Shady’s back, tell a friend.
I want to begin by sincerely apologizing for being gone much longer than I anticipated I would be. Life happened, as it is wont to do, and I fell off the proverbial wagon. Week after week, I told myself that I would get back to sending out these silly little essays, and week after week, I feared that I didn’t have anything special enough to write about. A hiatus so long demanded a dramatic comeback, one that would be worth the wait, I thought. I waited and waited until I had just the right thing to say to you, and week after week, I told myself that I would publish on the first Friday of the next month. January was going to finally be my month. Start the year off strong, I thought. I waited for inspiration to strike for the perfect piece to write to you. Eventually, I realized it never would.
And so I’m coming to you today, imperfectly, on the second Friday of the month. This newsletter is a constant practice in letting go of my perfectionistic tendencies, and in my hiatus, I started to forget that. I let myself make excuses instead of art (not that what I do here could or should be described as art). I don’t have a profound essay for you today, but what I do have is a recommitment to creating and sharing.
In the spirit of the new year, and in preparation for July’s eventual mid-year check-in, I thought I’d share some intentions I’ve set. One is to send out this newsletter regularly again. To do that, I’m going to have to take my own advice and make it easier for myself. Part of the reason for my burnout over the summer was the pressure I put on myself to share a thought-provoking essay every single week, a break-neck pace that soon caught up with me. I only have so many thoughts per day, and only so much insight to offer at one time, so I’m going to change the structure of this newsletter to something more manageable. I’ll be experimenting over the coming weeks to see what feels best to me, but I have a feeling that might mean publishing every other week, or sending out less structured newsletters when I don’t have deep ponderings to offer. I hope you’ll join me on the journey.
Another goal is to avoid purchasing any brand-new clothing (aside from undergarments, obviously). I was able to make it through all of 2023 by buying only thrifted items, and looking through my closet, my secondhand finds are my favorite. This year, I’ve decided to add the challenge of the “one in, one out” rule. For every new shirt or pair of pants I purchase, one must go. I’m a minimalist at heart and I don’t want to hold onto clothes that I’m not loving and wearing regularly.
One final intention I have for this year is to start making headway on some of the house projects I’ve been dreaming up during my hiatus. I might turn into a full-on DIY blogger and share some of those projects here. The internet loves interior design content and I am here for the people, baby.
Have suggestions for me? Something you want my opinion on? I’m all ears!
I really thought I would write a ton of poems during my time away, but as it turns out, with no self-imposed deadlines, I wrote very little. Instead, enjoy this list of things I enjoyed during my time away.
a picnic in the grass
sunflowers
countless walks
a hospital visit
tepache! a delicious fermented pineapple beverage
a mental breakdown after buying a new rug
a trip to the zoo
a wine tasting in which I had hummus due to being back off dairy
a diy haircut
In the famous words of Kelly Clarkson, here I am, once again. At the end of a newsletter. I hope you’ll stick around to see the new iteration of essays no one asked for (perhaps a new name is in order if I’m no longer sending essays every week?). Here’s to new beginnings.
to the poll: i have resolutions bc while I am perfect, I could be perfecter i think