30 for 30 // February's Progress Report

30 for 30 - February's progress - Laura Whispering

February felt like one of those months that passes by in a busy blur of activity, yet somehow fails to accomplish very much. The month seemed to fly by compared to January's long, hard slog. I feel like I've barely had time to sit down yet, looking back, have no idea what I've actually done!

That said, I've been fairly meticulous about tracking my goal progress and know that I did in fact manage to tick a few items off my '30 for 30' list while making a bit more headway on some additional points.

For starters, February saw me successfully:

- Attend a Spectra gig. ✓
- Have my CTO dropped. ✓

- Complete by STEPPS program and engage with Psychology. ✓

...each of which will have a write-up of its own in due course.

Vegan latte and banana loaf - Cafe Society Aberdeen

Much of the list will be a work in progress throughout the year, rather than something I tick off all at once.

In terms of those, here's how February saw me get on..

Sample a List of Food and Drink I've Never Tried Before

I tried fennel for the first time this month when my dad cooked up a Sabrina Ghayour recipe for caramelised fennel with orange and saffron butter. I wasn't sure what to expect, but really liked it.

Read 36 Books

This month I read 6 books bring my total for the year to 13:

Visit 12 Coffee Shops/Restaurants I Haven't Yet Been to in Aberdeen/shire

This month I paid my first visits to Cafe Society and Soul Bar, both on Aberdeen's Union Street. I sampled Soul's delicious £10 lunch menu as part of Aberdeen Restaurant Week, while Cafe Society provided a perfect place to do some blogging and journalling with a soya latte and vegan banana loaf.

Cultivate a Daily Relaxation Practice

I got off to a really good start this month, consistently making use of the 'Breathe', 'Buddhify' or 'Calm' apps and enjoying the moment of respite they offered me every day, but I found myself falling out of the routine a little towards the end of the month. I'm finding that I need to be quite disciplined with myself to fit it into my day, but I always appreciate it when I'm done. I managed it on 21 out of 28 days this month.

Sample 30 Gins

I didn't drink a single gin during February. What on earth is wrong?!
My total for the year still stands at four.

Increase Work Hours (Employed or Voluntary)

I only volunteered 13 hours in the cafe this month.. though that's still 3 hours more than I was doing by the end of 2017. I really want to increase this fairly soon, but I'm having a bit of a crisis of confidence at the moment and need to work up some courage!

See a Play, a Musical, an Opera, a Dance Performance, a Lecture and a Comedian

This month I attended two public Theology lectures by N.T. Wright as part of Aberdeen University's Gifford series. It's 7 and a half years since I last studied Theology so I wasn't convinced I'd keep up, but went along anyway and appreciated (what I understood of) it.

I also attended a dance performance at His Majesty's Theatre, seeing Rambert's Symbiosis, Goat and Ghost Dances. Having only ever seen The Nutcracker or Matthew Bourne's Lord of the Flies previously, this was an altogether different experience but one I very much enjoyed. It amazes me how powerfully a story can be told without a single word being spoken!

Keep a Journal (At Least Once a Week)

I found myself writing a couple of times a week throughout February and have really felt the benefits of catharsis, particularly after Psychology groups or appointments. I hope I'll be able to keep it up as the year continues and have a good record of my journey to look back and reflect on.

♡

February seems to have been fairly successful overall and I'm crossing my fingers for a productive March to come. Here's to making up for all the gin I failed to drink this month!

Laura Whispering