Personal: inversions, TBR & languages – 2021 los geht’s

Dare we? After the shit show that was 2020, is it wise of anyone to make any goals or resolutions for the twelve months that lay before us?

Probably not. And yet, here we are. But we’re all going to walk into this year really slowly, okay? Be quiet. Don’t make any sudden movements. Don’t touch anything. Got it? Okay, let’s go.

Inversions.

Last January, I fell in love with Yoga. In fact, given the state of my mental health at that time, I would go as far as to say that yoga saved my life. Since then, I have practised almost every day.

And I managed something I never thought I would – Crow Pose. I didn’t believe I could do it because of my size. I thought you had to be one of those tiny petite women to get it. Turns out, you don’t.

When I realised I could do it, I spent the rest of the year trying to “master” it. It’s not quite there, but it’s closer every day.

Next up for 2021 – the headstand.

Running.

Fitness has been my greatest form of therapy for some years now. However my relationship with running has been somewhat rocky over the past 18 months. In November, I really started to fall back in love with it.

I’ve been pretty consistent with 3 runs per week for a little while. Some days are harder and heavier and slower than others, but I continue to move.

This year, I’d love to get myself back to a decent pace and crack out a few 10kms and maybe a Half Marathon again. Let’s see where I can lead myself to.

TBR List

Reading has been my lifelong favourite hobby. My soulmate in escapism and education for as long as I can remember. But as my old life in England became increasingly busy, reading became the hobby I enjoyed only when I had extended periods of time off from work.

Since moving to Germany, where I have no friends or family, and particularly during the pandemic, I have had far more time to delve back into the world of books once more. I read 20 books in 2020, the most I have read for a long time.

As we move into 2021, with no sign of the pandemic letting up any time soon, I’ve challenged myself to read 30 books. Not a lot to many bookworms, I’d imagine. But to me, it’s more than enough.

Books I’m excited to read in 2021 include:

• How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee
• Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
• Why the Germans do it Better by John Kampfner
• Luster by Raven Leilani
• Wintering by Katherine May
• Transitional by Munroe Bergdorf
• The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

Language(s)

Obviously, German is taking high priority this year. I want to prepare for and pass my B1 level exam in the first half of the year.

Aside from that, I want to improve my Italian, dive a little deeper into Norwegian and Welsh, and learn the basics in Mandarin.

My reasonings are:

Italian and Norwegian are SO fun to speak! Mandarin because I’m pretty certain it’s going to overtake English as the most widely spoken language at some point. And Welsh just because (I actually already knew a tiny bit of Welsh coming from a small town just on the border!).

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There are more things I’d like to do, of course. There is always more we can do. But we are taking small steps. Ultimately, my biggest goal of this year is to be able to see my friends and family again.

But until then…

bis zum nächsten Mal / until next time

Steffi x