Happy New Year, friends! I know. I’m a little late in ringing in 2024 here, but it’s good to be back. The end of 2023 really threw me for a loop, and I just didn’t have anything to say. Instead, I poured my heart into celebrating and nurturing relationships over the holidays. Jesus valued friendships and community, so it seems like the very best way to celebrate his birth.
Early in December, Elie and I decided to host small gatherings of friends throughout the holidays, instead of having a big Christmas party. It was THE MOST fun way to spend this holiday. (Half of them got canceled, because we got very sick the week before Christmas.) But from Christmas through New Year’s, we hosted brunch (my favorite) or dinner, or sometimes both. I kept menus simple, and once we even ordered take-out. This time truly filled our cup. As Esther Perel says, “The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.”
And we’re not done! There were only so many holiday days, and we still have a long list of friends to invite to our table. Connection. It’s what I’m craving this year. Which brings me to my intentions for 2024.
When I regularly wrote on my blog, I shared my annual reflections and intentions, including the process I use. You can still see them here, if you’re curious. Elie and I usually go away for a night or two for an end of year/beginning of year retreat, and we walk and sit in coffee shops and talk over glasses of wine and zero-proof cocktails, reflecting on the year and discussing what we hope to bring to the next twelve months, both personally and for our family. We look forward to it every year.
I’ve gotten a little more relaxed in my intention setting over the years. I used to be more detailed and specific. But frankly, specificity works. I don’t think I would have published Room at the Table without the energy that comes from imagining the seemingly impossible.
Many, many years ago, when I was floundering and trying to figure out what the heck to do with my life, I did an exercise that was really impactful. First, I made a list of priorities in my daily life. It might be something like family time, meaningful work, exercise, spiritual time, learning something new, etc. Then, I divided my day into 15 minute increments and then tracked how I spent my time each day. And then I categorized that time and added it up, eg., number of minutes spent on self-care, number of minutes spent on work, number of minutes nurturing relationships, etc. And then I calculated the percentage of time each day that I spent on each of those categories. Then I compared that to the list of priorities, to see if how I spent my time supported my priorities. Of course, sometime things are out of our control. But it’s enlightening to see if we’re truly investing time in the things we claim to care about.
All that it is say, I believe in bringing energy to the life you want. Last year, my phrase for the year was ‘take up space.’ It was interesting how many times that phrase came up in my life during the year, maybe just because I was noticing. But isn’t that what setting intentions is all about? Just bringing awareness to what you want in life. For me, setting intentions has never been about deprivation or beating myself up for what I haven’t done, or running full-force into what I think I should do. It’s about figuring out what is (or isn’t) working for me in my life, and then supporting the thought and habits that feel nourishing and replacing the ones that don’t. But slowly. With kindness and ease.
My word for 2024 is THRIVE.
In 2024, I’m entering the last year of my 40s. The last year of what feels like the first act of life. I hope the second act is just as long, if not longer. Because this life is precious, and I don’t want to waste it. I want to be the 103 year old grandmother who is still dancing, who still has eyes that sparkle with excitement, who still relishes getting out of bed each day—with something to do and people to see. So I’m thinking a lot more about how to take care of myself now. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but suffice it to say, I’m focused on my health and well-being, particularly building strength and doing everything I can to support my brain and my memory. And I’m doubling-down on nurturing the important relationships in my life. Saying Yes! to Theo. Regular date nights and quality time with Elie. One-on-one time with my Mom. Investing time and energy in friendships. Showing up for my community. Not only do all of those things bring joy to my life now, but research shows the number one predictor of longevity—and healthspan, not just lifespan—is connection with others, investing in meaningful relationships and having a purpose-driven life. If you like reading this kind of research, listen to this podcast on happiness.
If you made it this far, I’m leaving you with cookies. Because life is better with cookies.
Breakfast Cookies
Theo has these cookies for breakfast sometimes. Thus, breakfast cookies. You could also call them snacking cookies. Filled with oats, almond flour, almond butter, flax seed and just a little bit of coconut sugar (and dark chocolate chips), they’re kind of like a granola bar, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. You could certainly add more chopped nuts and/or raisins to make them even more granola-like. But then my family wouldn’t eat them. Any way you choose to adorn them, they’re delicious. When I had my nutrition consulting business, my dear friend McKenzie and I used to end each recipe with, “Enjoy, preferably with someone you love.” Enjoy my friends. Wishing you a happy new year of joy and connection.
Makes about 16 cookies
Ingredients
1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup almond butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the butter and the coconut sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture lightens in color. Add the almond butter, egg and vanilla. Blend again until combined.
Add the oats, almond flour, flax seed, sea salt and baking soda. Blend until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons), scoop the dough and place on the baking sheets, leaving room between the cookies. They won’t spread very much.
Place the baking sheets in the oven and cook for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown and the center looks done. If you like your cookies a little flatter, after 5 minutes of cooking, you can bang the cookie sheet to flatten the dough. To do this, lift up the side of the cookie sheet (using an oven mitt, of course) and then let it drop back down, ‘banging’ the cookies. You might also want to rotate your baking sheets after 5 minutes, depending on how your oven cooks.
Let the cookies cool completely before transferring them to a cookie jar. They will keep for four or five days (if they last that long).