A new year is starting. And up until 2 nights ago, I was feeling hopeful and excited. I felt the same anticipation and excitement as I did when I was a kid and the first day of School was just around the corner. I used to collage all my notebook covers and wrap them in waterproof paper myself, I'd plan a new routine and hang my new uniform right outside my bathroom door–I felt prepared.

I admit that's not the same sentiment I'm feeling as I write this. The truth is, these last couple of years have been mostly a downer for me. SO much has happened to me, to my loved ones and to my life in general that I cannot help but feel a mixture of excitement and reservations for what 2018 has in store for us this time around.

While dwelling on this subject last night I started to remember those tidbits of good that I've also had this last year . . . and I realized that the only certainty we can have when starting a new cycle or phase is that we will look back and there will be things that rescue our worst years, things that are relatively small, that cost nothing but have a profound meaning in our lives.

I looked back to 2017 and was able to savor my successes. I let go of things that once stopped me from feeling at peace. And I also changed. I'm sure I've become a more resilient and more flexible person as a result of all the not-so-positive gremlins that still rummage around in my life.







Apieceapart and Emily Laye


So why always the *hope* that the New Year will bring the changes and chances that we so long for? Why leave it to the New Year to somehow, *hopefully* be so much better–when we can actively decide–when we can shift our focus to what is truly important, to what's permanent and meaningful in our lives and forget the added stuff?

The secret to treating myself to a perfect 2018 will be to live it intentionally and to not be afraid of whatever happens–and when December 30th, 2018 also comes knocking on my door–there I will be, marveling at the good and seeing how all the bad affected me positively in the end.

If you are also feeling anxious about closing a difficult year, try this instead of scribbling down your New Year’s goals: reflect on the year that has passed. What's been your greatest lost and how do you feel about it now? What has been your biggest success? How did 2017 changed you? ... And lastly, what did you worry about the most in 2017 and how has it turned out?

Hope is essential. We need it. We need to be hopeful for a new start, for a new chance . . . and when that's difficult, looking back and realizing it was all OK in the end can bring us the peace of mind that we need to rest assured that the next cycle we’re about to embark on can be anything–it can be easy (or maybe not) but in the end, there will be many things to hold onto.

I wish you a fantastic 2018. May you enjoy every single bit of it.

Love,
Ana

Over the Holidays, our routines are punctuated by what we expect to be a time of recharging, rest and peace–but all the rush and the additional to-dos are anything but soothing and relaxing. Yes, even the calmest holidays can bring the biggest storms.




Emily Laye

Over the Holidays, our routines are punctuated by what we expect to be a time of recharging, rest and peace–but all the rush and the additional to-dos are anything but soothing and relaxing. Yes, even the calmest holidays can bring the biggest storms.

Self-care is the key to keeping everything else in some sort of balance. Don't forget to be present and mindful this holiday time. Take time out for yourself to be alone... maybe take a mindful walk or spend a few minutes in meditation. Stop what you’re doing when something is making you stress out and simply breathe.

This season is a time to enjoy and to be with the ones we love–but do not feel obligated to anything that makes you feel anxious or uncomfortable. Make no commitments you cannot handle and above everything, take some time to truly rest, to take naps and to do things slowly, truly enjoying the moment.

Happy Christmas to all!

P.S. There's a sale up on the shop. You get a 50% off your order this Holiday weekend. Code: HOLIDAY. x

Smålands Skinnmanufaktur is a furniture and home accessories design studio that’s based in Sweden. Their style is characteristically Scandinavian. Minimal and environmentally-friendly products have put them on the first page of many blogs lately and they clearly deserve that spot.























Emily Laye

Every product from Smålands Skinnmanufaktur is made by hand with leather from the only environmentally certified tanner, Tärnsjö Garveri–in natural gray and chromium-free. They are lasting and classic, a true statement for everyone's home.

Ah! How beautiful life is, it is truly a gift, isn't it? I'm sure of that because the past 2 years haven't been even slightly on the easy side . . . and all I can feel as my birthday and the end of the year approaches is overwhelming gratitude and hope.

Yes, through these ups and downs, "celebratory" hasn't been a word that describes my mood, especially after my father's passing–but life has been "pretty good"–maybe not superb and maybe not awesome all the time–but yes, when it's mattered.






Bonergent

These months have taught me invaluable lessons–some that I hope stay with me forever: about seizing moments of closeness with my loved ones, of hugging people tighter and of showing up for them as the best version of myself every day. Then there are some lessons that I'm crossing fingers I have learned so that they don’t need to be stuck on replay next year.

Birthdays bring out the best in all of us when we let them; when we truly ponder and when we allow ourselves to be taken care of by others, hugged, celebrated and spoiled by the ones who love us. It took me a handful of years to learn that. To give up being an introvert for a day and allow people to care in whichever way they wanted to. Today, I'll let the people that love me do that, to be here for me and to make my life more fun.

As a celebratory game and because I love to read this kind of threads:

5 peculiar things you might not know about me
1. I laugh a lot, even at my own misfortune.
2. Spicy food is my favorite: I have an unusually high resistance to chilli and I love it like life itself
3. I love music and I once in a while I put on makeup and go dancing
4. I swear... a lot in real life and when it feels like I’m not fully expressing myself
5. To continue to travel is the only thing on my bucket list


Where I want to be this day next year
I want to be in a place of zero regrets. I want to be able to look back on an entire year of my life where I can fully say I lived it to the last bit. I want to have opened up myself and dared more. I want to have been truly my unique self without overthinking things or caring about what others think. I want to have learned a something new, something that makes me excited. I want to give myself a pat on the back for loving myself enough to care for myself every single day and I want to have laughed louder and dreamed bigger along with my beautiful little E-P.

Thank you for sharing my birthday thoughts with me.

Cheers!