Well, another month has come to an end. I was debating on whether or not I should put together a Monthly Wrap Up for March. If you are reading this, then you can see that I decided to post one!…. Last minute given that March ended just a bit over a week ago. 😂 Better late than never, as my dad has always said!
I always find Monthly Wrap Up posts quite intimidating, not only because of the amount of information that goes into the post, but also because…. I want to include interesting information. Or, include information in an interesting way (still working on that 😂). I am trying to improve my blogging so any tips (in general, or on this specific type of post) would be welcomed.
🤔Reflection
Looking at March as a whole, it month was a “big” month for me in the sense that I made the decision to restart blogging. While it might seem like an easy decision on the surface, it was actually a difficult one for me. Why you might ask? Because I did not want to start up this blog yet again and then disappear once medical school starts this summer. However, I realized a few things. 1: It is something that I really enjoy doing and time should be spent doing things one loves. Life is short, you know? 2: Medical school is hard in many ways, so hobbies are important to prevent burnout or a plummeting mental health. With these things in mind, I decided to return to blogging. Shout out to Leslie @BooksAreTheNewBlack who was so kind and supportive when I entertained returning to blogging! Be sure to check out her blog – I always enjoy reading her posts.
I recently read a quote that really spoke to me and summed up my feelings about March:
Don’t Just
Don’t just learn, experience.
Don’t just read, absorb.
Don’t just change, transform.
Don’t just relate, advocate.
Don’t just promise, prove.
Don’t just criticize, encourage.
Don’t just think, ponder.
Don’t just take, give.
Don’t just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don’t just hear, listen.
Don’t just talk, act.
Don’t just tell, show.
Don’t just exist, live.
Roy T Bennett
For me, I feel that it is really easy to get lost in the “what if”, the “let’s just get through this” mentality. This has been especially true over the past couple of years with graduating from college and applying to medical school. However, that mindset is not one of presence and one can wish their life away with that perspective. Life is short and I don’t want to spend it that way! While it is tough sometimes, I want to live more consciously, more presently, and more purposefully. One of my figure skating coaches taught me “mindfulness” and it is something I want to return to. To be more purposeful is this practice, I recently purchased a book called “Mindfulness: A Practical Guide” by Tessa Watt. I will let you know how I like it once I begin reading it 😂.
Okay, enough of my musings. Here is the monthly wrap up:
📚Books Read: 4
The Return by JLA
The Power by JLA
The Struggle by JLA
The Prophecy by JLA
(Yes, I read only JLA books in March. I have no regrets.)
After finishing the Covenant series by JLA, I just had to dive right into the Titan series, a spin off of Covenant. It is rare that I find a series where I find myself totally consumed, but this one was definitely it. Jennifer Armentrout has yet to disappoint me! I feel that she provides her readers with new perspectives, comfort, and knowledge. I say knowledge because, through her Covenant series, I found out that Athens, OH is very haunted. Living in OH and being accepted into Ohio University’s Heritage College of Medicine, I was very interested in this tidbit. So I looked it up. Um. Yes, it is indeed haunted. Here is the link that made me shake in my boots 👻💀
📋March Posts
Top Ten Tuesday: 21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics
Monday Music Match Up: The Kiss of Deception (Remnant Chronicles)
Tentative Spring TBR
Monday Music Match Up: Covenant Series
Flashback Friday: St. Patrick’s Day Edition
🎥TV I Enjoyed This Month:
Is it Cake? on Netflix
Baking Impossible on Netflix
Reacher on Amazon Prime Video
Favorite memory of March
I had the opportunity to visit my grandmother’s two sisters, who I rarely ever get the chance to see due to us living in different states. I had never actually seen the three sisters together so it was such a joy to witness how much they love each other and how excited they were to be finally reunited after several years apart. It made me cherish my close relationship with my twin sister, Lauren, just that much more. ❤️
What books did you read this month? What was your most memorable part of March? Let me know in the comments below.🥰
-Maya🌹