No.114: What I Learned in April

1 // GOD USES LENT TO REMIND ME THAT HIS WAYS ARE BETTER.  
I thought I had the best plans for Lent this year.  It was going to be difficult, but the perfect way to sacrifice and grow closer to Christ.  And like the true perfectionist I am, I failed and quit within the first five days.  This happens every.single.time, but it never fails to surprise me, hah!  I imagine God just shakes His head, smirks a bit, and thinks, “Oh you silly girl.  When will you get it?”  It turns out He had other sacrifices for me, ones harder and more sanctifying than I would have chosen on my own.  A good lesson that if I get out of my own way, positive things can happen.

2 // LIBRARY BOOKS STRESS ME OUT.
Slight exaggeration, but I always tend to put a bunch on hold and they always come all at the same time!  And then I panic that I won’t be able to read them before I have to return them, so I drop all the physical books I’m currently reading (even if they’re good!) and dive into the library books, one after the other.

3 // POSTPARTUM HAIR GROWTH BE CRAZY.
16 months later, I’m finally growing new hair (gotta love that postpartum shedding!), but it’s coming in all around my scalp in the craziest way.  They’re like wispy things with a slight curl that you can’t slick back and make me look like I’ve got a weird Farrah Fawcett thing going on.  Pulling my hair back in a ponytail or bun makes it more noticeable, and let’s be honest – that’s my go-to look 99% of the time.  Pretty much a total babe over here right now. 

4 // YOU CAN GET SEASONAL ALLERGIES AS AN ADULT.
After sniffling for a few weeks, I did some investigative Googling and apparently this is true for many people.  A common cause is moving to a new location (check) as well as having a big hormonal change like post-pregnancy (check).  Thankfully, it’s not unbearable, just annoying.

5 // WE HAVE PURPLE DEAD-NETTLES IN OUR YARD.
I found these cool Christmas tree-shaped things with tiny purple flowers in my yard.  I had no idea what they were called, so I downloaded a new app called PictureThis, which helped me identify it as a purple dead-nettle.  Apparently, they’re actually weeds and depending on the website you read, it’s considered a yard pest or a foraging favorite.

6 // SYBIL, THE FIRST LADY KNOWN TO HAVE MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES, WAS A FRAUD.
Did you ever see Sybil, the 70’s movie based on the woman with multiple personalities?  It was casually mentioned in Brain on Fire that her entire story was fake, so I did a little digging and it’s true!  This article was fascinating – I want to read that book now too.

7 // I READ SIMILARLY TO WHAT I ENJOY WATCHING ON TELEVISION.
I no longer watch television on weeknights, but I just realized that I’ve replaced my favorite TV genres for similar ones in books!  I love a good whodunit/police procedural and mystery books are often on my nightstand.  I also read and enjoyed my first medical memoir, which should come as no surprise since I love a good medical show too.  (Find all the details on this month’s reads here.)

What did you learn this month!