What’s Been Keeping Me Company: September
September has been a month of settling in.
The days have still been full: work, home, responsibilities, the ordinary business of life, but there has also been a little more attention given to what I am putting into my mind and what I am enjoying along the way.
So, continuing an idea that began this summer, here are a few things that have been part of my September.
What I’ve Been Reading
I read quite a bit this month, although I won’t subject you to a list of every book that passed through my hands.
Some books were connected to the things I’ve been thinking about here at Gardenia Life; stewardship, habits, and the ways we care for the lives we’ve been given. Others were specifically about the nervous system and learning more about what happens when our bodies have spent too much time in survival mode.
I reread Atomic Habits. It’s pretty much an annual reminder for me. And I found an interesting new read, God Cannot Multiply What We Mismanage.
And then there was something completely different.
Twilight.
A few coworkers and I somehow found ourselves reading the Twilight books together, which has made the experience considerably more fun than I expected. I read the original four books, followed by Midnight Sun.
There is something interesting about reading a story and then seeing someone else’s version of the world you created in your own imagination.
I’m also continuing my interest in memoirs and stories about strong women. I have always found something encouraging about hearing how another woman made her way through the particular circumstances of her life, not because her path is mine, but because someone else’s story can remind us that there are many ways to become who we are.
I especially appreciated the audiobook Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. It was presented much like an interview, with Dolly answering in her own voice.
What I’ve Been Watching
My watching this month has been closely tied to my reading.
I have continued my little Twilight experiment, watching the movies after reading the books. So far, the second movie has been an improvement over the first for me, although neither has quite matched the version that existed in my imagination while reading.
An added bonus has been participating in a group that organically came together to discuss and compare “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob.”
There is something rather fun about sharing a story that way — not just reading it, but having people to talk about it with afterward.
What I’ve Been Listening To
Music has been another little companion this month.
I’ve spent some time listening to Fearless Soul, whose music has fit rather nicely with the quieter, reflective space I’ve been inhabiting lately. I especially like having it playing in the background while I work, as long as my brain isn’t too divided.
What I am especially looking for in my music listening these days, aside from a catchy tune, are lyrics that lift and encourage.
Perhaps that is part of what makes music such good company. It can fill a room without requiring anything from me.
Something From the Kitchen
September has also included soup.
Lots of soup.
One of my favorites has been a lentil soup made with sweet potato, carrots, ginger and turmeric. It is the sort of food I want at this time of year; nourishing, inexpensive, flavorful, and comforting without requiring anything particularly complicated.
I’ve also played around with a creamy roasted tomato and red pepper soup.
There has also been apple cobbler.
And vanilla Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
Because nourishment and pleasure are not actually opposites.
Sometimes dinner is soup.
Sometimes dessert is warm apples and ice cream.
Both can belong.
A Little September Reflection
Looking back over these things, I notice that they aren’t really connected by a particular category.
They are connected by companionship.
A book can keep us company.
So can a song.
A story can give us somewhere else to go for an hour.
A bowl of soup can make an ordinary evening feel cared for.
And sometimes something as simple as talking about a book with a coworker can become one of those little threads that makes a month memorable.
Maybe that is what I am appreciating about these monthly collections.
They aren’t necessarily about finding the best book, movie, song, or recipe.
They are simply little markers of where I have been.
The things I was curious about.
The things I enjoyed.
The things I learned from.
The things that made me laugh.
The things that fed me — literally or otherwise.
September has been full.
And these are a few of the things that helped make it mine.