Issue #26: Is January necessary?
A New Year's message written under the influence of DayQuil
Does anyone really love January? I used to love New Year’s and the idea of a blank slate. I loved setting resolutions or a word for the year. For many years, I was the person who would be back on a gym kick or purchase a new juicer with the intention of eating vegetables and fruits nonstop.
As I approach 40, I no longer really care to wait until a new calendar goes up on the wall. If there’s something I want to change or work on, it’s an in-the-moment goal or change. I wish that were something I understood sooner, but it’s one of those things you have to learn with experience I guess.
Here I sit on my fourth sick day in bed, and I’m so grateful that I didn’t set out to make 2024 something special. The picture above is my view, except that I swept all the dirty Kleenex out of the frame. It would have been disappointing to sit here now, realizing I’ve already been miserable for half of the new year. Instead, I’m trying to be grateful for flexible editors and a husband who has taken the dog on every walk and cooked every meal this week. I’ve made a dent in the hibernation I was looking forward to. And I got to clean out my email inbox again after the crazy amount of spam holiday sales.
Before I get into the things you can expect from this little newsletter in this new year, I wanted to share a few things that you should make sure are in your house if you end up being part of the wave of people that are catching any and all illnesses going around:
DayQuil and NyQuil (or whatever pain relief and cold medicine you prefer)
Balm or moisturizer for your nose if you are constantly blowing it (this stuff has been a miracle worker for that dry, cracked skin)
A stockpile of tea, easy soup/ramen, and everything you need to make smoothies
Good air purifiers (we use this one) to protect others in the house
A humidifier
Books, magazines, and newspapers that you’ve been meaning to read
Cozy Cookbook Reviews
One of the goals for this year is to try 26 different cookbooks. Every two weeks, I’ll review the one we tried in our home, which recipes we cooked, and who would be the best person for that specific cookbook. I’m getting most of them from the library, but I already know that we will purchase a few of our favorites to keep on our shelf in the kitchen. We will also lean in on some of the 2024 food trends in this project. Are you into tinned fish?
Good news! The first one is live already - read it here.
Helpful Topics
I’ve been building a list of topics I want to dive into in this space in 2024. I’ve been pulling together research and testing out different tools to share in this space. There will be discussions about maximizing the benefits of your local library, how to organize your thousands of digital photos, and underrated apps.
More Candid Life Things
In addition to the helpful topics, there is a long brainstorm of things I want to share and write about that won’t really do anything but make you think or maybe make you laugh. I have a long-standing obsession with Palm Springs and some stories from our travels that I want to share. I
Consistency
I have set time aside each week to work on this space. It will drop in your emails at least three times each month. I love a routine, and having a space where no one else is assigning topics and keywords is wonderful.
Parents have so many more tools now than when we were growing up. I thought this piece on tracking children and what privacy means now was fascinating.
This book has been a perfect one to pick up and read little by little. I didn’t know if I would like to read a semi-advice column, but it’s fascinating, and I keep writing notes down to think about later.
I’ve been looking at fun retro prints to swap out some art in our townhouse. Etsy has so many options, I love this book nerd one or even this espresso option. They are cheesy, but I feel like they would bring me joy. I just have to figure out where they would fit.
Tinned fish is just one food trend for 2024. Here is the full list from Whole Foods. I love the plant-based stuff, but it’s also cool to see water stewardship and women’s health on the list.
I thought I was a Swiftie, but then I tried this quiz and realized that I might not be the fan I thought I was. There are just so many songs.
I truly hope you are reading this without a stuffed-up nose or lingering cough, but if that’s the case—Feel better soon! I’m hoping that I’ll be able to reenter the world as soon as the freeze is over in Seattle in a few days. In the meantime, I’ll be working my way through the stack of Seattle Times crossword puzzles and trying to make a dent in Iron Flame. And if you’re healthy, take some time to hibernate anyways.
It’s 2024, but who cares? Every day is a clean slate if you need it.
Cheers!
Steph