It's frankly just a policy that I implemented a long time ago for my games to just give XP on a monthly basis to both keep Players interested and to keep characters evolving to drive new gameplay.
And it's always worked well.
Granted my games then used to be multiple posts daily, so plot progression was faster and more things happened.
So I can see where it maybe doesn't feel right, here, with such a slow pace.
I could scale it back to 5 XP per month?
As for how to reconcile it... XP awards don't reflect how ppl learn or progress IRL well anyway.
You're just trained to think that you don't get or deserve things until you've "done something" in character, by traditional game structure.
So how I would personally reconcile it is, maybe it's something your character has been "working on" and whatever it is, is just "there for you"/emerges as you hoped it would, as you needed it/try it out, and/or maybe you've always had it within you, it's just something you haven't had the courage to try/so until now(/when you get the XP).
Basically: Frame-shift the XP award from a mechanics focus, to a story telling focus, and there should be no disconnect. No problem.
Or you're welcome not to spend it until you want too, as well.
