As we’re ticking down the minutes to the end of the year, I always start to feel a lot of pressure to think big thoughts. To close the year on something profound and find some meaning in the chaos. But here’s all I’ve got people: 2021, I am DONE with you.
I‘m sure I’m not alone in finding this year incredibly difficult – there were some ups and downs personally for me, but as a collective I think it’s safe to say we struggled hard. The only way I managed to put one foot in front of the other was by finding joy in the little things: morning coffee with my beau, bringing a new design to life, the crinkle of tissue paper when I opened this rose-speckled Horrockes dress from Coutura Vintage.
There were also some bigger milestones to celebrate: being officially tenured, welcoming a new grad student into the lab, co-editing my first scientific book (alongside some true heroes in my field). It’s important to remind ourselves to breathe in all we’ve accomplished this year – big and small – because it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the negative. And even if all you can think of in terms of accomplishments in 2021 is that you have walked through the dumpster fire and are still standing, I’m raising my glass in your direction. Because THAT alone is worthy of celebration.
Tonight is definitely going to be a quiet one for us – one where we pop champagne from the sofa and celebrate the simple fact that we are still standing. There will be no glittery dresses, no big night out, no fanciful resolutions. All I really want when bidding farewell to 2021 is to don my pajamas (with glittery slippers, natch), do my best to let go of the anger I’ve felt for much of this year (at least until I can get up with renewed vigor and get back to advocating for vaccines and mask mandates), and hope for some sort of reboot.
I am certainly not harboring any delusions of grandeur – the calendar will not shift forward at midnight, magically catapulting us into a year that will look completely different from the one we just weathered. But, I would be lying if I didn’t say New Years always felt like I was rinsing off the past. Starting with a clean slate. Hoping for better than the year before.
So, no words of wisdom from my corner if the inter webs today. I’m way too exhausted for that. Just words of encouragement and solidarity. Whatever you are feeling tonight is valid. Whether you are needing to blow off steam and forget, or curl on the couch and quietly remember.
If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that time marches sagely on. Let’s hope it marches towards a 2022 where we vow to protect each other, use the tools science has given us, and get those vaccination numbers up. At a new year’s threshold we are the sum of our choices from the year before. May better ones be made in 2022.
So farewell, 2021. I have a feeling I’m not alone in saying: Don’t let the door hit you on the way out…
See you on the other side!
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Coutura Vintage (similar modern and vintage here, here & here)
Necklace: gift (similar)
Belt: from another dress (similar)
Handbag: Looks Like Summer, sold out (similar here & here)
Shoes: Miss L Fire (similar here & here)
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Any items marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review and/or feature on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.