2025… lovely, not the year itself, who knows about that, yet. The numbers 2 0 2 5, they work, not symmetrical, not perfect, no huge kerning issues, a nice start to a new year. This is how graphic designers see the world. 2021 was a lot of kerning, the number one needed to be moved left a bit in each large scale use. 2025 has promise.
I was just listening to a podcast of the best advice collected from 2024 (notice the hole between the right of the 2 and the slant of the four… good riddance). I took away a few things… most new year resolutions are punitive, so instead of saying NO CARBS just eat one really spectacular cookie (instead of denying yourself then eating 10 crappy cookies). I like that that advice. I like a good cookie. Another was from a new parent who said the best advice they received was to “raise the child you have, not the child you want”. That is amazing advice, for both the parent and the kid. And the las one I loved was the best way to give advice is to LISTEN. Listen to what the person is saying, they might not be asking for a solution, a story, your opinion, they might just need you to listen. I definitely need and love that advice.
Cookies. I think they are wonderful things, I love the advice of if you are going to eat a cookie, eat a really good one. I worked with a woman once, old school Philadelphia Main Line rich, think The Philadelphia Story starring my fellow Katharine (with 2 a’s) Hepburn. Her mom’s rule growing up was if you wanted sweets or desserts… you made them. She was an amazing baker and she was thin. No processed foods for them, they had sweets when they really wanted them, it was work. Brilliant.
Children. We spent the holidays in California with my son and daughter-in-law. It was spectacular, their house, their rules. I helped by chopping for the chef, who made an amazing vegan pasta extravaganza for Christmas dinner. While they worked I quietly cleaned their front entrance and wiped down all the windowsills, then moved on to the backyard which is so functional it should be lived in year round. The whole time thinking about my parents coming to our home and gardening or cleaning or organizing while we worked. Remembering what it was like to come home and see a chore done and feel the love when they said they enjoyed doing it. I so enjoyed it. Helping set up for their party had a few bumps, not everyone sets up the same, my 40 years of party hosting was clearly not the way to go, so we did what we could…then we listened, and left for a few hours. The perfect solution. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. The “kids” put on an amazing party. New Years Eve chatting with 20-30 somethings was a pretty wonderful way to start a new year. The point of this is we are learning that to have nice relationships with our now adult offspring, we connect on mutual terms. It feels weird to let go of the reigns…but I am finding it is amazing.
Listening. I haven’t commented on social media or swooned for a while, a resolution to give it up for a bit after getting involved in a little fuss in our town. Trying to explain a different side to a situation…I was told by an online stranger that if I didn’t agree, just be quiet, nobody wanted my opinion. First he called me ma’am… to which I replied, please call me Kat. He then said “oh, you are one of THOSE”. One of what I thought? Does any woman on this earth like to be called ma’am? Maybe if you are 95 and from Georgia… maybe. I am none of those things. I am a girl from Queens and I speak my mind, and if you don’t like how much I talk please… stop listening. Maybe that is good advice too… it is ok to stop listening and engaging if you have nothing nice to say, sometimes it is ok to have a different point of view.
So this 2025 I plan to continue my connections with lots of in person gatherings…eat a really good cookie when I want one…learn to make mocktails that stand on their own…listen more…notice and appreciate the joy when it sneaks in to my overwhelming and difficult at times life…be grateful for my family, and tell them I love them, a lot…and to embrace each day because in 2024 we lost a lot of good people.
Wishing you all joy, health, and peace.
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Atlantic Ocean Peeps visiting the Pacific.
Swooning 