May for me was a marvelous mix of time with family in the US, touristy travel fun, and late school year mayhem back in Cologne.
May Melody
Having prepared to fly in April and cruised to California for cousin, aunt, and uncle time at the end of the month, the first few days of May we spent showing Ela this lovely West Coast city, eating fish tacos and Mexican food, walking on beaches and piers, at the world famous zoo, through vintage and army surplus stores.
Next, we hopped to Hawai’i for my Dad’s birthday and then Mother’s Day, time at home in Kailua-Kona, practicing Tai Chi on the sea, a visit to the farmer’s market in Hilo, beach trips, helping out with house and yard work, and MC-ing West Hawai’i Dance Theatre’s lovely production of “Giselle.”
Bullet Journaling & Planning
The below YouTube Video is a flip-through of May 2024 “after the pen” in my Seasonal Bullet Journal. Having set up my May and June spreads in April, I got to slide through May and right into PRIDE Month/my birthday month, the end of the school year and wrapping up the first half of the year 2024.
As usual, I updated Monthly, Weekly, and Daily logs as I went along, and though there was less publishing and writing this month (fewer Morning Pages, no new articles), I did get some creative time to play with my watercolor pencils, I took my journal to the beach and took pictures, scribbled notes, and gathered ephemera to memory keep.
Teaching & Coaching
I’m grateful to the teachers who covered for my absence back in Cologne, and that I could continue with a reduced schedule of online Mindful Movement classes such as Balletlicious Ballet Barre+ and Yummy Gentle Yoga, while underway. My technical focus shifted for most of the month to physical therapy, Tai Chi and Qigong, and I benefited much from studying with my Dad’s teacher, Sifu Chee, on the water at the Kona Inn and Old Airport. They have such a great community, and we also celebrated my Dad’s birthday with Tai Chi friends for a fiesta at Pancho and Lefty’s during Cinco de Mayo in Kona.
It was an honor to once again Emcee/host a ballet production by my original dance studio, in a first-ever collaboration with Island Dance Academy, in order to have enough Willis to make a stunning “Giselle.” They were wonderful and what an authentic romantic ballet they brought to Hawai’i!
Then jumped right back into teaching and coaching full speed ahead when I returned to Cologne, sharing updates on my offerings and where there is
still room in these classes to bloom with me this spring into summer.
Coaching Week
I have many free tools which I intended to share for this year’s celebration, but dropped the ball while I was traveling entirely! Consider this an “I owe you” for a digest of life-changing coaching tools…
Alphabet Superset
I published 1 micro video choreo to TikTok and Instagram for the Alphabet Superset challenge in May:
- “W” by the Water on TikTok, our beginner attempt at a Tango waltz in front of the historic Kona Inn where we also enjoyed practicing Tai Chi and watching the sunset.
Twenty-Four 24s in 2024: Projects & Practices
As I wrote about in my Twenty-Four 24s in 2024 article, this year I chose twenty-four metrics for which I intend to make at least 24 contributions, consistently supporting my major goals and most valued priorities.
Many of the projects I provide updates for here are one of the “24s,” such as Choreographies (Alphabet Superset, below, and other dance projects), Videos and Articles published and so forth, so I made progress this month, but I didn’t complete a particular area’s 24th action in May.
Film & Share Videos
In May, I took a break from you usual publishing schedule of weekly videos, blog articles, and also reduced social media sharing to focus on quality time and new memories in real life. Stay tuned for June, when a variety of new content emerged!
Write & Publish Articles
Although I took in many new inspirations and had a lot of ideas percolating, no new blog articles were published in May.
Connect on Email & Social Media
Along with my other content creation, I took a break from email newsletter publishing, but still sent one checking back in at the end of May and keeping everyone in the loop on events June and beyond into the summer.
The best way to keep up-to-date on everything I’m coaching, teaching, creating and sharing about as well as my favorite work from other creators is to subscribe to my weekly email newsletter. Would love to be connected to you there, here, on social media, online or in-person!
Media Musings
Travel can be a great time to get a lot of reading and viewing in, and May provided some such opportunities:
Books & Reading
In addition to my regular nonfiction reading (about to finish a couple of my annual picks and will be offering my recommendation soon), I finished 3 novels:
- The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren is actually the first novel with a spinoff called the True Love Experiment but I read them in reverse order which was okay but not recommended. I actually liked the sequel with the focus on the the romance-author best friend of the main character from the first book, but both are enjoyable love letters to romance.
- The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren, which proved that I am truly hooked on their books, another cute and empowering rom-com
- Good Material Book by Dolly Alderton, which is about the humor, the madness, and The Madness of going through a breakup, this one is super well-written and bittersweet but not so light, in the running for my favorite novel read so far this year…
Music & Listening
May saw me continue to work with and add to my Spring Sensations Dance playlist, in-progress Alphabet Superset music, ABC Choreo Music Ideas, and playlists for each of the classes that I teach.
Standout Songs included:
- “Water” by Tyla was the track for “W” and has been super popular this year in Germany, sure to be a summer jam
- “Vacation” by Priya Ragu played on the radio in Kona, taking us back to her awesome concert last year in Cologne!
- “Unstoppable” by Sia is a favorite of my little cousin Willow
- Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” Album is not new, but was a major part of the soundtrack of our trip as it happens to be the CD in my Mom’s car as well as very present on the radio
Viewing
Long-distance travel afforded some opportunities to take in new media:
- Grand Sumo May Tournament highlights on NHK, my parents got me into watching the highlights last year, and we enjoyed the first part of this month’s installment together on television in Hawai’i
- Many long flights afforded time for reading and films, my favorite of which was the movie “Bros,” a sweet and challenging gay romantic comedy
- “Anyone but You” was also a silly rom-com, perfect light plane watching
- Flights are also responsible for us getting hooked on the “Sex and the City” spinoff series, “And Just Like That”
Questions for Reflection
- How will you savor summer?
- Which adventures are calling?
- What plans do you have for the coming month, quarter, season?
- How can I support you in this moment?
Resources for Further Exploration
- April was about Celebrating Spring, Dance Week, Travel Preparations & California Dreaming – 2024 Month 4 Review
- March was about Mindfulness, Women’s History, Moving Around- 2024 Month 3 Review, Quarter 1 Wrap-Up
- Quantum Leaping in 2024 Word / Intention of the Year
- Blogging My Purpose – the “Why” behind A Blythe Coach
- Why Bother Distinguishing Your Why?
- Analog Journals for Creativity
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to prioritize travel, family, and fun in May! Truly a gift to be immersed in time with beloved family members, including two aunties, an uncle, and all three of my cousins, their spouses and kids! Such a treat too adventure with Ela on her first trip to San Diego/California/the West Coast, revisiting my favorite spots as well as new ones, taking in the wild west of Old Town and eating real diner food.
And it’s always magical to be back home with my parents, have the opportunity to feast with them and help out, get to my favorite beaches in the world, be with my mentor, and treated to a fantastic show! Time spent on the beach and in the garden, caves, waterfalls, farmer’s market, bright starry skies, rainbows, music and laughter… it is always hard for me to leave, but wonderful to be coming home in both directions!
Coming next will be a either my June reflection and a look at the last quarter and 6 months, or my compilation and thoughts on my Alphabet Superset, with much summer fun to follow.
See you again soon!
Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
Creator of A Blythe Coach @ablythecoach
helping multi-passionate creatives dance through their difficulties,
taking leaps of faith into fulfillment through coaching, yoga & dance education