Issue #19 - A few small things to take us into 2024
The sort of stuff I'd share with you if we were to catch up over coffee ♡
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Hello lovely people,
How are things for you, in this slump of a week between Christmas and New Year? We don’t know what day it is; we don’t know who we are; we don’t know what the next fridge leftovers combination will be and we (hopefully) devote the days to rest and over-indulgence, in the ratio that suits us best.
Today’s post is a round-up of a few small things - the sort of stuff that I’d share with you if we were to catch up over coffee because let’s face it, we’re all too frazzled for any BIG things right now. Mine’s an Americano with less water, by the way. As always, take what you like, share what you love and leave behind the rest. ♡
I’m not a fan, but I do love the feeling of a new year, a fresh start and the chance to throw out the old and in with the new. That may be why Mel Robbin’s latest podcast ‘How to Make 2024 the Best Year’ resonated so much with me - it’s a simple premise (and worth a listen to flesh it out more than the basics I’ll include here). She suggests using 3 headings to set your intentions for 2024 -
STOP - things you will stop doing
START - things you will start doing
CONTINUE - things you will continue doing
I really love such a paired-back approach and I’m definitely using it as we canter towards the end of 2023. I am opting for super-simple (just one under each heading - because if I can’t easily remember what I’ve chosen, I know I won’t deliver) and these are they -
I will STOP procrastinating on actions and instead, make a timely decision and go for it. I remind myself that often when I eventually get around to taking a long-pondered action, it is much less complex/time-consuming/awkward than I had imagined.
I will START trying to embrace meditation. I am a skeptic for sure, but something in me wants to give it a good shot. I have bought the book ‘Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics’ by Dan Harris, for which I am clearly the target audience(!) and I will start on 1 January and do my best to master it.
I will CONTINUE to only drink alcohol occasionally. I’ve been experimenting with this since the summer and (somewhat regrettably) it does make an enormous difference to the quality of my sleep and therefore my overall well being.
I plan to review my STOP/START/CONTINUE headings every couple of months as the structure feels ideally suited to adjusting as things change and life happens. ♡
If your week could benefit from a little blatant, simple TV joy, then I would highly recommend the gorgeousness of indulging in The Piano at Christmas, the Channel 4 festive special of Claudia Winkleman’s delightful piano railway station talent show. I agree that the concept sounds iffy, but trust me on this one - it is solid gold. It starts with teenager Daniel performing with the Goo Goo Dolls (I cried) and finishes with 94 year old Harry (I cried again) and in between there are all sorts of other special moments. Let’s not forget the breathtaking Lucy (but to understand the true magnitude of her story, you do need to return to the series from earlier in the year) and then there’s the rowsing festive, finale performance under the stunning architecture of Kings Cross station. ♡
And in case you can manage one more sentimental Christmas video, I present to you a rather cute one. Hankies at the ready. ♡
New Year’s Eve is a quiet one for us. I’m going to cook paella from a Rick Stein book that is so old, it seems to be out of print. There will be drinks with sparkle, Hella has bought herself this amazing Lego Wildflowers Set to build and I am going to enjoy a cosy, at-home jigsaw. Perfection. We may or may not make it beyond 12! ♡
So much love to you and yours and thank you so very much for reading along over the last few months. It is great to hear from you, either in the comments or replying to my emails and I always answer. I am really looking forward to more conversation in 2024 where we can all share our thoughts and ideas for navigating this life of ours. ♡
Go boldly into 2024 and please, please share this email with anyone who might be even a tiny bit interested. ♡
I hope that there has been something festive and fun here for you today. As always, take what you like, share what you love and leave behind the rest. ♡
Sending you all the hugs,
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Hi Rachel. I love the Stop, Start, Continue idea. I will stop being self destructive with my health and eating habits. I will start eating healthily without trying any wild diet fads that never work for me and building up gentle walking and a return to yoga. I will continue to keep the mindfulness/grateful journal I started a few weeks ago and trying to move forward in life even if the steps are tiny.
I tried your Dad's leftovers jambalaya recipe and it was really, really good. Thank you. Wishing you health and happiness in 2024.