the journal

a little surprised by some unexpected feelings tonight. for some reason i was thinking about my 2023 word - hard. life is hard. really hard.  i can really appreciate life being hard as I - 100% - believe that is where the opportunities are to learn and grow. having (and surviving) hard experiences keep us evolving into the person we were meant to become. those hard times will push us out of our comfort zone and in the long run, make us better people. that being said....it is often times after going through those difficult times we can say we are better people. in the moment, it definitely sucks (to say it nicely). the thing about life being hard is our lack of control over it. no matter what we do (or don't do) or who we try to bargain with, we can not control the outcome of our hard experiences. as hard as it is, sometimes we just need to embrace it. so my friends, if you are in a hard season...keep going. one step at a time. embrace the hard.  kim

  already five days into 2023...a good time to claim "the" word for this year.  hard. yep. hard.  2023 will be the year to accomplish hard things. this year i turn 49 and the word hard really appeals to me. back in november, i set some tough goals. one night watching tiktok, i got the idea to do 23 hard things in 2023. they are as follows: 100 rows on a rowing machine sled pull with 100 pounds 4 rounds elbow plank - hold for 90 seconds pupp plank - hold for 90 seconds jump rope 5 minutes consecutively kettlebell swings - 30 pain-free kettlebell snatches - pain-free two yoga poses held for 60 seconds each stance jump to mid-size box completely run a 5k 75 toe pushups bike ride to glenwood, melrose, or sauk centre triathlon or swimming portion handstand hike bean/bear loop trail  paddleboard around lake beauty walk/run half marathon play piano 2-3 times a week with a scheduled recital blog 5 times read 6-8 books volunteer for two community events be proud and capture each accom