Sophie, in answer to your question at the end of your audio recording, I am here! So there’s at least one person. Thank you for reading this to me while I’m home sick on the couch, staring morosely at the clutter I don’t have the energy to tidy up and wishing, well, wishing a million things were different.
New year goals:
⭐️ Go on more dates (including the one I had to reschedule from today 🙁)
⭐️ Be more ruthless about getting rid of stuff we don’t need so clutter is less of an anxiety trigger
⭐️ Be kinder to myself
⭐️ Plant flowers as well as food in the garden this spring
Also: I do have matching silverware (because my parents gave me theirs, which had been a wedding present to them, when they moved in with my grandpa) and semi-matching plates and bowls (all white so they’re easy to replace at the thrift store).
sophie, as a yoga instructor who loves you, i have to say that i’m sorry you had that experience of thinking a yoga teacher didn’t like you. i understand disintegrating loaner mats. we have brooms for that. it happens! but to give someone the side eye about it? yikes. seems to me that that yoga teacher needs to be doing a lot more yoga! and judging others a lot less. (i say judgmentally 😂)
i have been meaning to sit down with some journal prompts & contemplate 2023, and what i want from 2024. but i haven’t done that yet. and i hereby give myself permission to spend january doing some reflecting & journaling. and i’m not done with xmas yet, even if everyone else is. i’m not done with the holidays yet, i refuse to give up fairy lights & holiday music & eggnog with my tea or coffee every day. i’m not ready for this season to be over yet. i’m going to extend it through january, and i don’t think anyone can really stop me! ❄️
Thank you for this newsletter - I LOVE New Year's resolutions and hate it when people say they don't do them (not because it bothers me they don't do them, I just love hearing about people's resolutions so much).
Last year my resolution was to eat more salads, and that was hands-down the worst resolution I've ever made. I probably did eat more salad than I otherwise would have, but it was such an un-fun thing to think about.
The year before, my resolution was to do art every day. I think this lasted for like two weeks (at least in terms of doing it every day), but I definitely did do more art than before throughout the year. And un-like the salad situation, when I randomly remembered my resolution, it was like a fun thing. Rather than a stupid, boring thing (sorry I know you love salads, but I don't, and I don't like cooking, I just thought it would help me get more fiber and vitamins into my body).
I've spent all afternoon thinking about goals for 2024, and need to pick one of them to relate to my official NY resolution and, lesson-learned, need to make sure I pick a FUN one and not a boring one. Maybe involving handstands or piano or just more art again.
And I'm doing the same thing with my kids re:music. The biggest success has been with The Spice Girls, I highly recommend.
my new year's resolution this year is to be more intense. the idea came to me while commuting home on a bus. i want to stop diluting myself for other people's palates. i want to make strangers uncomfortable at parties if it means that i get to be comfortable myself. i have always bent backwards to make everyone feel as good as possible and will continue to try to make people happy but not if it means i am not myself anymore.
two points of resonation from your letter:
1. vegan protein. seitan changed everything for me. if you can buy a bag of vital wheat gluten and have an air fryer i have 5 minute recipe for you. i will ask my sister for her seitan steak recipe that we made for christmas eve i think it made 4 steaks which had at least 24 grams of protein which felt excessive to me but actually was perfect. i say all of this as someone who does not own an air fryer or gluten. my only other trick is split pea soup.
2. yoga and chronic pain! a regular yoga practice (10 minutes of stretching everyday) saved me from my chronic knee pain. my family has a history of poorly performing joints and my knees started giving out on me when i was a sophomore in college. i thought every step i took would just always hurt forever. but like you, i found that a regular yoga practice took care of that! what luck!
thank you for reminding me to make more time to journal about the turn of years.
Another audio-listener here. Thank you so much. I usually read, then listen again later, and always get something more out of it the second time through.
I'm still mulling over lists and wishes for the coming year.
I would like to be a better friend, both to my friends and to myself. Finding that balance seems to be so tricky sometimes.
