SHARING SOME OF THE THINGS THAT RESONATED
The winter months have finished down here in Australia (although the weather is still holding on). For my Winter wrap-up of my WOTY "Mindful" I thought I'd share some of the small things that caught my interest and resonated with me over the last few months. They're fairly random, but that's my life in general these days....
A NEW TERM: GENERATION JONES
A new term I came across recently is "Generation Jones" - it applies to all of us born between 1954 - 1965 (my era) and it refers to those of us who feel too young to be Baby Boomers and too Old to be Gen X. We slide somewhere in the middle and it's reflected in our approach to life, work, technology, and so much more. I thought about writing a whole post on it, but really there was enough about it online already without me adding my two cents worth. Suffice it to say, it was a new term that I hadn't heard before, but didn't make a great deal of difference to my worldview. I will admit to having a shorter attention span than I used to - maybe that's the Gen X showing through my Boomer attention to detail?
If you're at all interested in finding out what those of us in Generation Jones look like, then this video is a great little 10 minute summary: The Psychology of Generation Jones.
A NEW NAIL STRENGTHENER
I don't usually collaborate with companies wanting me to endorse their products, but I made an exception when I was contacted by Tom from Dr Tom Nailcare - he's a New Zealand doctor and scientist who has developed an all natural nail strengthener. It might not ring bells for some people, but I'm a lifelong nail biter and anything that could actually improve my sadly neglected nails is worth a try. So..... he sent me his Combo Pack and I've been using it for a month.
At the time being the nailcare is only available in New Zealand and Australia (then more countries hopefully in the future). Tom was also kind enough to offer a 10% discount code - Cresting10 - for anyone who's interested in trying it (and I noticed he currently has free postage for both countries for purchases over $50 - so win/win!)
In the end I spent a few weeks re-reading the 5 book series "The Others" by Anne Bishop, and was drawn into them all over again. I wasn't sure what genre the books fell under but Google tells me it's dark urban fantasy. I find the world building to be really interesting - an alternative version of our world where some things are the same, but there's a lot that's different - a little bit of a "Lord of the Flies" vibe.
A SERIES OF NOVELS I ENJOYED
I'm always on the lookout for a new book series to read, but that stalled when nothing was grabbing my attention - I kept checking out new authors and hitting a wall when the reviews panned them or the Goodreads synopsis didn't engage my interest enough to want to jump into reading the book. If you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them in the comments!In the end I spent a few weeks re-reading the 5 book series "The Others" by Anne Bishop, and was drawn into them all over again. I wasn't sure what genre the books fell under but Google tells me it's dark urban fantasy. I find the world building to be really interesting - an alternative version of our world where some things are the same, but there's a lot that's different - a little bit of a "Lord of the Flies" vibe.
A NEW WAY OF JOURNALLING
Anyone who reads my blog knows I like to collage as a creative outlet. Recently I came across a girl on youtube who calls her channel "My Abiding Journal". She's been sharing her journalling progression over several years, and has settled on a monthly two page spread that is a combination of scrapbooking, collage, writing, and collating any photos from the month that she wants to save.
Something about her process really appealed to me and I'm almost finished my current book that I'm collaging, so I'm challenging myself to do a monthly collaged journal to give me a visual reminder of how my year is progressing. I plan to start with the last couple of months and work back to January, and then go on to completing each new month as it finishes. This is July:
A QUOTE TO LIVE BY IN MIDLIFE
I saw this quote on Facebook and thought what great advice it was - I only wish I'd chosen to do this so much earlier in my life. I'm still wrestling with not apologizing for taking up space, and for being who I am in a world that doesn't always feel like a good fit. I really want to live the rest of my life to the full.
