Talofa friends—I hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful festive season of rituals that make you feel good and connected.
Over here we’ve made and shared cookie platters, wrapped presents in brown paper bags collected throughout the year, and sat still long enough to read books, watch movies, and mend holes in wooly items by the fire.
The end of year is often a chaotic swirl of busyness and anticipation, but those slow, simple moments of chill stillness in between are intoxicatingly delightful. They feel safe. A moment to let our guard down and just be. No rush, no pretense— just slow and sweet. This is one interpretation of the Danish hygge - a cozy, safe place from the chaos of the world.
A cave for hibernation, however small and fleeting.
The rest there is deep and impactful.
DREAMS AND SCHEMES
Speaking of deep, it’s New Year’s Eve as I write and many of us are deep in planning and dreaming for 2025 (ideally in a cozy spot with a cup of something warm and delicious).
The simple question we’re meditating on is: How do I want to spend my time and use my body in 2025?
Some of us have rituals for answering this question, such as reviewing goals set out this time last year, getting dopamine hits from the ones accomplished and a nudge from the ones left unchecked. Others may be embracing one shining intention or word as a guide for the year ahead (my word for 2024 was “Honesty”).
Whatever your approach, I’d like to uplift a thought to add to your mix:
Are you familiar with the bins at Goodwill?
THE BINS
“The Bins”, as they’re commonly known, are these massive rolling totes filled to the brim with all kinds of stuff priced super cheap. If you’re familiar with the organized and curated Goodwill thrift stores (op-shops for my Kiwi fam), some locations have an outlet counterpart. Items that don’t sell off the regular Goodwill racks are dumped into those massive rolling totes, loosely organized by category, and everything is sold by the pound (e.g. $1.89/lb of clothing). In a bin of clothing there is much possibility: shirts, jeans, sweaters, dresses, bags, shoes etc. in all sorts of sizes. You have to rummage through to find what you want, without really knowing if what you want is in the bin. Gloves are recommended as Goodwill says, “broken glass or dirty items could be in the bins.” A real roulette!
A friend who used to work in the fashion industry now sells vintage clothing. She LOVES going to the Bins to see what treasures she’ll find. I’ve heard tales of gorgeous silk shirts, well-made leather bags, and Made in USA denim that she’s found during her hours rummaging the bins. The good things she happens upon make sifting through the rest tolerable and worth the time.
Time, our most precious resource.
In looking towards 2025, no one knows what’s in there. Anything is possible. While possibility is exciting and hopeful, it can also be overwhelming and scary.
For whatever you’re planning, dreaming, and scheming, think of the Bins:
If there’s one good thing in 2025, would the rest be worth your time?
What would that one good thing be?
Is it something you can proactively make time for or anticipate?
Or perhaps it will be something more wonderful than you can even imagine…
For me, I’m planning on one good thing every month. I’m calling it my Big Day Out. Time in the mountains recharges my spirit and makes me a better listener, communicator, and collaborator. Every month for my BDO I will go out on the trails for at least 2 hours or climb at least 1,500ft. If I can do that one good thing every month, the rest of the stuff I have to rummage through will be worth it.
Cheers to the New Year!
May it bring us each at least one good thing.
UPDATE: HELENE HATS
Thank you all for your interest and support in my winter hat sale for Hurricane Helene Relief! Together we raised $260 for the Old Fort Strong Fund which overall has raised $964,962+ of direct aid for families and small businesses in Old Fort, North Carolina - a community badly hit by Hurricane Helene that continues to rebuild stronger every day.
COMING UP
Topics I’m planning to explore in the New Year:
Cozy minimalism - how to live joyfully with less stuff
Lessons from rocks - time is a cultural construct, ask sandstone
Collecting people - keeping in touch across the ages and eras
Thanks for embracing Well Planned this year! See you in 2025.
With Alofa,
Eva