24 things I learned + loved this past year
I know I say it a lot, but there’s nothing like a good list to get my heart pumping and my creativity flowing. I also know this makes two listicles in a row, but this particular list has been in my drafts since January!
Because of my love of lists, anytime a family member has a birthday, I ask them to list several things they learned. If they are turning 12, I ask them to list 12 things, and so forth. Sometimes it is an all-day process for the older ones!
Anyway, in honor of completing another year of life, I thought I’d add to my original list of 127 things with twenty-four things I learned and loved this past year! I searched through my ‘23-’24 journals, agendas, writing, and photos to narrow down 24 things that impacted my life this past year. This list includes recipes, quotes, life lessons, and things I enjoyed!
So, without further ado, I present to you 24 things I learned and loved this past year (with a few explanations)!
01. You can’t earn what is freely given
This has been a hard truth to come to terms with. I have tied up my worth and value in my performance for so long that without even realizing it, I was trying to earn love from God, Lars, and my other relationships through good behavior. I subscribed to the lie that if I could be enough or do enough good things for others, then I would be worthy of love and acceptance.
The truth is, God doesn’t love me because I follow all the rules perfectly—He literally sent His Son to die for me while I was still a sinner, blatantly disregarding Him. He loves me freely, without strings attached.
The truth is, Lars doesn’t love me for the things I do for him, like packing lunches or fetching cups of coffee. He loves me on my worst days, when I am a bundle of PMS-ing pain and exhaustion, when I don’t have the energy to make supper, or when I come home frustrated after a long day and lash out.
Love is never earned. It is given freely and is not something I can elicit or control in others through my performance.
02. Don’t check your phone first thing in the morning
This has been a game-changer for me. Before, I would check my phone first thing in the morning as a draining wake-up routine. Instead, leave your phone in your room until you’ve gotten ready for the day and have completed your devotions. You’re not missing out, I promise. Choose to stay present in your real life rather than checking out to check in on others via social media. My morning always feels more chaotic, stressful, and anxious when I choose to check my phone first in the morning.
P.S. I’m still working on this one—I’m aiming for progress, not perfection.
03. Some is better than none
This comes straight from the one and only Jon Acuff (a fabulous read/listen if you like books or podcasts about goals), and it has radically transformed the way I approach my goals. Changing my mindset to value incremental, imperfect progress has allowed me to break my goals down into more manageable chunks. It’s not beautiful, it’s not sexy, it’s not appealing, but it helps me to start and to keep going when the progress doesn’t look as progress-like as I’d hoped.
04. Persimmons are a seriously underrated fruit
I don’t know why it took me so long to get to this point, but I finally started eating persimmons and I will never regret it! I tried persimmons initially when I was quite young and my tongue went numb, so I avoided them (understandably) up until this year. I bought one on a whim when we were grocery shopping one day, and I added them to my work snacks repertoire pretty quickly. Persimmons are a wonderful fall fruit that look a bit like the lovechild of a tomato and an orange, and they have a delightfully sweet, nutty flavour. I would highly recommend trying one if you haven’t already!
05. Fruitfulness is predicated by rootedness
I actually wrote an article about this one because it is far too profound to encapsulate in a paragraph (but it’s coming out in the Fall Edition of the Truly Co. magazine)! I need God if I am to do good. I have to abide in Him and in His love. He will equip me to do the good He has called me to do, but without His strength, I will not have much of anything to give.
Beyond that, your primary calling isn’t actually to be fruitful or to produce or to do good things. Your primary calling, before anything else, is to abide in Him! Here is a quotation from Max Lucado that sparked this realization:
“Our aim - our only aim - is to be at home in Christ.
He is not a roadside park or hotel room.
He is our permanent mailing address.
Christ is our Home.
We linger in the abode of Christ and never leave.”
06. Track the little wins!
Tracking the small victories has given me so much joy and motivation to continue when the going gets rough! Write things down in a notebook or create a table to visibly see your progress. That way, when lies start to seep in saying that you’re not doing or being enough, you can fight back with truth: you are here, you are doing what matters in this moment, and that is enough.
