Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A new year and an old year

Tomorrow, it is a new year, a time to start again and a time to look at what has gone before. There have been grand successes but also times that we could have done better, been better. A new year is such a bright and shiny thing, a blank page where we can write new stories, new hopes, new dreams. Everything that has come before, good and bad, shapes us, makes us the people we are, but we are still creating what comes next. Some things may be outside our control, but how we react to them is within us. Each year, we set our resolutions to be better, healthier, to maximize ourselves and our talents. This year, we want to be mindful--of those we love and who love us, of what we've done, of who we are. Even as we set out our new resolutions, we will be thankful for what we do get done, and for the people in our lives, and not just look at what we don't get done.

This new year, we will:
1. Get healthier--exercise more, eat better. This last year, we have eaten a lot, but not always what is good for us (even if it tasted incredibly good). This new year, we will be better.
2. Do something creative--Work got incredibly busy with amazing projects and responsibilities and opportunities...but we need to feed our creative outlets because that feeds our souls. One of us signed up for an art class last year (so proud), but one of us (ahem) spent more time complaining about a project than writing. This year, the artist will continue to paint, the writer will write something, and the antique dealer will pull together a cool and funky curated collection.
3. Curate our collections--We will never be minimalists. Much as we love places with 5 perfectly chosen objects, that will never be us. However, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't get rid of things we have outgrown, no longer like, hide in our closets or basements, or use but not with pleasure. We need to become ruthless in what we get, and what we keep. We will also get to our secret collections project (shhh...it's a secret but will be supercool if we do it)
4. Refine our personal style--Like our collections, we need to look to our closets, and get rid of clothes that we don't like and get things that fit who we are. We know the look we want...now we need to get there.
5. Give back more--We have been very fortunate...and others helped us get to where we needed to go, sometimes without even knowing it, with the right advice, or just with a belief in what we can do. Life is short, and there are decisions you make as to the type of person you want to be. We are so grateful to the people who treat others well, even when they don't have to, and sometimes at risk or inconvenience to themselves. There are many people who are only there when the times are good or when it suits their purposes. Those are not the people we want to be.

For the next year, we wish for all a wonderful year. May it be the best year outshined only by the years to come. xoxo