hello, 2015

Nayapul, Nepal, December 2014

I spent the last day of 2014 on "me time". I picked up my new mobile phone in the morning, got a hair cut, grabbed some magazines at the bookstore, and went home. I spent the rest of the day reading and snacking on strawberries, had a shepherd's pie I made a couple days before for dinner, and then lounged, read, and watch old episodes of The Mindy Project. I was blissfully unaware that the clock had ticked past 12, until a good 20 minutes later. I said very little all day.

It was the kind of day I lived for all year - in 2014 I felt extremely challenged at work, vacillating between "I love this!" and "I am not cut out for this!" and there were times I didn't handle the bad days well. I let myself get carried away with the drama of it all, and it was draining. I needed the days where I could ignore emails and speak the bare minimum. 

I feel a lot better about 2015. 2014, while challenging to get through, was extremely enlightening on hindsight, and spending the last few days of the year away from work has been a great way for me to organise my thoughts, and think about what I want to do this year. 

It's been quiet on this blog, because I haven't had the time (I have one blog project gathering dust in my draft folder and email inbox, apologies to those who responded!). But also because, much as I continue to love clothing and be fascinated by design and style, I also felt like I've said pretty much all I want to say about this topic. I enjoy reflecting on my buying decisions and reviewing my experiences with certain things (how well did these shoes hold up? how often am I wearing the dresses I bought? what should buy less of?) but there is only so much energy I can devote to those things. 

Increasingly I have become more comfortable with going with my instincts when it comes to shopping and dressing myself, and I feel less of a need to evaluate my purchases. If buying something is going to make me feel bad, I don't buy it. If buying something makes me feel good but not that good, I don't buy it. If I feel that warm glow in my chest from looking at something wonderful that captures my imagination, I buy it. If I need it, I buy it.

I continue to make the odd questionable impulse decision but I don't believe in spending too much punishing myself with regret. Life is far, far, far too short for that, and I trust that since I've almost always made responsible decisions all my life, buying a pretty swimsuit I won't be wearing for another six months isn't that major a mistake. 

In the same way, I hope to feel more certain about other aspects of my life as well. So, happy 2015!