Loving, Reading, & Learning Lately, #1
A new series!
I don’t know about you but I love a curated list of things someone is vibing with, so, here’s mine as of late:
Note: I’ve included links, but they’re not affiliate links. I don’t get anything from these brands for sharing them with you. They’re just genuine recommendations. I don’t know if they’re even that. They’re just things I’m loving. Take it or leave it.
What I’m Loving Lately
ARMRA Colostrum
The kids bring home every germ known to man, and somehow I’m not getting taken down the way I used to. High-quality colostrum supports immune health at the cellular level, and whether it’s science or magic, I feel sturdier. In this season of constant exposure, I’ll take sturdy.
Nespresso Stormio Pods
Nespresso Stormio is my twice-a-day, no-debate choice. Bold but smooth, strong without being harsh. I’ve tried branching out, but I always come back. There’s something deeply comforting about knowing exactly what you like.
My Desktop Background (Vision Board Edition)
I redesigned my desktop background to quietly reflect who I’m being in my daily routine. It’s subtle, personal, and powerful. Every time I open my laptop, I’m reminded of the daily practice of being who I want to be.
@mcmahondogtraining
I log into Instagram on my browser once a week almost exclusively to check McMahon Dog Training. His approach is calm, structured, and clear — which turns out to be exactly what both dogs and humans need. It’s humbling in the best way.
Not Having Instagram on My Phone
Deleting Instagram from my phone wasn’t dramatic. It just happened one day a few months ago and I never looked back. What I didn’t expect was how much mental space it would free up. I read more. I focus more. I scroll less. I give way less shits about things that have nothing to do with me. Highly recommend.
Hollow Alpaca Fiber Ankle Socks
A Christmas gift from my dad that I underestimated. Thin enough to wear comfortably with hiking boots, warm enough to actually matter. They’ve quietly become my go-to boot sock, which feels like a very adult kind of joy.
What I’ve Been Reading
Recently Finished: Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald
I added this to my Goodreads TBR years ago after hearing about it on What Should I Read Next? with Anne Bogel. It wasn’t buzzy when it came out (June 2019), which meant my library never carried it. I finally just bought it on Kindle and I am so glad I did!
The premise alone is worth it: a love story unfolding across time inside Grand Central Terminal between a man and a ghost. Then the execution? The pacing? The ending Five stars. For the premise. For the love story. For the craft. And absolutely for that ending. Hell yes, that ending.
Recently Started: Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfearn
This one is a Kindle Unlimited pick I happened across.
Two women walk the Camino—a famous pilgrimage route through northern Spain—at different times in history, for different reasons. Their stories intertwine in unexpected ways.
I love a novel about a good trek, a soul-searching walk, the physical movement mirroring the internal shift, so I figured I’d give it a try. Another five-star walking novel for me was You Are Here by David Nicholls. Again, a fantastic ending. I am very much a sucker for a book that earns its final pages.
What I’m Learning
Right now, I’m learning how to juggle kids at home while working full-time from home. This particular lesson arrives in waves—sick days, snow days, delayed openings, yada-yada. The rhythm of a workday can shift without warning, and what I planned for the day sometimes is nothing like how the day actually unfolds.
Hear me when I say: there is nothing glamorous about this season. It isn’t aesthetic or neatly packaged in a way that makes for beautiful productivity advice. It feels more like logistical Tetris, constantly rearranging pieces to make everything fit, paired with the quiet work of emotional regulation—my own and everyone else’s. Some days I manage it well and close the laptop feeling like the day held together. Other days I look up at 4:47 p.m. and genuinely wonder what I accomplished besides keeping everyone alive.
And yet, beneath the reality of that juggling act, a quieter curiosity has started to form.
I find myself increasingly interested in discovering things that are just for me—experiences that cannot be interrupted by snack requests, Teams notifications, or the general hum (ruckus?) of household life. The more I think about it, the more I realize this probably requires leaving the house.
That’s where the sticking point appears. I live in a very rural area, and most things that resemble an activity, class, or gathering are at least an hour away. Often, by the time I think through the logistics of the drive alone, I feel defeated before I’ve even started.
But lately I’ve noticed a subtle shift. Instead of rehearsing that defeat, I’m becoming more interested in solving the problem.
Maybe the solution looks like one overnight away each quarter. Maybe it’s a once-a-month solo coffee shop workday in a town seventy minutes away. Maybe it’s a class, a workshop, or a long solo hike somewhere new. I don’t know exactly what shape it will take yet, but I’m open to experimenting and I’m not giving up.
For now, I’ll keep doing the small things that support the life I’m building: fortifying my immune system, drinking my Stormio, reading novels about long walks through foreign landscapes, and slowly, deliberately shaping days that feel more like my own.
And I’m curious about you, too. What are you loving lately? What are you reading? And what are you learning or exploring right now?
I’m thinking I’ll make this a weekly or biweekly series here at Floodlights—my loving, reading, and learning lately. I find it fun and easy. I was going to ask you, ‘Is that cool with you?’ But honestly, and lovingly, I don’t care. If it’s fun and easy for me, something tells me I better go on and do it.