I took a little time off of social media and posting, and it was a much-needed mental health break to focus on the present and our family. A little powering down while trying to find my voice again, if you will. Over the last few days, we’ve vacillated between work and binge-watching Modern Family. Then, we work out, are confused about what day it is, and question why we’re filled with cheese and chocolate. Again. Wading through gift wrapping and boxes, then cleaning the house after hauling the entire tree out the front door, along with boxes of clothes to donate… I guess it’s called balance. Or something. But I know it’s what we all needed. A chance to regroup and do what feels right, no matter what that looked like for each of us.
entering their 2024 era
The new year is suddenly upon us, and at some point in my adult life, particularly in the past few years, we went from being happy about it to what I’d like to call, cautiously optimistic.
Looking back, I think this feeling settled in around 2020, much like the Carolina Wren that settled unassumingly into our front door wreath at night for a nap. I don’t have the heart to remove said wreath because he’s so floofy and needs a warm spot to sleep. That is, until we opened the door too many times to find a bird in our face, and at one point flying around our living room, then the rest of the house. No worries, he’s fine. We’re not. I now have a warning sign posted forbidding the entire family to open the front door after sundown. This side-tangent metaphor is brought to you by my adult life and the fact that, at some point, the new year went from floofy {promising} to scary and flying in our faces. With poop.
Either way, I traded in the flocked garland for some sparkle to celebrate. Rigby + Fitz were happy to fill in as our tinsel-clad models. Somehow, their expressions reflected a few of my feelings: Cautiously optimistic while waiting for more cheese. This is pretty much what captures our 2024 era.
No matter what the upcoming year looks like for you or what you have planned, I think it’s okay to throw on a little sparkle and head brazenly into this fresh start with a side of realism. I could share a word or concept or resolution and a round-up of favorite last-minute NYE ideas. Whist shouting from stark-white Pinterest-worthy McMansion rooms an unhealthy adoration for a good fresh start and unlimited motivation with the exuberance and moxie of a late 90’s boy band. But instead, I opted for a little realism. Maybe the holidays were hard, and you’re ready to shake it off. Maybe they were wonderful, and you’re feeling like this is your year. Maybe you’re all over the place on the scale of productivity after a wonderful time because the month leading up to the holidays is always exhausting, and you feel like the new year is an unyielding gateway to the winter where you’re torn between a crippling vitamin D deficiency and rushing to summer vs. making EVERY moment COUNT because you have a senior and THIS IS IT so cherish EVERYTHING. {Couldn’t be me.}
So, no matter what the new year looks like for you, know we’re in your corner.
Here’s to being cautiously optimistic. Cheers to your 2024 era.
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