Episode #16: What to Pack for the New Year
On gratitude, family, and a passage to reflect
January 1st. A dizzy brain after a long night and perhaps too much food. I prepare the first coffee of the year and reach for a book I bought long ago, one that had collected unnecessary dust. I open it, and it’s the kind with a single phrase for each day, meant to inspire meditation. I turn to the first page, and it greets me with this passage:
Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. They can start almost invisibly or arrive with a big bang. Beginnings hold the promise of new lessons to be learned, new territory to be explored, and old lessons to be recalled, practiced, and appreciated. Beginnings hold ambiguity, promise, fear, and hope.
Let yourself begin anew. Pack your bags. Choose carefully what you bring, because packing is an important ritual. Take along some humility and the lessons of the past. Toss in some curiosity and excitement and what you haven’t yet learned. Say your goodbyes to those you’re leaving behind. Don’t worry who you will meet or where you will go. Let it be magical. Let it unfold.
— Journey to the Heart by Melody Beattie
I loved the packing metaphor.
And I love it because it quietly implies making choices.
Deciding what to leave and what to take along for the journey. This struck a chord with me because I do it every time I pack clothes, objects, and cameras for a trip. But I’ve rarely done it with my feelings, ideas, fears, or desires. Over the years, I’ve kept adding so much to my emotional luggage that, while my bags were light, my head felt like a boulder to carry.
That’s why I’m trying something new this year: Subtracting.
Removing old beliefs and habits, unnecessary ideas that anchor me to the past, and letting go of the desire to have more and more on my hands. I’m creating space for the seeds planted over the years to take root and thrive in freshly cleared ground.
I’m building the calendar for Project Home and I’m seriously excited for what’s coming in the next motnhs. I hope you are too.
Freezing Time
If there’s one period that best represents the concept of home, at least for me, it’s this one. It’s the rare occasion when I reconnect with old friends from school and share stories with my family. There’s a kind of magic in it.
Driven by some conversations, I started something deeply meaningful: taking portraits of my family members.
As I photographed my grandparents, I felt a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude for them, for these moments, for the chance to freeze time and carry it with me into the future.
This is the magic of home. And this is what I aim to bring to you during our time together.
As we step into 2025, I invite you to reflect on your own luggage.
What will you take with you? What will you leave behind?
I’ll see you on this journey.
Until the next one,
Much love.
F
I’m looking for new stories to tell, stories of old and new traditions, remote communities, and the beauty of ordinary life. If you’d like to help shape Project Home by sharing suggestions or ideas, I’d love to hear from you.
Just reply to this email or reach out using the button below.
I thank you already for that.
Lovely ❤️
Beautiful!