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2018 → 2019

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2018 resolutions

I entered 2018 with nine resolutions. Some were successful (I finished noseR, read more books than the year before, limited my social media time) but I didn’t manage others (we didn’t launch Everyday Giver, I didn’t practice piano much, I didn’t keep a daily diary, and I didn’t work as hard as I wanted to).

The year contained a couple of bonus items, though. Along with some friends, I started an arts night, Unfinished Business (which, despite being fun, I decided to stop working on). More importantly, we adopted Hyko. Although he takes up lots of time and requires lots of work, I can’t help but feel pure joy whenever I see his beautiful face.

Resolutions aside, I picked up some freelance work and was fortunate to be able to travel to some fun places: Mexico (to eat tacos), Hong Kong (to visit Annabel’s family), Dublin (to celebrate Ed and Laura’s love), Switzerland (to crash Annabel’s work trip), Fuerteventura (for the first ever all-Leighfield holiday), Czech Republic (to see Run for Your Life on display), and Spain / France (to take Hyko on his first Blighfield holiday).


2019 resolutions

This year, I’ve split my resolutions into three categories:

  1. No
    Shopping on Amazon, noise (constant podcasts, music, audio inputs), excessive drinking, busyness, and some other top secret ones.

  2. Yes
    Journalling about each book I read, exercising daily, cultivating a spiritual practice, reading daily excerpts from four books (A London YearCommon PrayerMy Utmost for His HighestThe Daily Stoic), blogging more, investing in quality relationships, writing new music, working hard.

  3. Ongoing
    Thinking about becoming more politically active, thinking about how we can use our house for good.

I’d also like to travel overseas way less because it’s extremely unkind to the environment.


2018 book log

I read more books this year than last year, which I was happy about. I also read a lot of fiction for the first time in a long time. If you’ve read any of these books and want to talk about them, send me an email.

  1. A Dull Roar — Henry Rollins

  2. The Bluest Eye — Toni Morrison

  3. Hallelujah Anyway — Anne Lamott

  4. Fire On All Sides — James Rhodes

  5. How to Think — Alan Jacobs

  6. Hope in the Dark — Rebecca Solnit

  7. Bored and Brilliant — Manoush Zomorodi

  8. Reservoir 13 — Jon McGregor

  9. Golden Hill — Francis Spufford

  10. Just Kids — Patti Smith

  11. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race — Reni Eddo-Lodge

  12. We Should All Be Feminists — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  13. What Belongs to You — Garth Greenwell

  14. Connect — Julian Gough

  15. Housekeeping — Marilynne Robinson

  16. Commonwealth — Ann Patchett

  17. The Power — Naomi Alderman

  18. Less — Andrew Sean Greer

  19. Let Your Life Speak — Parker J. Palmer

  20. Priestdaddy — Patricia Lockwood

  21. This Really Isn’t About You — Jean Hannah Edelstein

  22. Rest — Alexander Soojung-Kim Pang

  23. I Am, I Am, I Am — Maggie O’Farrell

  24. The Writing Life — Annie Dillard

  25. A Spool of Blue Thread — Anne Tyler

  26. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman

  27. The Leavers — Lisa Ko

  28. Normal People — Sally Rooney

  29. Crudo — Olivia Laing

  30. Mothers — Chris Power


2019 book list

Here are some books on my bedside table that I’m planning to read this year. If you’d like to read one or more of them with me and chat about them afterwards — a sort of mini online book club — send me an email.

  • Natives — Akala

  • My Bright Abyss — Christopher Wiman

  • Brother — David Chariandy

  • Against Everything — Mark Greif

  • What is The Bible? — Rob Bell

  • Pedro and Me —Judd Winick

  • Silence — Erling Kagge

  • Strange Labyrinth — Will Ashon

  • The Widening Circle — Graham Tomlin

  • You Are Not a Gadget — Jaron Lanier

  • Changing My Mind — Zadie Smith

  • Far from the Tree — Andrew Solomon

  • Telling the Truth — Frederick Buechner

  • Life of the Beloved — Henri Nouwen

  • This is Your Brain on Music — Daniel Levitin

  • Abba’s Child — Brennan Manning

  • The First Bad Man — Miranda July

  • The Post Evangelical — Dave Tomlinson

  • The Courage to Be — Paul Tillich

  • Tokens of Trust — Rowan Williams

  • The Shepherd’s Life — James Rebanks

  • Talking to Women — Nell Dunn

  • The Surfboard — Dan Kieran

  • Between the World and Me — Ta-Nehisi Coates

  • Barking Up the Wrong Tree — Eric Barker

  • The Power of Habit — Charles Duhigg

  • The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat — Oliver Sacks

  • Thirst — Scott Harrison


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Luke Leighfield1 Comment