An antique jewelry case; typed and written poems stashed in folders; origami, sketches and paintings; documented days in diaries; room decorations and renovations; snippets of paint colors that I can't get enough of .... It's just important to me to have some of my past and present collected so that I can plan for my future. And then once I have reached that future, if I captured myself well enough, I can reflect and plan for the next future, and the next, and so on.
On my desk, under a clear desk mat, I have stored a bunch of this collection. Strips of wrapping paper I have loved from Christmases past; ticket stubs from movies I saw; notes from and photos of friends who have helped me to create the best memories I have for my whole life; a photograph of my three-year-old self kissing my newborn baby brother; pieces of fabrics, patterns and colors that spoke to me.
Every now and again, I look down at this and think of the girl I used to be, and how she compares with the young woman I am now. Sometimes I can feel a significant difference, other times I think I haven't really changed at all.
This year, I want to make another plan for my future. I want (in no particular order) ...
1) to achieve something worthwhile
2) to smell something fresh and let it surge through me, all the way down to my toes
3) to let something good linger
4) to be comfortable and sophisticated
5) to completely and forever accept my curls
6) to see the color in everything (even the wind)
7) to take a camera back to Little Italy in NYC with my best friends, and to take a photo of ourselves in that little threshold we sat in with gelato dripping down our arms.
8) to feel warm in the cold
9) to find the perfect pair of shoes
Happy New Year!
