November Perspective
New Things!
This month’s perspective is about new things or at least changing up old things. One of my favorite scriptures is from Isaiah 43, “See, I am doing a new thing! Do you not perceive it?” The NIV version has an exclamation point and it is my favorite because it is like God is all excited about the new thing and asks us to see the work He is doing around us. It makes me want to be excited for the changes as well.
Looking Back:
I moved real estate brokerages this month. New work! I have been with the same brokerage since I got my real estate license in 2013 but this past year as I have started exploring working with churches1 I realized I wanted a smaller brokerage with more flexibility to do my own new thing. It was scary to let go of the foundation I have worked from for over a decade to go into the unknown but it went as smooth as I hoped and my old manager was exactly as gracious as I expected him to be. The next day I promptly got sick. My body is nothing if not predictable and always after a stressful moment I shut down. So a bit of a slow start but so far I am loving it and excited to continue my work under a new umbrella.
I also turned 55 this month. New age! It is interesting to hit the mid 50’s. I call this entire decade the “young old” decade. I am the young end of old age rather than the old end of youth (the 40’s). It’s refreshing to remember you are still youngish when you hit your 50’s but the reality of aging is present daily. Learning to embrace the season I am in, to enjoy slowing down in some areas while still challenging myself in others.
At home we continued to work on this lower level speakeasy/workshop/art studio project. New Space! It is really coming together. We spent an entire weekend moving things to the garage, to the other side of the room, to the garbage, to the goodwill pile, or to another part of the house. My back reminded me the next couple days that I was indeed 55 years old but it has been worth the work. The vision is starting to take shape. After considering several cheap flooring options we have decided to halt the flooring portion of the project because we want to heat the floor. Turns out cheap flooring isn’t really that cheap and if we are going to spend the money we should spend the money and do it right. If I am going to spend $500+ I might as well spend $1500+ was somehow where this project went. Anyone else? With weather changing and energy draining we have decided the flooring is a spring project. This winter John will work on a couple things to hopefully improve the heating situation in other ways down there2 and I will work on finding a pull out couch so Riss has a place to sleep when she visits that does not require us storing a bed.
Looking Ahead:
Christmas is right around the corner. Insert a list of all the typical to dos and expectations that go along with it. This month often feels like the lost month where I am unsure I worked, can’t remember what my usual routine is like, and worry I will not be ready for the big event when it finally comes. And then it does, I am and it is all fine. The new year arrives and the rhythm of life returns. My goal this month is to stay calm and enjoy the process.
John actually works this year on Christmas. And Christmas Eve. And the day before Christmas eve. He has enough seniority he rarely works this holiday, usually Thanksgiving or New Years, but for some reason we can’t quite recall he took Christmas this year. And then it turns out Christmas Eve and Christmas eve eve were his regular scheduled shifts and so here we are having a good attitude about it. We will open stockings in the morning before he leaves and make our traditional Christmas breakfast. Riss and I will bring John dinner that evening but the rest of the day will be us just hanging out. A few years ago during one of our first small family Christmas days I made a list of activities to fill our day: Watch a movie, do an art project, check out holiday lights, find a store open and buy something stupid, etc. So checking a few things off that list and maybe coming up with some new ideas is how we will spend our day. All suggestions welcome.
Yearly traditions are awesome but as our family is always changing and John’s work schedule is different every year it is important for us to hold those traditions with a loose hand. Trying new things, going new places, spending time with new people, etc has become our holiday tradition. Looking forward to what new thing we will do at Christmas this year. New Traditions!
I am also a big fan of new year goals and so thinking about what I want 2026 to look like will be entertaining me this month. I don’t think any year looks exactly like I plan it. This year certainly has not. My June surgery derailed several goals. But, as I was going through my list recently I discovered I got more done than I had expected. Feeling better has set me up with energy to do some things next year I might not have otherwise felt I could do. A superior hiking trail we have wanted to do for a few years but felt intimidating before the surgery is on my list for 2026. New Trail!
Looking at My Feet:
We drove up to our cabin today (Friday) for the rest of the holiday weekend. In our ideal world we spend Thanksgiving each year at the cabin but in our real world we have only had the meal up here once. It was our favorite but life and schedules mean we rarely get a whole long weekend to ourselves. We were set to go up this year and then my sister decided to fly to MN from GA for the big meal. We happily adjusted our plans to spend Thanksgiving with her and her husband (and the rest of my family).
It is about a 3-1/2 hour drive to our cabin but Duluth is a little over half way and we often stop for a couple hours to eat, maybe shop, enjoy a lake walk. This year we toyed with going to see the new Knives Out movie while we were there. Turns out no theaters were showing the movie3. Since this is not lake walk weather we ended up picking up sandwiches from our favorite sandwich shop, Northern Smokehouse, and then driving another 30 minutes North to Two Harbors and ate them at Castle Danger Brewery where I had Kombucha and Riss had root beer. Our main enjoyment of the brewery is that we can bring our own food and relax in a fun, family environment. Especially in the winter when outside dining is no longer an option. Although John does enjoy a dark ale. (And in slightly over 3 months I am sure Riss will too.)
Mostly what we love about the cabin is the sameness of the experience. We arrive, eat simple meals, visit the same places, go on the same hikes, play the same games. It is not new but it is a place to refresh and relax for the 3 of us before returning to a world full of new adventures. New deals to be done, new patients to see, new classes to attend. God is doing a new work daily in our lives and when we get home we will be ready for it.
What new thing (!) is God doing in your life?
I wrote about this project almost a year ago and owe you all a bigger update sometime soon. But it is going forward and I continue to be excited to see what God is doing.
Eight years in this house and the lower level is basically untenable in the winter. Last year Riss had a space heater running 24/7 next to her bed and our heating bill more than doubled. Apparently when the previous owner finished off the space he closed off one of the cold air returns so opening that back up again, and then I guess all our heat is going up the stairs so installing some sort of door in to keep it in place. I don’t love the idea of having a door at the bottom of the stairs but dislike freezing while doing the laundry more.
In my world there are 12 theaters within 5-15 minutes of my house where I can see every imaginable movie available. As far as I can tell Duluth is the only place near our cabin where you can go see a movie in a theater within an hour drive. I am fascinated by the lifestyle of someone who lives here full time. It sounds both relaxing to not have the pressure of so much activity and stressful to not have all the options of the world at your fingertips. A lot of planning ahead needs to happen. Do you know how often I run to Target for something? They don’t even next day deliver Amazon up here!
A wintertime cabin. Oh how absolutely lovely. A cup of tea by the fire, a brisk walk in the snow, snuggling up under some cozy quilts, simple yummy meals.
And thank you for that invitation to look for the !
Advent blessings to you, Melanie. So good to be getting to know you better.
Your cabin sounds dreamy, as does the thought of very little to do to force you to relax.