Welcoming the New Year in Shades of Blue & Link Up On the Edge #226
This may be the most highly anticipated arrival of the new year of all the new years that I have welcomed in my lifetime. For everyone, the year 2020 was basically a bust that left us all feeling a little bit blue, a whole lot frustrated, a smidgen angry, and then it was all tied up with a giant bow of disappointment. But a new day is dawning, a new year has arrived, and all we can do is welcome it with enthusiasm and hope for a better future.
This Seneca quote keeps repeating in my head, reminding me that life will continue its perpetual waxing and waning as it has always done despite human struggles and tragedies.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Seneca
And as Billy Joel so eloquently put it in “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,”
“Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again.”
Billy Joel
However, saying goodbye to the year 2020 is not such a bad thing for any of us. Saying hello to the new year should fill us with an inexpressible jubilance in anticipation for better things coming. But this past year has managed to turn me into a great big cynic. I don’t like being cynical and I am not a pessimist by nature. It all kind of feels wrong to me. So my focus words for 2021 are going to have to be Perspective and Gratitude.
There were countless times during this past year when I have completely lost perspective. When my brain shifts to negative spaces, it has a sort of quicksand effect, pulling me deeper down to where it becomes nearly impossible to get back out without the help of a lifeline. During this treacherous year, I have been so grateful for the lifelines that have kept me from suffocating in the quicksand. My husband, my children, my family, my friends, and this blogging community have kept me going even when I have lost the energy and the desire to continue on. For that, I thank you all.
Speaking of perspective and gratitude, I was having a conversation the other day with the kids about their perception of what it means to be rich. To children, wealth seems to be apparent only in material things. The more things you have, the bigger your house is, the fancier your cars are, and the amount of vacations you take seem to be the only defining factors which constitute wealth in the minds of children.
This childish ideal got me thinking about my own perception of wealth. It didn’t take me long at all to realize that I truly might be the wealthiest human on the planet. I have a safe and stable home that offers me the necessary shelter for survival along with a million modern day amenities that make survival really quite easy. We have plenty of food sources to keep us nourished and all we have to do is drive in our fairly new and comfortable vehicles one half mile down the street to buy groceries. Yes, we buy our groceries at the store like nearly everyone else in the world without fear that supplies will run out. Well, maybe we had that bit of fear for a short time during this past year, but we never went without any necessities.
In essence, we are actually quite spoiled. We don’t have to toil in the fields during the hot summer months, frantically preserving enough crops to get us through the winter. We don’t have to chop wood and ensure there is enough piled up for heat to get us through the long winter months. We merely touch a button and our home is heated. A bill comes in the mail and we pay it. No hard labor required to provide us with adequate heat.
We have an overabundance of clothing so we can be frivolous and get dressed simply for the fun of wearing nice outfits. We have more digital devices than necessary in our home to keep us entertained and always connected to the world around us. We have modern medicine to ensure that we can properly maintain our health and live longer lives than any other generation that came before us. We have more of everything and more than we need and yet we often lack the perspective to realize that. So for the new year, my goal is to always maintain my perspective of wealth and to remain always grateful for what I have.
It is also so important to recognize and be thankful for the generations that preceded us. Without their personal struggles and the battles they committed to fighting, we would not have any of the comforts that we enjoy today. Without the pioneers, the suffragettes, the risk takers, the people who dare to be different, the ones who challenge the things that don’t feel quite right, where would we be?
“It takes courage to live outside the traditional expectations of society.”
Bridgerton
Without the courageous people who challenge traditional expectation and push back against the rules of society that do not seem to serve all people’s best interests, this world would not be the truly amazing place that it is.
As humans, we have a tendency to bring wreckage all around us. But as humans, we are also the very things that bring diversity and culture and richness to the landscape of the world as a whole. While we do have a tendency to be selfish and cruel, we also have the capacity to be generous and kind. It is all a choice and it is all a matter of perspective. Which perspective will choose for the future?
As a final farewell to 2020 as we welcome the year 2021, I will leave you with a few inspiring quotes as we move forward into a brighter and better time.
