Month-in-Review Highlights: February 2023

A quick snap of my post office’s sign to commemorate all the things I submitted in all formats, digital and traditional, in February. Lausanne, Switzerland. February 10, 2023.

I postmortem each month shortly after it ends. Previously, I used these posts to hold myself accountable on progress toward my annual goals. Starting in January 2023, I broadened these posts to address more generally my observations and experiences for the month. (To read previous months’ reviews, click here.)

I’ve just returned home from over half the month of February in Washington, D.C. While I reveled in seeing family, in endless museums, and in revisiting the United States, the trip did feel long. I wish I could have brought my family back with me to Europe, but it feels good to be home in Lausanne.

Returning home can put me back on track with many of my ongoing projects, too, which by necessity needed to take a step to the side while I focused on family. As it should be.

All this to say that, in terms of what I achieved other than seeing family in February, I achieved before I left Lausanne for the U.S. capitol.

But! Before I left, I did get quite a lot accomplished.

I made decent (though not astounding) progress on my drafting work for my next novel, continued to reach out to agents for representation of the novel I finished at the end of last year, and submitted an application that recalled my university days of ages past for a writers’ conference later this year. (They accept a small percentage of the number of applicants each year and I won’t hear back on the application until late May, they say.)

Deep breaths and patience.

Along the lines of applications that take what will feel like an eternity to process: I submitted my dossier for French citizenship in the days before my departing flight as well. I have a preliminary meeting at the end of March to verify the paperwork, after which, if I don’t need to gather new or additional documents, the set of materials goes into processing with the French administration—the steps for which, I understand, can take up to a year. After that processing, I suppose I’ll have an interview with someone I’ll find intimidating and a test on French history and political systems before I get any sort of approval.

Again: Deep breaths and patience. Every year, yes, though on new fronts, this year.

To help with all this deep breathing and patience, I registered for an intensive yoga weekend taking place in Germany in May with an instructor I love and am highly tempted by a full-on yoga retreat with the same instructor in Greece in June. I haven’t, though, found a yoga studio or group here in Lausanne quite yet, which is something I had in my plans for the year. I’ll work on refining a few options in March. I need it less for the guidance or fresh classes—I have a subscription to an on-line yoga platform that has me completely spoiled on both fronts—than for a local community. Finding friends in new places always makes for a creative challenge, but I’m on it.

Other areas can use some progress as well, and I need to get back on track with projects not yet off track in terms of timeline, but that will shortly be derailed due to travel if I don’t refocus. (Including, as is true for us all, gathering and preparing and filing all the rigmarole for my 2022 taxes. Fun!)

So far, though, as is often the case so early in the year, all my best intentions are playing out reasonably well. This year, from what I can tell at this stage, will require a lot of patience, perspective, and respiration—but it will, via the persistence and dedication and deep breathing, also hold valuable insights and, I hope, rewards.

And here we are, in March.