Hello and welcome to the final post of Boone Appétit for the year 2020! For so many of you it has been an incredibly trying year. It’s one year all of us will be glad to see go and I will be holding the door open to usher 2020 out as quickly as possible. Although a new year doesn’t necessarily mean things will change like magic. Tomorrow we will wake up and there will still be just as many problems as there were when we went to bed. However, there is always the promise of a new year and new beginnings that can give one hope. Hope is the one thing many of us can hold in our hearts as we bravely go forward into 2021. We all have come a very long way during this last year. There have been more things happen in this year than in any previous years to my recollection. Yet, here we are, standing together and ready to put our best foot forward. The key word here is together. Reaching out, helping one another, is the key to our success and in some cases to our survival.
We have all learned that we do need one another. The distancing has shown us that. We have learned that we do have the strength and the courage to go on despite any hardships that we have faced. This year has shown me the things in my life that really matter and I am thankful for all that has happened. I want to thank all of you for taking the time out of your day to read my blog and for sending in your comments and questions. I’m glad that many of you have tried and liked some of the recipes and restaurants I have shared. I have never been one for making resolutions, ever since I realized that I probably won’t stick to them past January. Instead I got this idea from a blog I read written by @TimFerris. He does a year of review and separates the positive from the negative and then tries to add more positives for the coming year.
I like to look at more of the positives than the negatives because that’s just who I am. I don’t think mistakes are a negative thing because we learn from them, so in their own way a mistake is a growing experience of sorts. Even if you repeat the same mistake it must be something you need to learn so just take notice and give yourself credit for noticing it! It’s a great time to pat yourself on the back for all the things you did for yourself and for others. It can be something as simple as cooking more meals at home instead of chowing down on fast food. Or, helping a neighbor shovel their sidewalk or bring in their groceries. Always it’s the little things that matter most. Haven’t you ever been in a bad mood and a stranger at the store simply smiles at you or says hi? Suddenly it changes your whole day, so never underestimate the power of a kind word and a smile. Reach out to one another in the coming year. Be kinder to yourself, because I know most of us are our own worst critics. Do take 5-10 minutes and write down all the things you’re grateful for and all the positive things you did. Your list will amaze you even though right now you’re reading this and saying, “I don’t think I did anything so special.” Give your mind the quiet time it needs and soon the thoughts will come. Together we can make 2021 the best year yet.
I wish you all a year filled with lots of love and laughter, and of course some good food! I’ll see you next year. Until then Boone Appétit!
