Hello my beautiful Royals!
Happy New Year and welcome to JGC if you are new to the blog!
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Back in November, I took a much needed vacation and then during what was supposed to be a resting and peaceful time, the world went crazy.
And so did the internet. There was the US elections, the horrifying international political conflicts with Aleppo, the oh-so many heartbreaking deaths of many actors and performers I loved, like Carrie Fisher…
Before I knew it, we were in December and people could not wait to get rid of the much hated 2016 year …
As for me, I tended to blame the craziness on the people, not the year, so I carefully shied away from all social medias, and I must admit, it was a very healthy and clever decision to made since I didn’t have to deal with the avalanche of hate and cruelty coming from all the trolls (and also surprisingly what used to be decent people), after Trump won.
Well. They do say that at least some people reflect their leader.
As an introvert, I just channeled my inner turtle and retreat in my shell. As a blogger, I watched the world lose its rationality and sometimes its basic decency, from afar, a little detached and a little numbed.
As a French citizen, I observed how what was happening beyond the North Atlantic Ocean started to affect the rest of the globe.
As a woman, I felt relieved that this election wasn’t happening in France. I felt pity for the people who were perfectly fine ignoring the blatant misogyny, racism, xenophobia and manipulation tainting the whole democratic process and I felt cynical watching the result of it all because the outcome did not surprise me.
But then again, I’m a young French woman, working in editorial journalism and blogging my geeky heart out when the urge is strong, so what do I know?
Despite this pandemonium, December was a good month, I went out and watched a lot of movies with my friends, (completely loved Star Wars: Rogue One and practically felt asleep during Assassin Creeds by the way) and I took the time to do what I always preach for y’all to do: Take time for myself, keep the negativity away from my surroundings, whether it is the internet or other people, indulge in what I like and trying to keep my creativity stimulated with new content now and then…
I rang the New Year in one smooth and seemingly fleeting moment, observing with fond and amused eyes people cheering for the end of the “Cursed Year” while they already felt pumped up with all the “positive vibes” of 2017…
I’m not one to make a big deal of the New Year and I also don’t really start new resolutions at the beginning of each new year, only to enclose them in the timeline of twelve months.
I see myself as evolving, growing, changing and hopefully improving during The Great Walk on that long endless road that is my life.
There is no stop sign on it just because the year changed. It is timeless until it’s not. I don’t always run on that road, as a matter of fact, most of time I walk, and lately… lately I take the time to look around, appreciate what I see or not, set goals and work towards them. I don’t stop walking though. Ever. It’s the best way to capture starlight.
As I’m walking down The Path, there are times when I have to take scary turns, force my legs to move, jump obstacles thrown but unseeing shadows, and avoid falling down when the concrete turn to stones. I have no control over it, sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down, and it takes effort and endurance to keep walking, to keep fighting but I’ve been given tools to brighten my journey, we all have.
I don’t take new resolutions for the New Year, I take new resolutions for Life and let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying than achieve them. Step by step. I can only encourage those who are lost or depressed to create that timeless Bucket List to plan your fun and outline your dreams.
There is a cool website for this called BucketListly with a design and a community that can encourage you to dare a little. Once it’s written down, a dreams becomes a goal, it’s accessible and with a little planning and a lot of effort, it will become a victory and priceless memory.
If I can do it, so can you.
Hope, courage, love, strength and kindness are timeless. Those wonderful things don’t take a leave of absence depending the year we are in. If you believe in them, even just one of them, even just a little, then believe in yourself and keep that consistency regardless of everything else. You will be OK.
Again, Happy New Year everyone and read you soon!
🙂
- Featured Image Header: Credits and Copyright: “Step by Step” by Tom Frundle
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