Cheers

Keeping up with a blog isn’t as easy as it seems—no wonder some of these career bloggers have literally made blogging a career. As in, they don’t leave their houses in the morning. As in, they have no professional obligations outside of blogging. As in, they introduce themselves at cocktail parties as “writers” but in reality, they’re bloggers who sit in their buffet pants all day and read things like DListed and the NYtimes and 100 OTHER blogs and online newspapers for inspiration. I’m going steady at 2 blog posts a month, something I’m not quite proud of, but I remind myself that I WORK for a living. And while I make a genuine effort to include as much spandex content in my work wardrobe as possible, I’m often forced to join the rest of the American workforce in standard black pants, heels, and pearls, and earn a living. Therefore among many (many) resolutions for 2010, blogging is back on the top of my list.

That isn’t to say I don’t think about writing my thoughts down all the time—but by the time I’m home, with my laptop, I find myself doing something a bit less brain-straining, like Facebook-stalking. Or online shoe-shopping. Or searching craigslist for something cheap and/or weird. So my thoughts and grand schemes for the world are put on hold, waiting for my dreams or for the next day.

It seems the holidays are always an appropriate time for a quick life audit; a check-up (an honest one) of all the challenges and successes of 2009. Over the last few weeks I’ve found myself reading the “life audits” of all my friends and family; you know what I’m talking about—the long, often rambling, letters that update us all on all the amazing things that have happened since the last holiday card hit the post. Some of these letters I find touching, others merely nauseating. Like I’m really shocked that your daughter is engaged—we all knew she’s been sleeping with that bi-polar criminal for years now. She’s probably just pregnant and decided to be classy about it. Let’s be honest.

So here is my letter, the one I didn’t tuck in all of my holiday cards.

Dear Friends and Family,

I couldn’t begin to list all the amazing things I accomplished in 2009—primarily because I don’t keep lists like this, but more importantly because I know no one else cares about why I’m amazing. You already know this about me, intrinsically, and don’t need to see quantitative nor qualitative data to support such claims.

I’d prefer, instead, to list the things for which I’m most thankful, because it’s easy to give thanks when you’re such a lucky girl.

My official list of THANKS as 2009 comes to a close:
I’m thankful for…

• a supportive, albeit ape-shit nuts, family that is hilarious and functionally dysfunctional;
• my amazingly creative and inspiring friends who always help me finish the bottle of wine (and sometimes open a third one), who laugh at my stories and reciprocate with even better ones, who eat my cooking and say it’s good, and who continue to do good things in the world, despite the fact that it all appears to be going to hell in a bobsled;
• my goofy, cat-hating beast I call a dog who makes me laugh, even at 6:45 in the morning;
• vodka tonics, laughter, jigsaw puzzles, best friends, stretch pants and docks (and yes, those are all related);
• learning how mistakes are an important part of wearing my big-girl panties;
• Tarheel basketball;
• cocoa butter;
• the ability to make bad dates into great stories;
• good hair product;
• buffalo chicken dip;
• jeans that look like dress pants;
• happy hours that go until last call;
• Chico’s (because where would I be without it).

So cheers to 2010. Raise a glass of whatever you're drinking (or just the bottle, I don't judge) and sing as much of auld lang syne as you can remember.

Let’s be thankful, shall we? Wishing you all peace, health, and happiness in the New Year.

Love,
Lindsay