“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Carl Bard
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth… not going all the way, and not starting.”
Buddha
“Nourish beginnings, let us nourish beginnings. Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest. The blessing is in the seed.”
Muriel Rukeyser
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Wishing you all the best in 2021.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
Shop my look…
Outfit Details: Coat and Skirt-Thrifted / Sweater-Kohl’s / Beret-Wona Trading / Scarf-Target / Boots-Shoe Dazzle / Gloves-Walmart / Necklace and Earrings-Old
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
56 Comments
Rena
All well said. Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy new year.
Rena
https://www.finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Rena! I hope you and your family have a wonderful new year filled with much happiness and many blessings, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Happy New Year! My dear friend, I wish you and your fabulous husband and fantastic boys a amazing year. With lots of happiness and good health!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, my dear friend! Wishing you and Gerben all the best in this new year as well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Tamar A Strauss-Benjamin
Happy new year!! You look so pretty!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Tamar! Happy New Year to you as well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mary Katherine
Well said, indeed, Shelbee. I also utterly ADORE every part of that blue outfit!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
MK, thank you so very much! Wishing you a very happy and healthy new year, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marie
I love the look. Happy new year, beautiful!
Marie
https://theflowerduet.blogspot.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marie, thank you so very much! Wishing you a very happy and healthy new year!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michele Morin
Winter blue! So beautiful!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michele!
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
I enjoyed your thoughtful and well spoken post very much! Remembering the things we are grateful for is so important to keeping life in perspective. Wishing you and your family health and happiness during the coming year. I love your outfit choice and setting for this post, you look like a beautiful winter snow princess!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Di, thank you so much! What a lovely comment! Perspective really is the key to happy living, in my opinion. I wish you a very happy and healthy new year!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
That are not many colors that you don’t wear well. This royal blue is another one of your colors! So so pretty! Loving the texture added with the scarf. And your choices of words in right on point! Balance and growth may be mine this year!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mireille! I do love cobalt blue but don’t own very much it. I will have to wear it more often this year (perhaps that will be my thrifting focus next time I go shopping)! Balance and growth are really great focus words for this year. I definitely need a bit more balance! I feel like all I do is wander aimlessly about my house! Wishing you and your family all the best in the new year, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Bojana Krienke
Now that’s a great word to focus on, Perspective! I had gratitude as my word last year and thank goodness because like many, I came back to it time and time again in 2020. I haven’t chosen a word for this year but have been mulling it over. I really like that you talk to your own children about perspective and wealth is a conversation we’ve had time and time again as well. It’s really an ongoing journey to learning to look at things from multiple perspectives as well as to consider your own. I think this is just going to be a great year for all of us, because all the little steps will seem like victories. Also, you look FAB in blue.
bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Bo, thank you so much for this thoughtful comment! Last year, my focus words were rejuvenation, reformation, and reinvention. I think 10 months in lockdown definitely helped the rejuvenation part of it all and I probably have reformed and reinvented much of my own inner being but can’t quite see it clearly yet! I suppose 2021 will help me find out how successful I was in 2020! But yes, for this year, keeping perspective and gratitude at the forefront is how I want to get through the next 12 months. Teaching perspective to the children is a challenging task though! But I will keep working on it. I hope you have a wonderful new year filled with many blessings, health, and happiness!
xoxo
Shelbee
Niky
This might be one of my fave outfits yet! Love the blue agains the white snow, and the dressy formality of it juxtaposed against the rustic woods. Lovely!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Niky, thank you so much! I was unsure if a wooded area by the river would work with such a dressy outfit, but then I really liked the contrast of elements as well. Wishing you all the best in the new year, my friend! It has been a pleasure getting to know you this past year.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marielle
Looking beautiful in blue Shelbee! I love your words of focus. Gratitude and perspective make so much of a difference. I appreciate that you remind us to be grateful for those who have gone before as well. Thank you for sharing these thoughts and inspirational quotes! And thanks for hosting each week. Happy New Year!
