At times, we just have to begin again.
I know that one can technically “start fresh”, set goals and reset at any point in the year, but there’s something about the New Year energy that makes it feel so natural. Especially this year for some reason. It’s been deeply relaxing to adopt hermit like tendencies, sleep in, light candles and reflect on the year ahead despite my inner “doer” was clawing at the walls for tasks, projects and more socially appropriate forms of “productivity”.
I’m particularly excited for what 2022 will bring as 2021 felt like the never ending hangover for 2020 and 2019. I talked a little bit about this in last months note, but I’m looking forward to redefining what work, fulfillment and success look like for me. After shedding some mental, emotional and creative weights last year, I’ve never felt more committed to myself and focused on want to create and build over the next year and beyond. For me it’s less about checking the boxes and more about about cultivating what I want my life to look and feel like on a daily basis.
At the same time, Chris and I are both a bit emotionally and physically drained from last year with December being the cherry on top. As eager as I am to just put the petal to the metal, we both definitely need this month to reflect, rest and regroup for the year ahead. If there’s one thing that the past two years has taught me is that rest isn’t a luxury, it’s essential.
xx
On The Calendar
Not much on the social calendar this month outside of playing catchup from the holidays, working on organizing things at the house and embracing the winter R&R.
Inspired By
I know I go on and on about Chani Nichols, but her Year Ahead readings, journal prompts and rituals are everything right now. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking for a way to reflect on last year and set intentions for the year ahead.
If you’ve been following along in Instagram, then you might know that I’ve been getting more and more into film photography, and photography in general. I treated myself to (a mammoth of a book) Peter Lindberg’s On Fashion and Photography recently that has been wonderful inspiration and almost soul food. I also recently discovered Mel and absolutely adore her vintage vibe. I know everything is trending towards video these days, but there’s such an art, an encapsulated energy, in photography that I just love. It also sent both Chris and myself down a rabbit hole after which we ended up treating ourselves to another film camera that’s a bit smaller and easier to carry on the go, and some black and white film (I’m a sucker for black and white photos).
Currently Reading
I started reading Smart Women Finish Rich in an effort to educate myself (more) on finances. One thing I’m focusing more on this year is being more active in and diversifying my personal finances as well as working through any lingering issues that I might have with money. Despite having a Mom that was a financial planner for most of my childhood, I know that I have some big blocks and hangups around money, spending it, saving it, budgeting etc. I’ve only heard good things about this book so I figured this is a good place to start for a good foundation.
Top of Mind
I’ve been on a bit of a knitwear kick (window shopping really) as Portland has gotten particularly crisp and gloomy. Some of my favorite spots to hunt for knits are Net-a-Porter, SSENSE, Moda Operandi and MyTheresa and I often gravitate towards knits by Vince, &Daughter, Lisa Yang (pricey, but oh so worth it), Toteme and LouLou Studio and/or pieces that are 100% wool, cashmere, alpaca or a blend of natural fibers. Everlane and Naadam also have some solid pieces at a more approachable price point.
I mentioned on Instagram recently that I’ve been battling some very random cystic acne on my jaw/neck (not cute hormones). I recently discovered ZitStiika on a panicked google search in Mexico trying to find something that would at least help those pesky below the surface zits disappear. So far, I’m very impressed.
We recently got one of our investment pieces for the home and obsessed is an understatement. I’ve been eyeing this marble coffee table (maybe “block” is more appropriate haha) for almost a year and finally pulled the trigger on it over the holidays. One thing that I love about it is that it’s very neutral and warm in tone, even though the base of it is white. It pulls in our oak floors and black metal accents very well!
Been on the hunt for a good black knee high boot that could really take me from day to night and handle some miles. Everything that I’ve been seeing has either been a stiletto boot with a super narrow toe, a version of Bottega Veneta’s lug sole Chelsea, or have a very rounded toe. The only potential that I had were these from By Far (which I do still think are fabulous), but when I discovered these Neil Rodgers boots over the holidays, I knew it was worth the splurge. The chunkier heel and narrow, asymmetric toe, make them perfect for a walk around the city and a dinner date. The leather is also top notch.
I realized that part way through 2020 I had stopped taking a lot of my adaptogens (mostly because I didn’t feel like lugging them around when we were traveling) and man did I notice a difference in how my stress manifested physically. I’ve had harder times powering down, the random cystic acne, more anxiety and irregular digestion. Rather than throw the kitchen sink at it, I started with just reishi and have already felt like my body is more equipped to manage stressful situations.
