(From Death to the Stock Photo.)
I’ve never been big on making resolutions for the new year, mostly because I’m terrible at keeping them. But I know how much they mean to many people, and I appreciate and admire that determination. Last year, I definitely suffered from blogger burnout and I lost my motivation to write. This year, I think I’ve found it again, and I’m hoping to keep up that momentum. I’ve dabbled in poetry a little and I’d love to return to writing more longform pieces, too.
I find a lot of inspiration and encouragement from my fellow members of the Ethical Writers Coalition, and many of them have recently posted about their goals for 2016. Their thoughts are insightful and inspiring, and I hope you’ll take a look.
EcoCult: “My Painfully Honest New Year’s Resolutions, 2016 Edition.”
StyleWise: “Year in Review + Ethical Resolutions.”
The Note Passer: “My One Big Resolution for 2016.” (A great one for all freelancers!)
Necessary Trouble: “2016 Resolutions.”
Sustaining Life: “Shedding Layers for a Mindful 2016.”
Sotela: “Why Making Unresolutions Are Better.”
Ecologique Fashion: “Goodbye 2015.”
Annie Zhu: “My 2016 Resolution: Buy Only Ethically Made Fashion.”
Kamea World: “4 New Years Resolutions You Need for a Meaningful 2016.”
Leotie Lovely: “#GoneGreen 2016: 365 Days of Simple Sustainable Suggestions.”
Life+Style+Justice: “Resolutions.”
The Peahen: “A Year of Wardrobe Resolutions.”
Happy New Year!
“It’s hard, and it’s beautiful, but there’s nothing for you to prove.” –Eleanor Detrich
Before we left for Portland, I was feeling pretty uninspired. I thought our short trip would shake me from my rut, but it didn’t seem to work. So I just did what felt natural and took some time off, reading more, watching movies, and thinking a lot. I’ve felt a spark of creativity again lately, and I’m trying to save it for January, once the holidays are over. I’ve made a list of posts and I feel excited about writing again, which is a good sign, I think.
Recently, Death to the Stock Photo sent out this video poem by Richard Smith III and Eleanor Detrich, and I was instantly struck by its simple beauty. I’ve watched “The Farm” many times in the last few weeks, and the message is really lovely and inspiring. Hopefully, we all have a place like this, that we long for, that comforts and inspires us.
I hope you enjoy this short film as much as I do, and I wish you a wonderful holiday season.
(Braving the cold at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.)
Last week, we flew out to Portland, Oregon to visit the city and get a feel for things. It was the boys’ first flight and they did really great. I tried hard to fall in love with the city, but it just didn’t happen. I’m not sure if you know this, but it rains a lot in Portland, and it was especially cold and rainy when we arrived. Our hotel was by the airport, literally next door to IKEA, so things felt more like Round Rock than “Portlandia.”
We spent one day driving around the city to see the different neighborhoods, and as embarrassed as I am to admit this, my favorite place, the one where I could see us living, was Beaverton. I know, I know. It’s basically a suburb of Portland, a lot like where we live now. I actually came to this realization as we ate breakfast in a McDonald’s there, so that’s telling, too. (We did have one awesome breakfast at the Cameo Café on Sandy Boulevard, which I highly recommend!)
In many ways, I feel like we missed the best time to move to Portland, which was probably ten years ago; and judging from the housing bubble, both there and here in Austin, it’s a terrible time to relocate, financially, at least.
(Astoria, Oregon. That’s another state in the distance!)
But we still had fun exploring, and on our last day, we drove up the coast to Astoria, the small fishing town made famous by Goonies. We were able to visit an historic home there that’s currently on the market, and the boys had a blast running through the empty halls while we chatted with the realtor. I wanted to fall in love with Astoria, too, and that didn’t happen, either. I loved the house we toured and the history of the town, but it just didn’t feel like home. Astoria is two hours north of Portland, through a pine forest, and while there’s a small airport with chartered flights available, it’s incredibly remote.
Oregon is a beautiful state and there’s so much geography and scenery to take in at once. In Astoria, there are pine trees, mountains, and the mouth of the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. You can also look across the water and see Washington State, which blows my mind as a native Texan. I think it would be uplifting and inspiring to wake up to that view every morning, but the timing just isn’t right at the moment. We’re hoping to visit Oregon again, maybe next spring or summer, when we have more time to really explore the region. For now, our moving plans are on hold, and we’re just sitting tight.
