Bye, for now.

Hi, fam.

It’s time we have the talk. DTR, time. Let’s talk dreams, let’s talk trend-ish. I’ve waited to write this because 1. I write in different capacities these days and editing just doesn’t have the same “sparkle” it once had and 2. I promised I wouldn’t write this until it wasn’t pointed or coming from a bitter place. I think* I’m there.

So.

2019, all I have to say is, WTF? Give me a break, what even WERE you? You were full of… a lot. A lot of emails, decisions, stress, laughter, dinner parties, stairs, babies, road trips, solo concerts, mountains, insanity, cycling, home insurance, new friends and old friends. You were freaking busy, 2019. And I’m like, not sad that you’re ending. You’ve been good, but you’ve been tiring. So, bye.

And yeah, here we are, it’s December, and I can’t stop picking up books about rest, slowing down, limiting technology and social media, burnout and the dangers of “hustling.” Let me tell you – consciously and subconsciously, your body will tell you what you need. I’m grateful for that, despite my attempts to say/get myself to believe otherwise.

I loved SO MUCH about this year. Forcing myself to flippin’ stay put, right where I am, not jumping to the next shiny new toy or city. Bringing new people into my inner circle – I’m grateful. Buying a house that looks like a barn. (You can take the girl out of Minnesota…). Getting the opportunity to see the world and climb more stairs than I ever signed up for. Love that. Kind of. It was good. I grew.

But there was a lot I didn’t love, too. I got BUSY. I think my eyes went cross-eyed for a bit. Ask my people, they know. The memes that spilled into my DMs are telling, I’ll just say that. Filled with cats that are crying while they get ready in the morning, dogs looking angry while discussing emails and way, way too much shade being thrown at Karen (not you, mom). I struggled to find balance. To not respond out of stress, while blaming my distraction on a lack of time, energy or motivation. Even still, I’ve been appreciative of the awareness and space to figure it out. The thing I fight to accept more than anything (as many of us would probably agree) is grace. The amount of times this was given, or exemplified to me throughout the year is immeasurable. I think I’ll spend my whole life learning how to continue accepting and giving this gift. It’s worth everything. And so I’ll look back on this year and know that this is what I’ll remember. The grace. More than anything, it’ll be the grace. And maybe the cat meme.

So, what about your dreams? IDK, OKAY? Do I still get asked about counseling? Yaaaaaa, I do. Even I ask that question sometimes. But no, not yet. Someday. Are there still dreams of one day transitioning into a world entirely different than this marketing/communication/higher education world I’ve chosen? Of course. Would I love for it to intersect with something related to trend-ish? I mean, sure. But this chick doesn’t feel like hustling right now. This chick wants a boring few months of books, naps and introversion. And I am hashtag unashamed about that. Do what you need, people.

So, what about trend-ish? Will it go with me as I nap and read books? I’m glad you asked. Gosh, I remember when I started this space a few years ago… It was birthed out of a deep desire to curate and cultivate conversations about the things we’re all consuming. I loved the outlet, the design, and the place to talk about all the things I’m reading, watching and listening to. I loved bringing my friends on the team to help. I loved hearing about the recommendations you enjoyed. Are you catching the past tense phrases?……. I think I can’t disregard my priorities and also my bank account anymore. The reality is, I just don’t have the room to write in this way anymore. You all get my words and recs on IG, anyway. One day, I WILL start the podcast I keep talking about. And one day maybe I’ll resurrect this blog. But genuinely – WHO reads BLOGS anymore? I don’t even, and I have one. (And if I see one more recipe buried under some unimportant story about your brother’s son’s first grade art project and how you just whipped this up and it got you thinking about how cute that was, I’LL go crazy. Just GIVE me the buffalo chicken dip recipe already.)

Trend-ish is still mine, so nobody take the domain. Plz. It still completely has my heart and I’m freaking proud of it. But I’m going to say bye for now. If you’re reading this, thank you for being a loyal friend to me. You’re a real MVP and I’ll still give you recs anytime you want them. Seriously, thank you. You know how to reach me.

Cheers,

Jaime