How Are You Doing?

Happy New Year!!! How are you doing? We just got back from visiting my sister in California, where we made “cousin soup” in her backyard hot tub and watched an epic Warriors game. Now we’re home and getting settled.

So, I’m curious: are you making any resolutions? I like cookbook author Julia Turshen’s low-key approach: “I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I am a big fan of reflecting on what made me happy over the past year and doing my best to make sure my life includes as many of those things as possible. A few of those things include: being outside just me + Winky [her dog], being outside with friends, being inside on the couch, reading books that make me laugh, going to see movies in movie theaters… teaching my cooking classes!!!!”

What would your list include? Mine would be: hanging out with my kids (9 and 12 are such fun ages), drinking iced coffee year round, taking long walks while chatting on the phone or listening to podcasts, inviting friends over for the most casual of hangs (no cleaning allowed), discovering diffusers that make our whole house smell really good and natural, asking passersby what their dogs’ names are (recent standouts were Midnight and Normal), reading memoirs by women (two amaaaaaazing ones coming up this year, which I was lucky enough to read early, are by Connie Wang and Minka Kelly), and debating my friend Andy about what constitutes a hobby (and thus whether or not I have one — I think podcast walks count!).

My only resolution, I suppose, is to show up in all different ways for our loved ones. I was navigating a tricky situation this past fall, and my friend Jason texted every single morning: “How are you doing today?” It was like clockwork, or morning birds, or the sunrise; I would turn on my phone and there it would be: “How are you doing today?” I can’t overstate how supportive it felt. Such a simple thing meant so much.

So, as we kick off 2023, please share, if you’d like:
Things you enjoyed in 2022 that you’d like to do again in 2023:
A dog name you like:
A celebrity you’d want to have dinner with:

And, just for fun, here are 10 random posts, if you’re in the mood…
* Words to remember
* How to walk on ice
* What British people say, versus what they really mean
* Waterfall madness
* Dutch subway slide.
* Cool dads
* Real actors read Yelp reviews
* Fun tattoos
* Stone house
* The best readers ever

Sending the biggest hug, as always, and lots of love xoxoxo

P.S. Wise words, and 10 of the funniest reader comments.