January Things

what I am doing/seeing/hearing/drawing

Jan 29, 2025

Sawadee ka!

Each month, I do a little round-up of what I have been doing/seeing/hearing/drawing. Last year, I did these in the middle of the month… but I decided the end of the month is better.

Most of my month was in Thailand, so this round-up will be fun!

DID:

January has been an eventful month, and it started with me beginning The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s already changing my life! Turns out everyone is an artist, and so much of recovering your true artistic self is to work through the fears of being your true artistic self. It’s been a fun way to have a daily writing practice, and I feel myself becoming more creative and accepting of myself and others! I was recommended this book by one of my best friends who read it, quit her job, and is now solo traveling and feeling so fulfilled.

Which brings me to….

The Space Pod.

You know one of those random goals/dreams you’ve had but never have really told anyone about? Well for me, one of those dreams was to stay in a hostel where you sleep in space pods. Between my friend solo traveling/thriving and me watching Eat Pray Love on the plane… I just got in my head about how badly I wanted to be the solo traveler but I felt like I missed my chance since I’m, you know, married to a guy who loves to travel.

So I bring the Space Pod up to Jonny. And Jonny is like, yeah, that would have been fun when I was like 20 years old. But now we’re older and can afford nicer places to stay. And I was like, but I want to talk to strangers. It’s only $15/night. I want to be a budget traveler. I want to sleep in a room full of people. I want to be cool and independent and capable. Plus, it’s so FUN!!! And as an added bonus, I will feel like an astronaut! I can’t think of anything more FUN!!

Jonny says he has absolutely zero interest in joining me. I bring it up to some friends and family. They all think I am insane. But still, it’s like this little spark has been lit up inside of me (I blame the Artist’s Way), and I can’t get sleeping in a SPACE POD out of my head!

So that is, dear reader, how I have found myself alone here… in a plastic space pod that smells slightly like cigarette smoke… writing this newsletter.

I’ve already FaceTimed Jonny and cried three times.

I’m glad my cosplaying of being a solo traveler is going to come to an end in the morning!!! I’m not cut out for this kind of stuff!!!!

SAW:

Things I’ve seen in Thailand:

A Buddhist monk Facetiming someone while waiting for a taxi
Mama monkey holding a baby monkey!!!
Space pod (see above ^)
GINORMOUS shopping malls… like GINORMOUS
Mango sticky rice <3
The ocean and beach
A big beautiful rainbow fish while we were snorkeling
Dragon dancers!
People from all over the world
1,260 stairs up a mountain
Jonny’s extended family… putting faces to names is so special! <3
Lots of cool red clothes for Chinese New Year
And these, everywhere right now:

HEAR:

Quotes that I’ve “heard” (read) this month that have stuck with me:

“Very often audacity, not talent, makes one person an artist and another a shadow artist.” — Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

“What felt like stuckness was at times necessary stillness, or at other times a sense of flow in a direction I didn’t expect. A rut can be a refining of the rhythm, a redirection, a rest. Such periods are not just rejuvenating a life, but living a life.” — Madeleine Dore, On Things

“The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer,” — Meghan O'Gieblyn, God Human Animal Machine

A good airport song:

Some songs I like to listen to in the morning:

DRAW:

I’ve been trying to get “into” sketching… I admire people who sketch in public. I get intimidated by that! But I love the idea of capturing what’s around you in that way.

Maybe one day I will get there, but what I’ve been doing in the meantime is taking some photos during the day and then sketching them quickly to practice. I think that will help me get quick enough to be able to do it in public?? Or maybe I just need to do it??

Anyway, here’s a sketch from earlier this month: