End-of-year gratitude
On giving thanks and taking a break
We’re roughly 10 days out from Christmas, and I’m not ready. There are gifts left to buy, a holiday photo book to assemble, and cards to design and send. (If you want one, send me your address—this is one holiday task I actually enjoy!) My kid has an unexpected day off from school on Friday, and while I thought the second half of December was going to be a little quiet on the freelancing front, that isn’t proving true.
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Despite all the to-dos, I don’t feel as stressed as I have in past years. Last weekend, I even managed to squeeze in a little getaway to celebrate my friend Issy’s birthday. She invited a few women to her house upstate, and we spent the weekend hiking, cooking, talking about our families and work, and bonding over the fact that none of us seem capable of reaching inbox zero. Late Sunday, as we drove home, the city was all aglow with holiday lights, and I was excited to get back to my boys (though dreading cooking dinner, TBH) but also so grateful that I had a little time away. A bit of rest in the midst of the madness.
I always get a little sentimental this time of year. If you were to scroll through my Twitter or Instagram feed, you might stumble upon old posts from Decembers past where I waxed poetic about how grateful I am for family and friends and good colleagues. This December, I’m feeling particularly lucky, and a big reason for that is you, the wonderful readers of The Purse.
When I left Fortune last spring and took an enormous leap of faith that I could build a freelance career and maybe grow this newsletter into something special, I was a little less scared because I knew I had a wonderful network. But this year, I’ve been truly blown away by how people have shown up and offered support when I needed it most. So many of you have taken surveys, paid for coffees, made introductions, shared ideas, provided feedback on freelance rates, given me assignments, complimented my clothes. Thank you. It means so much to me—more than I can ever express with words. (Which might be surprising to hear, considering how this newsletter frequently runs a little long.)
I’m not only a sap during the holiday season, but I’m a big believer in New Year’s resolutions and the promise of a fresh calendar year. Though I’m not sure I’ve ever actually stuck with a resolution I set for myself, I go into each new year with the hope that this time I can be just a little bit better. (Okay, okay, some years I want to be a whole lot better.) The resolutions are generally the same—read more books, host more dinner parties, exercise more, spend less time on my phone. Some years, “find a new job” is on that list. Looking forward to 2024, I have a bunch of stuff I’d like to accomplish, but top of the list is “take The Purse to the next level.” (“Host more dinner parties” is also on the list again, as always, in case anyone wants to come over.)
The thing is, I’m not entirely sure what the “next level” is, and so I’ve decided to give myself a little break from the newsletter so I can actually sit down and figure out where I go from here. Writing The Purse weekly since June has been so much fun, but a lot of weeks, I throw together the newsletter at practically the last minute, and there’s not as much strategy as I’d like there to be. In an effort to stop that cycle, The Purse is going on a little hiatus. This will be the last newsletter for 2023, and you can expect to see me back in your inbox on January 10.
It’s a little scary to take a break because I’m terrified of losing momentum. I don’t consider myself to be the most disciplined person (see the years of broken New Year’s resolutions), and I’m incredibly proud of myself for writing this newsletter every week since June 1. I gotta tell you guys, some weeks it was hard. Some weeks I couldn’t think of anything to write about or the words wouldn’t flow or I was sick or unmotivated. But I’ve managed to not miss a single week since I started more than six months ago.
And yet, I’m also trying to embrace the idea of the importance of rest. It’s been a while since I took any time off, and I think I need it. I need a minute to think about the work I’ve been doing and where it goes from here, and that’s hard to do when there’s a newsletter deadline on top of all the holiday deadlines.
I was inspired in part by a post shared by my former Refinery29 colleague Lexi Nista, written by her Manual coworker Maya Watson. “Rest is work,” she wrote, in a post announcing that her company would be closed for the month of December. “We are not considering this a vacation or paid time off. This is part of our job. Rest is work. And we are mandating it.”
Her whole post on Substack is worth a read.
For creatives and entrepreneurs, it’s nearly impossible to take a day off. There is always work to be done. And yet, pushing ourselves to the point of exhaustion rarely produces good work. Most of the time, it just leads to burnout. Rest can give you the space to think more creatively, to gain new perspectives, and to recharge. But as someone who loves to work, it isn’t easy to take time off. I’m stepping outside my comfort zone, though I’ve been doing that a lot more this year.
Still, I’m really excited to have this bit of time to reflect and prepare for the new year, to spend time with family, to wrap up outstanding to-dos, and maybe indulge in a few extra naps. I hope whatever you have going on this holiday season, you’ll also get a chance to take some time to yourself, even if it’s just a weekend or afternoon.
Before I leave you for my break, I wanted to share two last things. One, I had a fun time writing a piece for Yahoo Lifestyle (for my old R29 friend Erin Donnelly!) about how overwhelming gift giving has gotten. (And I really like the comment from George who said this a “me problem not a societal problem” because I have not learned to say no. He might be right, but then again, I know a lot of people who feel the same way, so...)
And two, if you haven’t yet, can you please take the survey? I’ve heard from many of you, and it’s been interesting to read all the responses, so thank you if you’ve already taken the time. I plan to close it on Friday night and will send out copies of Fran’s journal to the winners early next week.
Thank you all again for being such wonderful and loyal readers. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! See you in 2024!
xx
Lindsey
