Read|Watch|Listen|Follow

One of my favorite podcasts does a segment every month called "Read, Watch, Listen, Follow" where they share what they have been reading, watching, listening to, and who/what they have been following. As I get some great ideas from them, I thought I'd share some of mine through my own outlet - this blog. 

Read: Gone With The Wind. My grandmother has been telling me for years that I need to read this one. I picked it up back in high school, but it just didn't catch me. However, now, I am totally loving it! I find myself strongly disliking Scarlett one moment only to root for her the next. Her incredible selfishness kills me, but I think it's because I see my own selfishness mirrored in her character. So often I find myself thinking, "yeah, I would've done the same thing." And the force with which she fights for herself, her family, and her home, man, they make me want to be just as strong. Really, it's excellent. What's even more fun is the fact that this was one of the first books my grandmother read after she came to America (and I think in English). I find myself constantly wondering what she was thinking as she read these same pages. I can't wait to give her a call and hear her thoughts once I'm done.

Watch: I just started watching Call The Midwife on Netflix and I am totally hooked. The show follows new midwife Jenny Lee through her cases in London's East End throughout the 1950s. The characters are all so quirky; Chummy, being one of my favorites. Each episode reminds me how fortunate I am to live without the constant threat of poverty and in an era with such advanced medicine. It's a bit of a reality check, but with enough lightheartedness so as not to be too heavy. 

Listen: Around the Table Podcast. I already said this is one of my favorites. It's actually the first podcast I started listening to regularly and I'd say the one that got me into listening to podcasts in the first place. Their tag line is "the perfect balance of intention and indulgence," and I'd say that rings true. Jacey and Maggie have great thought provoking content with enough fluff to keep it fun every week. They are the reason I look forward to my Monday runs. (I always listen to podcasts or audiobooks when I run - way more fun than music.) 

Follow: thegraygang on Instagram. I love following this awesome mama and her five adorable kiddos on Insta. She's always super honest and vulnerable about motherhood and I find her downright inspiring. I love that she shares the good and the bad; how being a mom is both incredibly difficult some days, but that it's so worth it. She has some awesome quotes from various sources and never hesitates to give a bit of her own wisdom and thoughts on raising little ones (without any judgement!). Plus her kids are totally rocking it and they have the best names. Props to her and her husband for raising strong, loving children. Makes me so look forward to that stage of my life...and maybe want a big family myself. 

What are you reading, watching, listening to, and following?