Craft By Zen

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A Year In Review: 2014

I used to do ā€œA Year in Reviewā€ back at my old blog. The last one I posted was back in 2011, and it was more of a chore than anything else, re-posting pictures I thought were cool from each month. In a way, Iā€™ve gone away from posting on Tumblr, which is about posting pictures and re-posting other peopleā€™s work.

Touting how Iā€™ve changed this year, this is a good time to log a snapshot of where I am today to evaluate myself in the future. Taking a lesson from someone elseā€™s reflection on the past year, as well as another list, Iā€™m going to bullet point what Iā€™ve learned this year.

The Good From 2014:

Top Books Iā€™ve Finished This Year:

Top Films Iā€™ve Seen This Year:

I want to start a new list for the upcoming year that doesnā€™t involve resolutions. I have made resolutions in the past, and I have not been very involved in making them happen because circumstances change, or the goal wasnā€™t specific enough, or I just donā€™t like the goal anymore. Instead, Iā€™m making a ā€œI donā€™t give a fuckā€ list to live by for the next year.

The Fuck-It List of 2015:

This list was inspired by these two lists, both from the same author. This list item from one of the list rings so true to me:

#14. Falling in Love

If I learned anything in 2013, itā€™s that loveā€Šā€”ā€Šthe overwhelming, this-is-the-one kind, the love that makes you weak in the knees, if not slightly duller in the headā€Šā€”ā€Šisnā€™t real. It exists outside of reality, in a world devoid of calories and Kardashians. The fall is fun, for a while. But big love is just thatā€¦ oversized and oversold. Overstated and filled with impossible expectations. I donā€™t want to fall into that kind of love again. It lacks substance. I prefer the little loves. My best friendā€™s daughter running around the kitchen chanting, ā€œItā€™s all rainbows,ā€ over and over again. The wag of a dogā€™s tail when you scratch the sweet spot behind her ear. Neglected nuances, subtle sincerityā€Šā€”ā€Šthatā€™s where love lives. Lost in a pile of unmatched socks, it sits and waits for you, overlooked and underappreciated. Flawed but sturdy; frustrating but frank. A beautiful mess of sadness and hope. Fuck engagement rings and moonlit walks on the beach. Love hurts because thatā€™s the only way to tell that itā€™s real.
ā€” Chantielle MacFarlane

Everyone, have a Happy New Year!


Written by Jeremy Wong and published on .