First of all, a Happy New Year everybody!
I thought I would use this opportunity to reflect a little bit about this past year.
My biggest realisation when looking back on 2017 is that it’s okay to not have life figured out. I just want to reassure you.
When Tom & I left Scotland and moved to Germany in late 2016, we had all the good resolutions, we wanted our own apartment and I was planning to do an apprenticeship as a goldsmith so I could learn how to make more advanced jewellery and improve my skills. After a few short internships I noticed that going through a three-year apprenticeship whilst living in the same place was too much of a commitment. It had been the voice of logic talking me into this when all I ever wanted since I was seventeen was to live in a van and travel around the world. But those are just dreams, right? Totally unrealistic. Too risky. F*ck all that. If you have a dream, go get it!
We moved into our wonderful countryside apartment around this time a year ago, we’re next to the woods, right under the roof overlooking all the surrounding fields. It’s spacious, it’s got the creaky wooden floorboards I’ve always dreamed of and it costs a hell of a lot of money to be here which makes us work and come home and sleep and go back to work. It’s a ball and a chain.
I started working at the local branch of a big pet store retailer in February and lasted eight months working with some incredibly judgmental and unpleasant people. This job sapped a lot of my confidence and I’m only slowly starting to regain it.
I started a new job recently at an all-organic health food store and met a bunch of very cool, easygoing people, which I am incredibly grateful for.
We went on three amazing holidays in 2017. In May, we enjoyed sunny Croatia, in September we embarked on a nine day camping road trip through the UK and in November, we had a whale of a time in the Bavarian Alps.
I went from making jewellery and selling it on Etsy (which I still do but on a much smaller scale) to setting up this blog. I love making jewellery and I'm sure one day we'll live in a tiny home and I'll have my own workshop. But until then, there's too many places that need to be explored. All is starting to become more clear. Maybe we needed to live the idea of having cool jobs and our own place first in order to realise that this is not something to make us happy either.
So our plan for the future is to sell all we have and just go see the world, which should make for some more regular and interesting blogs.
The bottom line of this, I guess, is that many times in life, you need to go one way in order to realise it doesn’t lead to where you want to be. And sometimes you have to walk back and take a different path. Trial & Error. And that’s completely fine!
In 2018, let's all do what makes us happy and not waste precious time!
Do you guys have any New Year's resolutions? How did your 2017 go? What did you learn from it? We want to know! Comment below!
Lisa x