolwork, and both my parents were celebrating their birthdays. I spent late nights in the library working, and I even broke down crying in Starbucks where I was hanging out with some friends. They comforted me and we listened to the library storytime together while eating cookies. I remember how loved I felt, and I knew I didn’t want to be anywhere else at that moment.
I’ve already touched on May. Besides graduation, I moved out of my apartment, I got to see my grandparents from Arizona for a couple of days, and inspiration for A Week in Galerod struck me at random, and I began writing veraciously. I also began searching for a job and actually trusting God with my post-graduation life. May had a lot going on, both stressful and good, and many of my current activities got their start in May.
Next up, June. It wasn’t a terrible month, but it wasn’t good. I don’t remember a whole lot about that month except I filled out a lot of job applications and kept writing. July was a bit more chaotic since my dad spent almost two weeks in the hospital and I started a new job. The fact that we all survived the hospital stay and I’m employed are good things to be thankful for.
August brought sorrow as my new reality became apparent to me. My friends returned to college and I was not there with them. Both August and September were emotionally rough months, but we continued to keep in contact and find new ways to spend time together. I finished training in September, and now I’m working hard as a reading tutor (am I training the next generation of Beth Freemont fans? Maybe. 😉😆).
And here we are, October. This was going to be an exciting month. I was going to publish A Week in Galerod, I had so many plans for advertising, I was supposed to be driving a car, I was supposed to be doing so many things. Instead, I have a delayed publication, I still haven’t learned how to drive, I’m behind on what feels like everything, and I was sick for a week. However, I got to celebrate two of my friends’ birthdays, meet my pseudo-niece, and join my old college writing club for its annual 24-hour lock-in (the reason I was sick for a week 😏).
Every month has setbacks, celebrations, and growth opportunities. I mean, even though I didn’t make my publication deadline, I’ve learned so much about my writing and how to handle feedback, and I learned to never set a publication date while I’m still working on draft one. I’m feeling good about my life right now, even with all the challenges. Still, I do have many days where I struggle to be content and patient. I’m learning to embrace both the good and the bad (kind of like Ursula in the short story I shared last week).
I hope you can do the same. I pray that we will both embrace the last two months of 2023 with contentment and patience. There is still so much in store for us—our own little adventures to take. Maybe that’s how I should always look at my life: the mini adventures of Beth Freemont. The same can be said for you: the mini adventures of [insert your name]!
Until next time!
-Beth
P.S. Yes, I had to push back the publication date for A Week in Galerod. I do not yet have a new date planned since I still have so much to do. But, you can receive the latest updates about this and many other things by joining my newsletter. In fact, my subscribers found out about the delay two weeks ago, four days before the infamous missed deadline. If you’d like to be in the loop, subscribe to my newsletter today. It’s free! When you sign up, remember to confirm your email address in the confirmation email sent to you immediately following your sign-up. Thank you!
Beth Freemont 