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What an eclectic catch up Leanne! This post spoke to me around all things mindful, creative and wonder as I see you exploring the interesting, the new and the ‘you never know what’s next!” I learned something here tonight about your generation! Baby Boomer here feeling her age! Denyse x
ReplyDeleteHi Denyse - thanks for your lovely comment - I also learnt another unexpected thing this week - and that's to check on my subscriptions to the blog. It turns out I've had so many lovely people subscribe that it blew my free package with Mailchimp and it suspended sending out my emails (aggghhh). Anyway, all fixed now and it was such a relief when this appeared in my inbox today. Onwards and upwards! xx
DeleteWhat a great post that really had me thinking! I’m going to research the books and the new way of journaling. Thank you for being an inspiration to us generation jones. As we are going into Fall here in Canada, I’ll have winter projects
ReplyDeleteHi - I'm so glad it gave you a few ideas to look into. I'm such a big fan of collaging because it feels creative without needing to be too "artistic". I also try to do all my own bits and pieces rather than buying ready-made stuff - that way I feel like I'm the creative one and not who I purchased it all from. Enjoy your Fall - I'm sooo looking forward to Spring here in Australia! x
DeleteI love the monthly calendar collage idea! I want to give it a try also! Wishing I had thought of/started something like that sooner! ❤️ Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I really needed some encouragement today after my email subscriptions stopped suddenly yesterday and I had to figure out how to fix it all (good for the brain but not great for my stress levels!) The monthly calendar thing has been fun and I'm looking forward to going back over some of the earlier months of the year to pick out what I want to remember. I hope you give it a try. x
DeleteHi Leanne, I love the collage idea. For the past 6 years I’ve tried to keep a bit of a diary going and it’s good to read occasionally as things get altered in my memory of how they were and how I felt at the time! I’m going to try the collage it sounds fun, especially when I think of looking back in a year or so. Happy September! Chrissie x
ReplyDeleteHi Chrissie, I keep a written diary too, but it's only a page or so every few weeks (my life is fairly quiet and repetitive these days). That's why I liked the idea of putting the month together to show that there's still lots of lovely things happening - quiet joys to reflect back over. I hope you give it a go :)
Delete👋 that quote resonated with me too. When I was younger I thought women who were like this were intimidating and yet deep down I did want to be more like them than the people pleasing, don’t voice my opinion and stay small and just smile and be good person I was . I learnt that the way I was didn’t mean that people would treat me with the same concern and respect. The journey of life continues.
ReplyDeleteThe following books are ones that I have enjoyed immensely this year and have either loaned them ( but make sure you return it 😊)or bought as gifts.
Anything by Alexander McCall Smith
The Venice Hotel. By Tess Woods. Do look up this lovely lady . I heard her give a talk and she is absolutely amazing.
Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus. ( the series on Netflix follows the book reasonably closely)
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Theo of Golden by Allen Levy
Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton Great book to share with the grandchildren.
You are truly in for a treat in reading any of these books. Enjoy, Irene 🤗
Hi Irene - thanks so much for the book recommendations - it's so hard to find good reads these days! And yes, I struggled with the idea of confident women and thinking they were too full-on. Now I'm better at finding that balance between advocating for myself while still respecting other people's boundaries. I like being more "me" now I'm older - it's nice to not be squashing myself so much. Thanks so much for your lovely comment :)
DeleteHi Leanne, I've recently been hearing information about the Jones generation and never felt I was a baby boomer so something between Gen X and BB suits me fine. A lovely wrap up of random moments. Have a great September.
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - interesting that a whole generational group has gone unrecognized until recently - I think we were the generation that had to catch up with all the tech and we nailed it. :)
DeleteI wondered whether you had ‘dropped’ me from your email list, Leanne, when I did not see an email from you on (my) Sunday night. Reminder for me to not make assumptions LOL. Re taking up space - I know I sometimes speak fast because I do not want to take up someone’s time - I also continue to ‘wrestle’ with this. I am a fan of Dr. Tara Swart (neuroscientist) and follow her and have read 2 of her books. I find her fascinating, knowledgeable and helpful. She brought up recently ‘why’ we continue to revert back to certain behaviours/coping/managing life.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I am not giving up. I will continue to move forward. LOL
“This is your life. Live it fully.” - Love this! Thank you again for your gems, Leanne, and for you being you! Also, love your collage! xx Erica
Hi Erica - I'm so glad you noticed that my email wasn't there - and that you're still kind enough to read my stuff each week. :) I feel like so many have drifted away and it's a shame when we lose contact.
DeleteI'll have to look up Dr Rara Swart because I often find myself reverting back to old ways that really don't serve me well - it's like our brains want to play safe, but that doesn't work well now and we often miss out on things because we don't speak when we should. I'm still figuring it all out too. xx
I've never heard of Generation Jones, Leanne. Now I'm curious, so I'll check it out. I love your collaging and the idea to do a monthly spread.
ReplyDeleteHi Christie - it was new to me too and the video was a good overview. And thanks for the collaging compliment - it's fun doing the year month by month. x
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