2014 has been quite the year. Mostly a good year, full of reminders that I will never stop learning, no matter how old I am. I hope.
If I could go back in time and tell 2013 Jessica a few things, here’s what I would say:
1. Working hard seems to make you happy. Maybe the stoics were right after all?
2. Aged six is a wonderful stage and you wish it would never end, but of course it does.
3. Chai Tea Lattes will become essential to your day.
4. You will fall in love with tea. Especially peppermint tea.
5. Reading Harry Potter to the twins will always feel like a dream come true, and it will never get old.
6. You will spend hundreds of hours of time scraped away from other pressures to create something for someone else, only to watch them burn it down to the ground and then, most unjustly, weep over the ashes. But: you don’t have to accept this treatment.
7. You will be humbled by the wonderful people who are in your life. Work hard to treasure them and make them feel appreciated.
8. You will need to work more on being proactive.
9. The scales will fall from your eyes about social justice issues. Just listen.
10. That ramen bowl you order on a whim in September? That tastes “off”? Don’t eat it.
What would you tell your 2013 self if you could go back in time?
Hope you all had a great year, full of learning and joy! Also – super random question. Does anyone use Stitch Fix, and if so, do you like it? I am thinking about trying it out.
Too Many Fish to Fry 
The last one made me laugh hard. 6 IS sweet, but so is 7. And I can tell you that they’re still sweet at 10. So… you have that.
I also have become reobsessed with peppermint tea. I’ve found it’s the only tea I can drink before bed and not feel like crap in the morning when I’m doing yoga. And yes, yes, yes to the Harry Potter one. We’re paused before 7, and even though we have other books we read together, I’m a little weepy thinking about HP coming to an end. Though the flip side is that once we finish all the books, we can start going to conventions together because there won’t be spoilers.
P.S. I was really glad to see a post from you pop up in my Reader.
Great family photo. Happy New Year! Yes, I’ve used Stitch Fix a couple of times, it’s really fun, both times I kept one item from the bunch. It’s cool because they seem to pick things that I would not ordinarily choose for myself!
I was just wondering how you are doing, and was happy to see your post in my reader. #10 made me laugh. Hope that 2015 brings you many more learning moments.
Single Infertile Female uses Stitch Fix and posts (on FB I think) about the boxes she receives. I haven’t personally used it, but I like reading her take on what she gets.
Sooooo happy to see a post from you! I have a friend who uses Stitch Fix and loves it. Can’t wait to do #5 w/ Daniel and i’m intrigued about #6. I, too, have been drinking lots of tea! I hope you have a wonderful 2015!!
Consider me another one who grinned ear to ear when this post popped up. Great pic, and ewww about #10. You leave me wanting to know more about many of these (not #10).
Here’s to 2015. Hope to see you frequently in it 🙂
Happy new year lovely. Great seeing you here. 🙂
Yay! You’re here! Happy New Year! Sorry to hear about #6.
I tried Stitch Fix once and sent back everything, but I may not have given it enough of a chance. I found the clothes overpriced for what I got, though they did get the colors right.
Wishing you a year full of lovely peppermint tea …
Also happy to see a post from you — with the bonus of a wonderful family photo! 🙂 All the best to you in 2015. 🙂
Happy New Year! Hope 2015 brings you all that you desire!
I read this the moment it popped up, but am just getting back around to comment. Loved seeing a post from you and this list made me smile (except #6, which is really too bad). I hope your 2015 is a good one!
Are you back? Happy new Year! We just hit 5, so I’m looking forward to age 6, and also #5 on your list one day!! I found Stitch Fix utterly underwhelming. The clothes were expensive for what they were, and I felt I had to keep SOMETHING to justify the $20 styling fee, so I kept a top (that cost $30) that I literally never wear and the next time some plain black leggings ($30 again) that roll down constantly at the wait. For that money I could’ve gotten a few nice things on sale at Loft, for example. I think if you have a sense of what looks good on you, you can do WAY better than the “stylist” (computer algorithm) who, even when I asked for fitted tops, gave me ginormous batwing arms and drapey/maternity-ish hems. I’ve read somewhere that they buy up unsold merch from other retailers and “surprise” you with it, which seems true enough.