It is officially cold in Chicago. We had our first snow a few days ago and it’s been hovering around freezing since then. Plus Daylight Savings Time ended last week, so now we’re really getting deep into the darkness. This seems like a good time to get into some cozy vibes, so I am trying to take inspiration from the YWA “Nourish” November calendar and make this a Nourishing November.
The question is how to make it a nourishing November. What would be nourishing? What do I need these days?
I don’t know that I have an answer yet. One thing that was nourishing today was spending some time working on joint stabilization and core engagement. Another thing that was nourishing was drinking some pear cider and listening to RED (Taylor’s Version) while doing my weekly meal prep for the week. Yesterday nourishment looked like very gentle movement and binge-watching season 2 of Gentefied. I am also thinking it could be fun to get into some baking or crafting to capture some of the wintry holiday spirit. Oh and another nourishing decision was to take vitamin D supplements once the days started getting very short and grey.
So maybe I don’t need nourishment to look like any one particular thing this November, but I can strive to make at least one nourishing decision per day and write down how I chose to nourish myself each day. I like that idea. I hereby declare this my November lunalution.
October Updates
In other news, I ran a 5K! My humble September lunalution blossomed into a 9-week running adventure that culminated with the Chicago Hot Chocolate 5k last weekend. I never thought I would sign up for and complete any kind of running race, so this feels like a real achievement to me. And it was well-rewarded with some very delicious chocolate. What a win!
(As an aside, Dylan would like me to note that he beat me in the race. I do not care about this, but it seems very important to him. I was running for the chocolate.)
A victorious finish 
The finisher’s mug of hot chocolate, fondue, and dippables
Per my October lunalution I also did some drawing for Drawcobter. I wasn’t super consistent, but it was fun to do some quick sketches. I kept them at a couple of minutes each and tried to experiment with some color, which worked well for some and very not well for others, because my colored pencil supply (and patience) is limited. I think my favorite actually turned out to be the first drawing of the jade roller. It was done very quickly and with an eye to focusing only on the most salient features, which I think paid off for me. Obviously I am not going to be pursuing a career in art anytime soon, and that’s not the point. The point is it was kind of fun to take a few minutes and try to sketch some things.
That’s all from me for now, folks. How are you keeping things bright, warm, and cozy this November?
Lunalutions 