January and (re)Juvenation
“January is the month for dreaming” ― Jean Hersey
Being in your 30s means leaning into certain stereotypes, and one of those is a new-found interest in plants, gardens and magic of seasonal living. In the last few years, I’ve tried to settle into more of a rhythm around this, allowing my body and mind to mirror the shifting nature of the seasons. I let myself hibernate a bit more in Winter, conserving energy to be reborn again in the Spring. I try and embrace a cyclical pace of rest and rejuvenation, as much as that is possible when you’re embedded within the urban environment.
Knowing my delight in this newfound way of life, last year a dear friend gifted me a well read copy of Jean Hersey’s ‘The Shape of a Year’. This oddly beautiful book is a month-by-month chronicle of events in one woman's life, part memoir, part banal record of daily life. I have a special place in my heart for these gloriously domestic pieces of literature - they detail a life I will never know, so far removed from my existence within the rush of London. They linger on aspects of living which often get dismissed as boring, but they are aspects which sometimes I crave - a stillness, a quiet which I feel I need as a counterpoint to some of the debauchery which is a constant in my existence.
I’m often drawn back to this book in January, because of the quote at the top of this piece. January is a month for dreaming. Not for harsh resolutions, or restrictions, or a month to punish our bodies for the excesses of December. Instead, Hersey invites us to dream of the year to come, to imagine what might be. And so yesterday, as I sat in a quiet garden just off Upper Street, revelling in the bright, freezing January sunshine - I let myself dream.
Here are a few of the things I dreamt of for my year, letting my imagination run like an overflowing river.
Travel
Who doesn’t dream of travel? 2025 was a great year for this - South Africa, Marrakech, Greece, Berlin, Paris, Seville to name a few - but I want 2026 to be even better. I want to plan excursions, intentionally craft out itineraries which allow me to explore new places in new ways. I want to make friends wherever I go, to learn the language (a little bit), to spend a few weeks in a place before moving on. But with that, I want to embrace spontaneity. I want to say yes when someone suggests a last-minute weekend in Lisbon, or even just a day trip to the coast. I want to embrace both types of traveling with open arms.
Writing
I want to write more, to flex some muscles which I’ve let go a little since finishing my PhD. I’m not quite sure yet *what* I want to write - non fiction, poems, opinions? But I know I want to do more of it, to carve out time to really let my thoughts wander without worrying about how they come out on the page.
Food
I moved around a lot in 2025, whether that was travel, moving house, or just a level of busyness which made cooking less of a priority. I’m not complaining - I ate out a lot, and it was glorious. But it meant that I cooked less, and I miss it! I’ve gotten a little complacent, and I’m in need of inspiration - so please feel free to recommend to me your favourite recipe or cook book. Or better yet, let’s cook something together?
Novelty
I want to do new things! I want to try something I’ve never done before, I want to accept that I’ll be bad at it for a long time. I want to fail and get up and do it again. And again.
At the heart of all of this is a desire to get to know myself better, to lean into more authentic desires, and to stop doing things just because I feel I have to. I want to do things because I really, really want to. Which I hope will lead to more fulfilling encounters, more fruitful relationships - and of course, more pleasure, in all its forms.