Every year we have a “Naptime Kitchen Christmas Party” and since Jess and Ella don’t live here it’s basically Nate and I going out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. We look back on the last year and we dream for the year ahead.

This year we had the reservation booked a good month in advance, but as the day approached I told Nate I really wasn’t excited for it. I didn’t want to go somewhere loud and fussy. I didn’t want rich food and champagne. I wanted to go to somewhere quiet and unassuming. I wanted familiar food and an old-fashioned.

As I thought about this last minute change, I think it is a metaphor for the year to come.

I don’t want flashy. I don’t want overly impressive. I want inviting. I want consistent, filling, good content. My phrase for the year when it comes to this space is “attainable over aspirational.”

Maybe that seems strange, because who doesn’t love to aspire to great things? But when I look at the year ahead, I am craving more normal. More showing up for the long haul. Not a sprint, but a pace that feels sustainable.

I am still fleshing out what this looks like on a day to day basis, but I am excited for it. I hope it fills you, and me. Not stuffed to the brim, not wanting for more, just nourished and happy. Like a meal at your favorite restaurant.