Share Four Somethings February 2022

I’m a bit late to the game on Share Four Somethings 2022–and everything else for that matter, or so it seems. I had a doozy of an autumn, moving back to Michigan, living with family for ten weeks, a lengthy delay closing on our new home, COVID, then actually moving into the new house three weeks before Christmas. January felt like the aftermath of chaos (which I suppose it was), so I’ve been telling everyone that February was my January. And here we are.

A new year means three of the four topics for Share Four Somethings are new; we’re still sharing Something Loved, but in 2022 we’re also sharing Something Gleaned, Something Braved, and Something Achieved. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

Something Loved

Winter. I wrote a good bit about embracing winter after nine years in the South for The Glorious Table earlier this month, but I’ll just say more succinctly here that it’s felt like we’ve moved to Narnia. We live close enough to Lake Michigan to get near-daily snow, even if it’s just flurries. On mornings when snow has fallen overnight, the thickets that border our property to the north will be coated in white, like a scene from Lucy’s first meeting with Mr. Tumnus. It’s been a season of utter beauty and joy. I never knew how much I missed winter.

Something Gleaned

In all honesty, most of the time this topic will probably be another version of Something Read, since most of what I glean tends to be in the form of the written word, but this month, I have something altogether different that I’m learning: The Fly Lady’s housekeeping method. It’s revolutionizing my life and unburdening me. The Fly Lady is not very high-tech, and her website is unlikely to wow you, but her methods are solid and a complete gamechanger. Her customizable free app helps keep me on track throughout the week.

Something Braved

Even though I’ve moved “home,” there are elements of starting over involved, especially in the area of friendships. One of my nearest and dearest friends of 20-plus years is still local, but I’m starting over with some others, while others have moved away. I know I need regular, face-to-face community, and when I left West Michigan nine years ago, I was a newlywed, a new mom, and not yet homeschooling. After a few weeks of scouring the web for local groups of readers and knitters and finding very little, a new colleague invited me to her book club, which has been meeting for many years. Their past list of reads spoke right to my literary heart, and I bravely went to their February gathering. Even though I’m a social introvert, it’s always a challenge walking into an established group of friends–what if I don’t fit in? What if they see me as an interloper? I need not have worried; everyone was warm and welcoming. It was a joyful evening well spent.

Something Achieved

This is going to sound a bit superficial, but I finally got my clothes unpacked and my closet organized. After living out of boxes and suitcases for five months, it was an immense relief. And it’s so easy to put together an outfit now, even if I only have a minute in which to do it. My closet in the new house had several hanging bars and a few shelves; I added these hanging shelves for my sweaters, and I just love them.

That’s it for this month. See you in a few weeks for Share Four Somethings March!

Share Four Somethings is a monthly link-up with Heather Gerwing at Living the Full Life.