New Year Resolution
At Home with the Hastys - New Year Resolution
The Backstory
New to Hasty Book List? Read about the fire that prompted this home renovation, here.
The Inspiration
What. A. Year.
Seriously, what a heavy year! That is the best word I can think of to describe it. Heavy. Tensions were high as we entered 2020: we’d lost our home to a fire just a few months prior to the beginning of the year. Then, the pandemic hit and shutdowns were enforced and the weight of the year really took hold. Tensions grew when George Floyd was needlessly killed at the hands of police, followed by peaceful protests and then destructive rioting. On top of all of that, it was an election year which is often stressful and anxiety-ridden but this one was especially so. Not to mention all the little things that add to the weight of the year: a relative sending a hurtful message, a sentimental building being torn down, and Huxley having seven teeth pulled unexpectedly. As the year comes to an end, I feel…tired. It is time to reassess and consider what I want the next year to look like.
The Resolution: Relax and Have Fun
Yep, that’s it. I’ve never really been one to make resolutions, but I do often choose a theme for the year. One year I focused on health, another year I took French classes. My themes are really all over the place. But this year, I don’t want to add an additional burdens. I just want to rediscover the joy in life.
Rebuilding our condo took up most of my extra time. I gave up a lot of the things that I enjoy, including reading! There were entire months that went by that I didn’t read at all. Can you imagine? There just wasn’t time. But in 2021 I want to start reading again, and nesting in our newly rebuilt condo. I look forward to relaxing on our brand-new sofa, hosting cocktail parties in our brand-new living room, cooking meals in our brand-new kitchen…and a few other fun projects that I’m not ready to share with you, yet.
Someone recently pointed out to me that after the last major pandemic in 1918 came the Roaring 20s. As I write this, the first vaccine for COVID-19 is being administered in Chicago. There is hope on the horizon for many of the burdens brought by 2020. I encourage you all to be a little easy on yourself in the coming year and just focus on relaxing and having a little fun. We all deserve it.
