Pomegranate in Review

“Look at all the life in this," she said. "Every pip could become a tree, and every tree could bear another hundred fruits and every fruit could bear another hundred trees. And so on to infinity." — David Almond, Skellig

In the final weeks of December, I always take time to reflect on the past year and to "plan" for the new by choosing one word to guide my thoughts and observations. In 2019, my word was "wonder." In 2020, I chose "focus." In 2021, my somewhat enigmatic word was is "pomegranate." Read why here.

My pomegranate-inspired wish was that 2021 be a year …

  • of good health -- of healing of bodies, minds, and hearts.

    • I am so grateful to have remained healthy throughout the pandemic. In March, I was fully vaccinated. I felt a new sense of hope that I’d be able to spend more time with family and friends and perhaps even travel again. I received my booster on October 1st, yet somehow as 2021 draws to a close, I feel less hopeful than I did a year ago.

    • Also in March, I started rowing. I rowed nearly every day and included yoga on the days when I didn’t row. By Thanksgiving, I had rowed 1,000,000 meters and look forward to doubling that 2022.

  • of potential -- I vowed to contribute, to create, to make (or to quote my alma mater "to be") the difference.

    • I promised to document “the messy journey” and while I did continue to post photos and musings here on my blog, I felt somewhat less inspired this year. Perhaps it was due to not traveling or perhaps it was because I didn’t participate in a photo challenge for the first time in ten years. I think I need to revisit this idea.

    • While I continue to work in a profession that has always empowered me to contribute my time, abilities, ideas, and compassion, for the first time in 28 years, I have begun to question whether I really am still “being the difference.” How is it possible that the 2021-2022 school year could be more challenging than the previous year? I hope that second semester will be better than the first.

  • of abundance -- an abundance of blessings, hope, and joy, and inspiration in the ordinary and the extraordinary.

    • Despite the challenges that 2021 brought, I am truly grateful for so many blessings — for time with loved-ones; for an especially loving beagle who makes me smile everyday; for a home that I have worked to make even more comfortable and beautiful this year; for recognizing and capturing the beauty that surrounds me; and, most of all, for another year to try again.

Tomorrow, I’ll reveal my word and plan to guide me through 2022.

Links I Love • December 2021

“I like things to be modern and still have a bit of tradition.” — Alexander McQueen

Christmas Chez Moi 2021

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” — Norman Vincent Peale

Currently • December 2021

“The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting.” — Louisa May Alcott

READING: For the whole list of the books I read in 2021, click here.

  • Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living by Linnea Dunne — “The Swedish concept of Lagom (pronounced ‘lah-gom’) roughly translates to ‘not too little, not too much, just right.’ This charming book introduces readers to a new way of balanced living that promises happiness and sustainability in work and in life. Lagom provides simple solutions to juggle everyday priorities, reduce stress, eat well, and save money, with lessons on the importance of downtime, being outdoors, and Sweden's coffee break culture. Tips on removing clutter and creating a capsule wardrobe help readers achieve Sweden's famously clean and functional design aesthetic, while advice on going green and growing food gets their hands dirty. With seemingly endless financial, emotional, and environmental benefits, Lagom presents an accessible and all-encompassing lifestyle that is sure to inspire mindfulness, wellbeing, and contentment” (Goodreads). I started the year with a Scandi lifestyle book and ended it the same way. During the holiday season, it feels good to lean on tradition and heritage.

  • The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron — “Based on true accounts of how Parisiennes resisted the Nazi occupation in World War II—from fashion houses to the city streets—comes a story of two courageous women who risked everything to fight an evil they couldn’t abide” (Goodreads). Yes, I know, another book about the résistantes.

  • The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer — August, 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincent Peruggia. Exactly what happens in the two years before its recovery is a mystery. Many replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, and more than one historian has wondered if the painting now in the Louvre is a fake, switched in 1911. Present day: art professor Luke Perrone digs for the truth behind his most famous ancestor: Peruggia. His search attracts an Interpol detective with something to prove and an unfamiliar but curiously helpful woman. Soon, Luke tumbles deep into the world of art and forgery, a land of obsession and danger” (Goodreads).

WATCHING:

  • My favorite Christmas movies and specials: White Christmas, Love Actually, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown — Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack always makes me smile while Linus’ recitation of the gospel of St. Luke always brings me to tears. “That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!” We also watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, Prep and Landing, and The Holiday.

  • And Just Like That on HBO Max — “The series follows Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s” (IMDb). There’s something wonderfully familiar about these women and of course, it’s all about the clothes, shoes, handbags, and NYC venues, but so far, I haven’t enjoyed the plot lines or incongruous personality quirks that Charlotte and Miranda have developed. Still, I look forward to the next episode first thing every Thursday morning. It’s still a guilty pleasure.

  • Emily in Paris (Season 2) on Netflix — Speaking of guilty pleasures, this series is very soapy, but again, for me, it’s all about the clothes and the scenes that take place all over Paris. Oh, how I miss it!

  • House of Gucci in the cinema — “When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel their legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately...murder” (IMDb). I especially enjoyed the Gucci fashions from the seventies and eighties.

LISTENING TO:

ENJOYING:

  • A little Christmas celebration chez nous — just the Larsons and, of course, the three beagles. We had Champagne and hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening along with Jesus’ birthday cake and Swedish pancakes and Swedish meatballs for brunch the next morning.

  • 12 Days Off — Although we don’t have any special plans for the holidays, I am so fortunate to be able to take a nice long break. That’s exactly what I want and need as 2021 comes to an end.

2021 Reading Challenge

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” — Mason Cooley

GOAL: 30 BOOKS | BOOKS READ: 35 • 10,696 pages — 385 more pages than last year, despite reading five few books

  • Books Borrowed from the Library: 19

  • Books Borrowed from Friends: 2

  • Books I Received as Gifts: 3

  • Books on Scandinavian style and living: 5

  • Books Set in Paris/France: 11 (+4 with some scenes in Paris)

  • Books Set in NYC: 4

  • Books for Children (of all ages): 2 with lovely illustrations

  • Biographies/True Stories: 12

  • Books By or About Hemingway: 4

  • Books By or About F. Scott Fitzgerald: 4

  • Books for Professional Development: 4 focusing on design thinking, innovation, assessment, feedback, and leadership

  • Books I re-read this year: 3 — The Great Gatsby, The Book of Joy, Launch

  • Books by Female Authors: 17

  • Favorite Book this Year: North: How to Live Scandinavian

  • Most Disappointing Book: World of Wonders

For more information about these books, follow me on Goodreads.

Snowy Saturday in Door County

“Snow was falling, so much like stars filling the dark trees, that one could easily imagine its reason for being nothing more than prettiness.” — Mary Oliver.

We went in search of snow. We were not disappointed.