07. Spinach dip on sandwiches
I’m not really a fan of mayo or aioli on my sandwiches. However, thanks to my wonderful husband Lars, I have discovered the simple delight of spinach dip on sandwiches. It’s delicious, it doesn’t feel greasy and unhealthy, and it’s so easy!
08. Whenever possible, make a little extra
I’m sure there are other applications for this, but whenever you’re cooking and have a few extra minutes and some extra ingredients, make a little extra. If you’re making chicken pot pies, it takes just as much effort to make three as it does to make two, and by preparing just a little bit more, you can put a meal in the freezer for a busy day when you need it or for when you want to bless someone with a home-cooked meal but don’t have a ton of time!
09. Progress doesn’t always look or feel good
Often, you cannot see growth. It happens so incrementally that it almost feels stagnant. Progress doesn’t always feel good. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes you have to show up when you don’t feel like it. So many things in life involve a duality—joy and grief, easy and hard, bitter and sweet. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not good!
10. Baking soda!
Maybe I’m a little late to this party, but I LOOOOVE baking soda as a cleaning product. Our house has hard, mineral-infused water, so things get scuzzy pretty quickly. Not to mention the horrors of a white stovetop… I’ve found that baking soda is tough on stains and natural enough that it doesn’t give me a headache to use it. I am a huge fan!
If you want a good before-and-after transformation, try baking soda to clean your bathtub or stovetop. And send me a picture! I love a good transformation moment. Baking soda is also a game-changer when it comes to removing sticker residue from glass jars!
11. Using a pill organizer will revolutionize your supplement intake
I have to take a lot of supplements right now (ugh). Before, they just sat in my cupboard, doing absolutely nothing but causing shame in me for not taking them. I would feel guilty every time I checked in with my blood analyst, as I would explain that no, I actually hadn’t been taking the pills she’d prescribed even though I’d spent hundreds of dollars on them. EMBARASSING.
Then one day, I had a bright idea. What if I bought a pill organizer and pre-sorted my pills so it wouldn’t take so long to sort them and I could just grab them and go? What if I eliminated the hassle of counting them all out in the morning and already had them ready and accessible?
I went to the dollar store and bought a simple pill organizer, and when I tell you it changed my life, I mean it flipped it upside down, shook it out, and handed it to me looking healthier and happier.
I take my supplements now. Consistently. Almost 100% of the time.
So if you have to take supplements, consider getting a pill organizer. I love mine!
12. Bigger Than I Thought by Sean Curran
I discovered Sean Curran’s music at my sister’s grad when her worship band played Bigger Than I Thought. This song has been a theme for the past few months. Not only is the music wonderful (let’s hear it for fantastic keyboard intros!) but the lyrics are powerful, too. I need regular reminders of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and total in control-ness, and this song is the perfect reminder!
13. Crispy Chili Beef Recipe!
If you love Chinese takeout, you’ll be a big fan of this recipe. So tasty and so easy! One of my favorite new recipes we tried this year. Check it out here!
14. Cycle Syncing
Cycle Syncing is one of those things that I’ve known about for a while and decided to look into “someday.” The elusive “someday” came this past year for me when I found a cool diagram on Pinterest. I promptly downloaded it and printed a copy that sat untouched in my agenda for months until I finally plucked up the courage to try at least, even if it was a poor outcome.
I’ve now started living more attuned to my cyclical changes (i.e. expecting less of myself when I’m menstruating, exercising according to my cycle, and eating differently). It’s actually been very helpful! I’ve also tried seed cycling, which is a lot of effort. I haven’t figured out a good system yet, but I did notice an improvement in my periods when I implemented it, so I’ll continue to try.
15. I can get seriously distracted and need help not to be
Enter the Forest app and Minimalist phone.
You know you have a problem when you start getting ads that encourage you to Spend Less Time On Your Phone and Make It Easy To Put Your Phone Down while you’re scrolling through said phone. I struggle to stop doom-scrolling in its tracks, so I need something that makes it easier. These apps do just that.
The Forest app has an allow list, and when you plant a tree, only those apps on the list can be utilized. You have to kill your trees to use the forbidden apps, which is rather unappealing. This keeps me on track for short spurts of focus.
Minimalist phone is an operating system. It changes the way your phone looks to make it less visually stimulating and allows you to hide or block apps for up to 30 days. I love this system!
