Dear 2018

Dear 2018,

I know most folks are one million percent done with you, given that it’s now 2019, but I just needed a few days of space before I could write to you. I wasn’t ready to fully turn my back just yet — though I would have been well within my rights, given the trials you put me through.

Let’s face it. 2018 was a year of incredible pain: pain personally, emotionally, physically, politically, culturally, and environmentally. I’d like to be able to blame it all on 45 but there’s really plenty of culpability to go around — but let’s definitely heap a huge pile on men in general.

We both know that I’m A+ at holding grudges and, since I made no 2019 resolution to let anything go, I certainly couldn’t have written to you any sort of letter (love or otherwise) without first acknowledging the flaming dumpster fire you were on and off, all year long.

All that being said, I will also celebrate the joys you brought, for which I am grateful because, at the very least, they provided some nice content worthy of the ‘gram.

Specifically, I am so grateful for my time in USA. It afforded me time to learn through immersion about truly complex, systemic issues of racism and class divides that I [most likely] wouldn’t have ever experienced first hand otherwise. I will continue to follow closely the politics of the region in which we lived and hope for an improved future for all its citizens.

Also, there was delicious BBQ.

And crab.

And oysters.

In fact, I have nothing but wonderful things to say about most of the food I enjoyed in 2018. I mean, given the requisite amount of cognitive dissonance about where much of it came from, how it was produced, and its long-term social and environmental impacts, of course.

But there was also some amazing travel.

I loved all the trips to Dallas, Charlottesville, NYC, Washington, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Salem, and Portland. And I can’t forget that I actually started out 2018 in Cuba!

Not to mention, trips back to Nova Scotia, as well as heading to Moncton, New Brunswick for our fourth year of BlogJam Atlantic— Atlantic Canada’s Blogger Conference! What a year it was for our amazing event. Once again we were able to bring together bloggers and influencers from around Atlantic Canada (and beyond!) to learn, share, and engage about all things blogging.

And, although you just couldn’t resist barreling through the end of the year bearing just a couple more tragedies, I’d rather focus on the best part of 2018: that it brought me home(ish) to Nova Scotia.

What a wonderful way to end the year! I loved our coastal Christmas in Cape Breton with a real (!!!) tree, snowy hikes, and plenty of joy with friends and family.

May your tail end have been indicative of a turning of fortune for myself and others.

Cheers, 2018. Much love.

xoxo Krista