A Long Story Long for a Short Newsletter Short

23 things that made my 2023

Hello! It’s almost tomorrow! Or might be tomorrow depending on when you open this.

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Here’s a long story long for what could actually be a short newsletter short. 

Some time ago, I was talking to my therapist about my frustrations around my procrastination, particularly with regards to my writing—how it makes me feel unproductive, how it makes me feel like I am wasting time. She asked me what I was doing while I was being unproductive. 

“Well, there’s reading and research and thinking through characters and story and such. Lots of thinking.” 

“So, why is that procrastination a bad thing?”

I’ll admit, she got me there. …I say that like she hasn’t got me there about a million times in the last four years. But, it was helpful to approach the idea of procrastination as something that is not bad, always. It can be good. It can be…

Until it’s 10pm on a Sunday night and while I wanted to write the newsletter yesterday, I did not, in fact, write a word of the newsletter until just a few minutes ago. I spent the afternoon drinking wine and catching up with a friend while trying to decide what to write about. I have a few things floating around in ye olde brain box but nothing quite ready to jump out. 

Out of procrastination will still come ideas. Even if they are last minute. Even if they are inspired by other people’s ideas. 

There is never not a newsletter in my inbox; I read so many. One of the ones that I really enjoy is Nicole Zhu’s. She is an engineer and a writer in Brooklyn and has a lot of good thoughts about creativity. Her newsletter this week was called 100 things that made my year. And she, apparently, got the idea from Austin Kleon’s newsletter which also has an edition that is 100 things that made my year. (I don’t read his newsletter yet but I probably should.)

So, now, I am going to approach this idea beget of an idea beget of an idea. We all know I love a list and I love a list to help with procrastination. AND I love a list that is procrastination. I will say, however, 100 things that make a year seems a little bit like overachieving to me. I’m not sure I even remember 100 things from last year. Or even know 100 things at any given time. Instead, I’m going to give you 23 things that made my year. GET IT?! Because last year was 2023 and 23 is in the year and…you, you get it? 

Alright, here we go.

23 things that made my 2023 
1. Landing on the best traveling outfit that is both comfortable but still looks nice and is completely centered around this sweatshirt
2. Speaking of travel, the exit row I had all to myself on a red eye back from Seattle
3. Organizing my parents’ pantry and all our family photos
4. New recipes, old recipes, great and beautiful cakes, time in the kitchen in general
5. Seeing my cousin Mike in person for the first time in a decade
6. An impromptu tattoo on January’s Friday the 13th that was only $50
7. Spending more time crafting than doom scrolling, making little ghosties with air dry clay, making holiday presents by hand
8. This joke that I made in my brother’s wedding ceremony:
“When I look at Matt, I still see the cutest seven year old ever and seven year olds can’t get married! He’s not seven years old, in case you were worried. Look at him. He’s a fully fledged grown man!”
9. The pleasure of seeing my best friend in person twice this year and another very good friend in person for the first time in seven(?) years
10. A seemingly never ending amount of home reno shows to watch that are all technically different shows but are actually probably all the same show
11. Deciding to say “Sure, why not” to some things and ending up at a as an extra in an educational Shakespeare adaptation movie, Fall Out Boy concert, a renaissance fair, and a screening of Beyonce’s Renaissance movie
12. Seeing multiple friends find new joy in revisiting things that were important to them but were lost for awhile 
13. Conversations that brought needed perspective 
14. A great jumpsuit and great new sneaks
15. The Laid Off Ladies
16. Spending time really considering how I want my life to look and trying to get there. It hasn’t necessarily been very successful yet but it has been fruitful, at least, to work towards
17. Starting a new play, outlining a poetry collection, monthly haikus for paying subscribers, more writing inspiration in general
18. Turning my idea book into something more akin to a commonplace book
19. Completely finishing a journal all the way to the last page
20. Feeling like I really have a nice community built in New York now and being supported by them
21. Letting people take care of me now and then and realizing they want to do that
22. A capital city in Scandinavia 
23. Revisiting old activities with new eyes in this, the year of my NYC-decadeaversary

HA. Take THAT procrastination! In, just under my self-imposed deadline. 

(Things that made your 2023? Leave ‘em [in the comments] if you got ‘em.)