Rather than thinking forwards with New Year solutions, for this New Letter I’m going to look back in kindness and consider what I’ve achieved these last twelve months. There were the work achievements – such as making more editions of In The Square and in September I organised the first ever Art & Craft market in Belsize Village which was a success for the seven local artisans who set up table to sell their creations. All in all, I managed to avoid any turbulent dramas and the one time I got scammed, it was intercepted before any thieving could be done.

But I want to remember the non-material wins and the infinitesimal moments that can’t be stored in my computer’s iCloud. Like new-found courage to be unwaveringly honest. And a time or a few when I dared to stand up for myself even at the risk of rocking boats and canoes and yachts. Maybe these things are not so small because they contribute to my mental fitness and therefore my overall well-being.

Success for me is always tangible because on a day-to-day basis I count the small achievements as big wins. Crossing the routine and mundane stuff off my To Do list, such as defrosting the freezer or finally sewing on that button, sparks joy. Some might whoop with glee for an ever-growing number of followers in their virtual world and I’m fisting the air simply for remembering to post online. So many times I’ve woken in the morning feeling triumphant, not because I had a delicious dream, but because I realise I did eventually fall back to sleep after tossing and turning (T&T?) in the wee small hours.

I agree with the entrepreneur Steven Bartlett who once wrote on LinkedIn that, contrary to the popular saying, we should all sweat the small stuff. My add-on is that we should all celebrate the small stuff. How can you top that feeling when, after months of forever, you fix something in your home that just needed a nail drilled in, or hallelujah! the roomfill chaos in your office, garage or garden shed is finally organised? Tax return done, appointment you don’t want but need booked, an unused subscription cancelled (and you didn’t beat yourself up about the wasted money) – are these not successes that bring precious pep to our step?

After my summer holiday 2023 I met with Rekha, a friend who gives facials and head and shoulder massages downstairs at Lisa Hauck Hair Salon in Steele’s Village. She literally asked me if my holiday was a success. As a tourist I had failed – never saw the spectacular attractions a short drive from my hotel and I spent most of my time turning left, turning right on a sunbed parked by the hotel pool. But I told her that it was successful because I managed to have four professional massages in eighteen days. And funny to think that once upon a not very far away time a successful holiday meant your pre-flight test was negative, your plane wasn’t cancelled, you didn’t need to wear a face mask on your destination beach, the government couldn’t force you to return home and you didn’t have to quarantine for five to ten days thereafter.

This past New Year’s Eve I was thrilled to see that most of The Sunday Times magazine – The Good News Issue – was about some of the ways the world got better last year.  As I read of animals and nature being saved, the diseases we’ve combatted and international examples of love and decency, it was a double fold success because reading that information, put together by the authors at Future Crunch, I got a noticeable hopeful feeling that, despite all wars and woes and global injustices, 2024 will be alright.

Cover Photo: A memorable walk on Wedderburn Avenue, Belsize Park.