And oh my, the lying thing? Hit hard. Recognize myself in that so much. Not so much these days, but so very much well into my 30s. So thank you for making me feel less alone. Accepting that I am lovable and/or interesting enough without having to create drama/intrigue? A real tough one for me I realise now.
In my 40s? Mostly I have learnt to wallow in my 'boring' small little life. And am much happier for it. And friendships have drifted as they do. But the ones that I still have are largely much more valuable to me as they know me properly - because i've let them.
Oh my. Got more introspective there than I was expecting to. To the whisky and vegan eggnog for me.
Hoping everyone's end of year goes smoothly, and with as much fun/quiet/reflection as fits your individual needs!
Thank you for being brave and vulnerable by sharing your personal journal entries with us!
I’ve shared many such resolutions over the years, but the part that resonated with me most was your description of “low-level grief” during pregnancy. I’m just starting my second trimester and it’s been much harder physically/emotionally than I expected so far. Have you written about this phase of your life on Substack or elsewhere, or do you intend to? I’d appreciate reading your reflections.
One year I made the resolution that I would watch one film a week that had a woman director. I did miss a few weeks but as it was a pretty easy thing to catch up on I ended the year having seen 52 new-to-me films directed by women, many that I would not have otherwise seen. I have never before or since completed a New Year’s resolution.
(although one year I said I would read a poem a day and I made it until July which is still way more poems than I would otherwise have read)
I just want to say that while it has taken me six months to listen to this -- I AM HERE and I LOVE the long ones sometimes. I LOVE listening to you and learning and so much more. Not sure if you'll ever see this comment, but I have a whole weird recent journey about goals and resolutions and life and I would love to talk with you about it. You are great.
dear sophie,
thank you for all of this! as always!
i particularly love this: "Be kind behind people’s backs."
sometimes i do that, and then sometimes i tell the people that i did that.
which i think is okay because i believe it's ALSO good to be kind IN FRONT OF people's backs.
happy new year! happy all-the-days!
love,
myq
Sophie, in answer to your question at the end of your audio recording, I am here! So there’s at least one person. Thank you for reading this to me while I’m home sick on the couch, staring morosely at the clutter I don’t have the energy to tidy up and wishing, well, wishing a million things were different.
New year goals:
⭐️ Go on more dates (including the one I had to reschedule from today 🙁)
⭐️ Be more ruthless about getting rid of stuff we don’t need so clutter is less of an anxiety trigger
⭐️ Be kinder to myself
⭐️ Plant flowers as well as food in the garden this spring
Also: I do have matching silverware (because my parents gave me theirs, which had been a wedding present to them, when they moved in with my grandpa) and semi-matching plates and bowls (all white so they’re easy to replace at the thrift store).
sophie, as a yoga instructor who loves you, i have to say that i’m sorry you had that experience of thinking a yoga teacher didn’t like you. i understand disintegrating loaner mats. we have brooms for that. it happens! but to give someone the side eye about it? yikes. seems to me that that yoga teacher needs to be doing a lot more yoga! and judging others a lot less. (i say judgmentally 😂)
i have been meaning to sit down with some journal prompts & contemplate 2023, and what i want from 2024. but i haven’t done that yet. and i hereby give myself permission to spend january doing some reflecting & journaling. and i’m not done with xmas yet, even if everyone else is. i’m not done with the holidays yet, i refuse to give up fairy lights & holiday music & eggnog with my tea or coffee every day. i’m not ready for this season to be over yet. i’m going to extend it through january, and i don’t think anyone can really stop me! ❄️
Thank you for this newsletter - I LOVE New Year's resolutions and hate it when people say they don't do them (not because it bothers me they don't do them, I just love hearing about people's resolutions so much).
Last year my resolution was to eat more salads, and that was hands-down the worst resolution I've ever made. I probably did eat more salad than I otherwise would have, but it was such an un-fun thing to think about.
The year before, my resolution was to do art every day. I think this lasted for like two weeks (at least in terms of doing it every day), but I definitely did do more art than before throughout the year. And un-like the salad situation, when I randomly remembered my resolution, it was like a fun thing. Rather than a stupid, boring thing (sorry I know you love salads, but I don't, and I don't like cooking, I just thought it would help me get more fiber and vitamins into my body).
