020: In 2021, I Wish For You...
This is my last letter until 2021, so I wanted to send you a few holiday wishes for the new year.
May you have better health, both mental and physical. Whatever burdens you’re carrying, I hope they’re lightened; whatever fears you have, I hope they’re eased. May your body heal from the injuries that come with living life, and may you manage to avoid more injuries in the future. May you learn to love your body as it is, and not feel pressured to transform it because an ad says you have to.
May your poorest days be behind you, and increased financial security be ahead. May you not be miserly with your wealth, nor a spendthrift, but use your money to bring security and joy to yourself and those around you. If you’re in debt, I hope you find your way out. If you’re unemployed, my wish for you is to find a job that brings you joy, financial security, and health insurance.
May 2021 bring you deep, profound, meaningful love, whether romantic or platonic. If you’re in love now, may you fall deeper into that love. If you’re still looking, may you find your person that brings you joy. May you feel loved on your hardest days, and show people love on theirs. May you not be tricked by illusion or fear but see the best and the truth in the people around you, and love them for it anyway.
May creativity blossom in you. May you find ways to express yourself that bring you joy, that make you feel full instead of empty, that leaves the world a little more beautiful than you found it. May you try something new, may you pick up an old practice, may you explore all the ways humanity has created.
May you feel strong in your convictions but open to other points of view. May you be honest, be helpful, and be kind. May you be comfortable standing up for what is right, and be able to ask for what you need without ever being a bully about it. May you respect others and be respected by the people in your life. May you know when to dig in and when to cut your losses, and may you feel strong in making those decisions. May you have integrity, and find integrity everywhere you look.
May you feel safe and secure in 2021. Whatever fears and worries 2020 (and the years before it) have left in you, I wish you healing from them. May you have strong shoes for the days the path is rocky, and may you find rest on your journey. May you move forward with your head held high, and may you find yourself able to sit in peace, content with the day as it was.
Happy New Year.
Thank you all for reading Collected Rejections this year. I switched over to Substack in the first week of March, so it was a uniquely strange time to be starting something new. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself (and many of you) through writing these (usually) twice-monthly articles/letters. But thank you to everyone who has read these, who has emailed me back responding to something. I’ve loved corresponding with you all in this way! If you want to respond, just hit reply. Your response will get to me (and only me).
So many of you have sent me really positive responses to Reflections on 2020! I’m delighted that it could help any of you move on from this year and clear mental and emotional space for next year. Are you having trouble emotionally processing 2020? May I suggest trying out these journaling prompts? I’ve collected questions my therapists have asked me over the years to help me deal with trauma, and adapted them to handling 2020. (Let’s face it: We’ve all faced a collective trauma.) They’re completely free, with no strings attached. Download the PDF here:
Obligatory disclaimers: These journal prompts are not meant to stand in for actual counseling or mental health treatment. If you need to see a doctor, please do that. I am not a medical doctor or licensed mental health worker, and am only repeating the questions that I have been given by my caregivers in the past.
If the button doesn’t work, copy/paste this into your search bar: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ri7b8_QwGtaCOQfvVML8EqHjL4DiUyeS/view?usp=sharing
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xx,
Valorie