Reflections from Home
The holidays provided a much needed retreat from my daily routine. Escaping busy city life to the beautiful California coast gave me time to unwind and organize my priorities for the new year...
Vitamin Sea
Two weeks in California seemed to fly by in an instant. I took time to tune out the noise of social media and reconnect with my people back home. A few days after returning, I noticed a sense of calm and mental clarity I hadn’t felt in quite a while.
The reason for this clarity is no doubt the exposure I had to the beautiful nature in Northern California. Every time I return home, I am reminded that the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most stunning places on earth. I find that when I am in London, I crave walking along the trails behind my house or staring out at the rolling waves. I always thought that I was built to live in a city but the peace I find in nature has begun to make me change my mind. On this trip home, I spent several hours out at the beach. My family and I did a Christmas day walk along the water and on New Year’s I went out to my favourite lookout point, Bolinas Ridge. The sound of the rolling waves and fresh ocean air is one of my favourite sensations. It is like the earth wrapping you up in its arms and hugging you.
Taking time to be with nature, reminded me of how lucky and blessed I am in this life. It was a sort of perspective change, reminding me that there are greater forces at work. I get so caught up in the trials and tasks of day-to-day life that I often forget to stand still, take a breath, and look at the world around me. This time at home, with no tasks and the opportunity to get outside and take in the world around me reminded me of how important it is to count my blessings and to stand still every once in a while. As I return to my city life in London, I know it is important for me to make an effort to explore the nature in my city and surrounding areas. I want to find a place I connect to in London, the way I connect to the California coast, time to start exploring…
Friends and Family, Protecting my Peace
I have mentioned how important community is to me several times before on this publication but time in California would not be complete for me without the people that make it my home. By far the biggest benefit of being in California during the holidays is precious time with the loved ones whom I rarely get to see. Spending Christmas and New Year surrounded by friends and family made me feel like myself again.
While new friends and experiences help me to grow I am always refreshed and comforted by being surrounded by people who have known me for a long time. It is those who have the context of whom I am today and who I was that I feel the most connected to and I always cherish the time I have with this special group. Being surrounded by those I love so much helped me to see how important it is to protect my energy and to share it with others who lift me. In the past weeks, I have felt more alive, grateful, and at peace than I have in a while. Getting coffee with old classmates and long chats with close friends allowed me to reconnect with what matters to me and reflect on various turmoils of recent months. Where I am today, I feel that life is too short to spend it with those who do not align with you; in the past, it has been hard for me to draw clear boundaries and protect my space. Knowing I have a strong community behind me and around me, moving forward it is a goal of mine to gracefully make clear boundaries for myself and to preserve my energy for those who matter.
Highlights from Home
The holiday season was a jam-packed one for me this year. In the years since my dad passed, my mom and I both have ignored the holidays altogether or tried our best to be out of town. This was the first Christmas I had at home since he passed, and the first time in a while I had a break filled with hosting, nights on the town and time with old friends.
The day after I got home, I reconnected with my closest childhood friends, Maddie and Olivia for a gift exchange and brunch. We went to Aqus, my favourite cafe in Petaluma, and spent practically the whole day just catching up, joking around, and making plans for the coming weeks. I was lucky enough to see these girls multiple times while I was home. Olivia and I did a few workout classes together and made vision boards for the coming year. She got me to start watching serval hit TV shows I have neglected watching like “White Lotus” and “Big Little Lies” whilst I got her to start “Game of Thrones”. We also went to San Francisco with some friends. We went up to Twin Peaks, a gorgeous viewpoint of the city and got to try the seasonal ice cream flavours at “Salt and Straw” which is one of my top recommendations of things to do in the city.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, my mom and I hosted my uncle and cousin. The four of us walked on the beach together and enjoyed cooking a feast worthy of at least ten other guests. This party of four was a significantly parred down version of our usual holiday festivities but I found it comforting to be surrounded by those I love. New traditions can be just as good as the old ones, I just need to remember to give them the chance.
New Year’s this year was a bit strange in all honesty. It started at my house, with an early evening drink and the intention of watching the ball drop at midnight. One of my party guests got unexpectedly ill and the group disbanded at around 10 p.m. Somehow I ended up at McNears, a local bar, with one of my closest high school friends. He and I ran into old classmates from elementary school and a few other people I knew from town. We all danced to some horrible music and started the new year together. Though it wouldn’t have been my first choice of ways to start off 2025 it ended up being a silly and fun experience I am grateful to have.
Moving Forward
The start of a new year is upon us and my time at home allowed me to set some goals for the weeks and months to come. I have a full post on my New Year’s resolutions in the works but for now, I want to say:
My time at home gave me a lot of perspective on the habits and routines I have for myself in my life in London. I want to reevaluate where I put my energy and specifically make more time to be with people I care about and do things that bring me peace. I am excited to get back into the flow of my work life and get back to a place that runs at a faster pace than sleep San Fran but I do not want to completely lose the calm that I have found. I am hopeful for what the New Year has in store and have a feeling it is going to be a good one. I also do not doubt that there will be plenty of curve balls along the way that will require me to find new ways of Getting Crafty.
Che bello! Sono piena di gratitudine per tè. Brava!