I've spent all afternoon thinking about goals for 2024, and need to pick one of them to relate to my official NY resolution and, lesson-learned, need to make sure I pick a FUN one and not a boring one. Maybe involving handstands or piano or just more art again.
And I'm doing the same thing with my kids re:music. The biggest success has been with The Spice Girls, I highly recommend.
hi sophie!!
thank you for this!
my new year's resolution this year is to be more intense. the idea came to me while commuting home on a bus. i want to stop diluting myself for other people's palates. i want to make strangers uncomfortable at parties if it means that i get to be comfortable myself. i have always bent backwards to make everyone feel as good as possible and will continue to try to make people happy but not if it means i am not myself anymore.
two points of resonation from your letter:
1. vegan protein. seitan changed everything for me. if you can buy a bag of vital wheat gluten and have an air fryer i have 5 minute recipe for you. i will ask my sister for her seitan steak recipe that we made for christmas eve i think it made 4 steaks which had at least 24 grams of protein which felt excessive to me but actually was perfect. i say all of this as someone who does not own an air fryer or gluten. my only other trick is split pea soup.
2. yoga and chronic pain! a regular yoga practice (10 minutes of stretching everyday) saved me from my chronic knee pain. my family has a history of poorly performing joints and my knees started giving out on me when i was a sophomore in college. i thought every step i took would just always hurt forever. but like you, i found that a regular yoga practice took care of that! what luck!
thank you for reminding me to make more time to journal about the turn of years.
take good care & happy new year,
line
Another audio-listener here. Thank you so much. I usually read, then listen again later, and always get something more out of it the second time through.
I'm still mulling over lists and wishes for the coming year.
I would like to be a better friend, both to my friends and to myself. Finding that balance seems to be so tricky sometimes.
And oh my, the lying thing? Hit hard. Recognize myself in that so much. Not so much these days, but so very much well into my 30s. So thank you for making me feel less alone. Accepting that I am lovable and/or interesting enough without having to create drama/intrigue? A real tough one for me I realise now.
In my 40s? Mostly I have learnt to wallow in my 'boring' small little life. And am much happier for it. And friendships have drifted as they do. But the ones that I still have are largely much more valuable to me as they know me properly - because i've let them.
Oh my. Got more introspective there than I was expecting to. To the whisky and vegan eggnog for me.
Hoping everyone's end of year goes smoothly, and with as much fun/quiet/reflection as fits your individual needs!
Thank you for being brave and vulnerable by sharing your personal journal entries with us!
I’ve shared many such resolutions over the years, but the part that resonated with me most was your description of “low-level grief” during pregnancy. I’m just starting my second trimester and it’s been much harder physically/emotionally than I expected so far. Have you written about this phase of your life on Substack or elsewhere, or do you intend to? I’d appreciate reading your reflections.
Happy new year, Sophie! Thanks for writing 💛
p.s. we bought matching plates/ silverware from costco this fall when we moved to a new place and out of a furnished apartment
I am so very impressed by your journals. I wish I had more journal entries to revisit my younger self. You’ve inspired me to journal more in 2024 ❤️
One year I made the resolution that I would watch one film a week that had a woman director. I did miss a few weeks but as it was a pretty easy thing to catch up on I ended the year having seen 52 new-to-me films directed by women, many that I would not have otherwise seen. I have never before or since completed a New Year’s resolution.
(although one year I said I would read a poem a day and I made it until July which is still way more poems than I would otherwise have read)
Find a new yoga class! Your experience is the opposite of what a yoga class should be like!
I just want to say that while it has taken me six months to listen to this -- I AM HERE and I LOVE the long ones sometimes. I LOVE listening to you and learning and so much more. Not sure if you'll ever see this comment, but I have a whole weird recent journey about goals and resolutions and life and I would love to talk with you about it. You are great.
I see it! I appreciate it!