Personal & Bookish Reflections on 2019!
Hello 2020! Goodbye 2019! As the new year begins, I’d thought I’d take some time to reflect on 2019 on a personal level, share some highlights, and discuss my bookish habits of last year.
2019 was a challenging year (for me), but I did accomplish a lot of things (big and small). I lost a few family members in 2019 and the one that impacted me the most was the loss of my grandma. She was a very influential person in my life and meant so much to me. She had been declining in health for the past few years and her passing brought some peace to my family and I, since I knew she wasn’t suffering anymore. I credit her for exposing me to world around me and one of few people in life as a child that instilled a love for reading that is still going strong today.
While I switched jobs late in 2018, this was my first year working full time and it was a big adjustment to my schedule including how I read. I don’t like to say that I’ve “scheduled” my reading time, but I havefound ways to include reading so I can still read somewhat as many books as I did before.
As I said in my 2018 reflections. I used to treat self-care as a reward (which was the wrong way of thinking) and it led to such an anxiety overload. I felt I was making too many commitments and not enough time for myself. I’m continually working towards finding the right balance of self-care and also accomplishing my tasks. One thing I’ve done a lot of in 2019 craft more. I’ve developed an even stronger passion for crafting, painting, etc. It’s incredibly relaxing and helps me to put things in focus.
I don’t set New Year’s resolutions anymore, but rather personal goals that I’d like to achieve throughout the year. I’m continually working harder on putting my self first, practicing more self-care, and trying/learning new things.
First off, my 2019 bookish goals! I continuing to purge a lot of books from my collection and tried to tackle some of the books that have been sitting on my bookshelves for the longest. I set my goal to 150 books, but sadly only made it to 128 books. I was so close! This year I set the bar to 150 books! I hope I can complete the challenge this year! I got to do some buddy reads which was fun! For 2020, I’ll be participating in the Romanceopoly Challenge again. I didn’t complete my board in 2019, but I’m ready to try again. I also participated in the A to Z reading challenge that was listed in my Bookish Planner and I almost read the whole alphabet except for 4 letters. I’ll also be participating in Start on Your Shelfathon hosted by The Quiet Pond in a effort to read some of the books on my bookshelves.
In 2019 I got to do so many new things and mini adventures, here are some of my highlights!
I went on quest (which is still being continued in 2020) to find tasty ramen around town! My favorite kind of ramen is Tonkatsu (pork) with Miso Paitan coming in as a close second. I love all the unique ramen restaurants that are opening up locally.
I went to a few sports games. I got to see my home teams, The Detroit Tigers play on a warm and sunny Easter Sunday. I also got to see the Detroit Lions play a home game in the fall. Though neither events were winning games I still enjoyed the experience.
Bearing the freezing winter-like temps of May in Chicago as my friend and I finally got to see BTS live in concert. We have been trying to get tickets for years. Though it was cold and rainy outside. It was such a phenomenal concert and I loved how the boys and the crowd had such high energy! One of the best concerts I’ve been to!
I had another girls weekend in Chicago in which friends and I spent time shopping, catching up over wine and movies, eating lots of good food, and visiting some notable locations in the Windy City. One of my favorite highlights was The Chicago Institute of Art which is a must see!
I went to the Detroit Festival of Books and bought way more books than I intended to. This event is held in the summertime at Eastern Market in Downtown Detroit and is full of many booths from local booksellers and authors. I got to see a bookmobile for the first time.
Being the huge Star Trek fan that I am I couldn’t miss the traveling exhibit that came to the Henry Ford Museum. It was cool to see the costumes of my favorite characters, props from the original set, and even partake in the interactive attractions.
I spent a full weekend at Youmacon, a local anime convention and got to cosplay as Koya from BT21 and Princess Tiana from Princess and the Frog. I met some amazing people, got to dress up, buy some anime loot, and most importantly nerd out! I’m already planning cosplay for this year’s convention.
Last but not least, a reflection post wouldn’t be complete without some goals that I want to work on throughout the year:
- Continue to improve time management skills
- Go on at least two vacations
- Take a dance class
- Continue to expand my reading horizons
- Focus on having a more positive attitude
- Join a book club
- Make self-care a higher priority
What are your reflections on 2019? Have you set any goals for 2020? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!
Aww, I’m sorry your grandma passed. My condolences to you and your family.
I hope your 2020 will be a wonderful one. 🙂
Thank you for your kinda words! I hope 2020 will be better year as well. Happy Reading!
🙂thx!
What a challenging year you had: I’m glad to hear that you were inspired by those hardships to make positive changes in your coming year though. I’m sure your grandma would approve of that!
I didn’t know you are a Star Trek fan! Are you excited by the new show? I haven’t watched it yet, but I’ll check it out. That would have been a fun exhibit for sure!
Good luck with your 2020 goals and aspirations!
Thank you for your kind words! 🙂 I am excited for the new show! I still need to watch Star Trek: Discovery but I’ll have to go to the library and check out the DVDs. All the good shows are on CBS Access. Good luck with your 2020 goals as well! Happy Reading!