FYI, there is an initial fee to upgrade, but thankfully, neither of these apps is a subscription. Forest is around $5, and Minimalist phone is around $30. And while these tools are super helpful, I’m still a fan of deleting apps off of my phone for weeks at a time. You aren’t missing out, I promise!
16. If you can, donate blood!
My husband Lars loves to donate blood whenever he can, and he invited me to go with him when we first started dating. However, because I lived in Cameroon (a malaria-infested country) for a year, I was unable to donate blood for 3 years. Last June, I was finally eligible to donate, and let me tell you, it is so worth it! Plus, it’s fun to go with friends (and you get free snacks)!
17. Little stuff adds up
Lean into your small victories, friend. Write 50 words if that’s all you have margin for. Read 2 pages if that’s all you have margin for. Go for a walk down the block if you only have 5 minutes. You don’t have to accomplish your whole goal for miniscule progress to count towards something great.
18. Liturgy of the ordinary
“If I am to spend my whole life being transformed by the good news of Jesus, I must learn how grand, sweeping truths— doctrine, theology, ecclesiology, Christology—rub against the texture of an average day. How I spend this ordinary day in Christ is how I will spend my Christian life.”
—Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary
I loved this book. I’m adding it to my re-read pile. I have recommended it to many friends. It was my favourite book of 2023-2024 (so far). If you need to be reminded of the intersection of daily life and holy life, read this book! It outlines how no aspect of our lives is separate from God’s love and care—all of the ordinary stuff matters too.
God didn’t only come to rescue you from death and the grave—although that is incredible, life-altering news. God also came to rescue you from meaninglessness and a life devoid of purpose.
19. Things often aren’t as personal as they feel
Most people are struggling and it bleeds out into their interactions. It’s not about you! I often take things as a personal affront when in reality they’re not even about me at all. Everyone needs heaps and heaps of grace.
20. The Sunday Reset
The Sunday Reset is a routine that we implemented right after we got married, and boy am I glad we did! It usually involves meal-planning, grocery shopping, outlining the upcoming week together (literally getting on the same page!), tidying the house, doing laundry, meal-prepping, and spending quality time together. The actual cleaning part only takes approximately 1.5 hours, but it totally sets the tone for the week ahead! And having a consistent routine together helps us feel more connected and settled.
21. Intention ≠ action
I think what finally hammered home this realization for me was one of my sisters. She was stalking my Pinterest boards and was shocked at how many pins I had (it’s over 10,000 at this point, please send help)! After her incredulous exclamations died down, I started to think about how many of those pins I’d saved intending to do something about them, and the discrepancy in how many I’d done. So many times in my life, I’ll have a great idea but not act on it, and y’know what? I don’t want to be like that anymore. This year, one of my big goals was to start making some of my pins instead of merely saving them, and I’m well on my way.
Spoiler alert: it’s kinda fun. Creating always beats doom scrolling!
22. Worship doesn’t always look the same
Growing up in the Lutheran church gave me very specific ideas of what worship should look like—liturgy and tradition.
Living in Cameroon for a year shifted my perspective to include the idea that dancing and clapping in church can be a genuine expression of one’s love for God. It’s not always exclusively for attention as I surmised.
In leading worship and chatting with other worship leaders over the past couple of years, I have slowly realized that worship doesn’t always have to look one way to be authentic. The parameters in spirit and in truth gently direct me to focus solely on the One who I am worshipping, not on how my worship appears to others.
23. Patrick Ness’ books will always make me cry
These are a few of my favorites. I reread A Monster Calls every year because I like how it makes me feel. In terms of novelists, Ness is one of my all-time favorites.
24. Yellow legal pads are my friend
There’s nothing overtly thrilling about a yellow legal pad, but maybe that’s why I love them so much. Creating offline is a lot more chill and there’s something to be said for writing with a tangible pen on a tangible piece of paper. It’s a habit I picked up from Ashlee Gadd, and I have to say, I don’t think I’ll ever go back.
If you got this far, good job! That was a lot of words!
I would love to bless some of you with one of the things that inspired me. Comment which item most intrigued you and I’ll set some of you up to share the love!
P.S. If the item that intrigued you is baking soda, you’re an odd duck, but I will mail you a box of baking soda!