-Marielle
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Mareille, thank you so much! It has been such a pleasure getting to know you this past year. This time spent at home over the last year has definitely helped me to realize how very important perspective and gratitude are for maintaining a happy life. I wish to never get caught up in all the other stuff that muddies up our perspective again. I hope the new year is filled with health and happiness for you and your family, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Katie
Great quotes to ring in the New Year with, Shelbee! I love this chic outfit on you! The color is stunning! Thanks for featuring me in today’s post. Happy New Year to you and your family!
-Katie
http://www.hellokatiegirlblog.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you very much, Katie! I always think of you when I venture into bold and bright colors! Wishing you and yours a very happy and healthy new year as well, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
You look absolutely stunning in this blue outfit. I love that sweater. It’s perfect to welcome winter. And those boots are incredible and that white coat is gorgeous. Perfect from head to toe!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Amy, thank you so much! What a lovely compliment! I have been getting a bit bolder with colors in my outfits! Wishing you a very happy and healthy new year!
xoxo
Shelbee
Ellie
What a perfect post for New Years Day! Enjoyed reading it and great quotes too!
Also, this blue outfit looks fantastic on you and especially gorgeous with the snowy background!
Happy New Year!
Ellibelle’s Corner
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Ellie! Wishing you and your family all the best in the new year. May you be healthy and happy all year long!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lauren Renee Sparks
Those colors and fabrics together are perfection! Happy New Year. I pray it is one of learning, discovery and enjoyment.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so very much, Lauren! I pray for a much better 2021 for us all as well! I hope your family has health and happiness all the year through!
xoxo
Shelbee
Iris
Happy New Year 2021 Shelbee, I hope 2021 will be easy on us. I wish you love, good health, success, peace and serenity :-).
Love your outfit mostly your faux fur collar shawl :-).
XoXo,
Moumous
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Moumous! 2021 has to be better than 2020, doesn’t it?! Wishing you and your family many blessings this year!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking so very nice and what an outstanding post going into 2021. So very perfect. I will be stealing the quote (and putting it on FB)about living outside of the society because that is where I have been most of my life.
Happy New Year to you and your family and I hope that 2021 is outstanding for you and your family.
Thanks for hosting.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Patrick, thanks so much, my friend! I just finished watching a mini series on Netflix, Bridgerton, which is a period piece set in 1813 England which highlights the life of royalty and members of the court. That quote was stated by a character who is a famous artist of the time, married to a woman, and involved in a lifelong love affair with a male member of the court. Basically, he was bisexual in an open marriage as his wife knew about all of it. He is explaining his struggles with living outside the expectations of society and the quote floored me as I related perfectly to it. Cheers to the people who dare to do things differently! Wishing you all the best in the new year, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Angie
Hi, Shelbee – Love all those luxurious blues! Nice way to layer 🙂 – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Angie! Wishing you all the best in the new year!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I am totally gaga over that royal blue outfit! It’s gorgeous! You look amazing!
I enjoyed your point about how very fortunate we are now. Steven Pinker, a Harvard psychologist and author, has written about how everyone on Earth is better off now than we ever have been – even as people bemoan how terrible things are. His easily verifiable statement doesn’t match how so many people feel when the yearn for “the good old days.” By my estimation those yearned for days from the 50’s and early 60’s weren’t that great. Racism was more prevalent and accepted, cancer of any type was a certain death sentence, women were horribly stifled. Good old days, my ass.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! Your point is brilliantly stated! I started reading a book a few years ago that talked about the idealism of the 50’s and 60’s from a marital and family standpoint. It was very much an academic work and a bit difficult to unravel so I never finished reading it. But the gist of it was exactly what you have said. From the 1980’s forward, there has always been a misperception that everything was perfect in the 50’s and 60’s as we long for more innocent times. There is no such thing as “innocent times.” All the times in human history have been overshadowed with that lingering idea that times of yore were so much better as we struggle through our contemporary problems. Perhaps we only think the times were better then because we have already figured how to get through them! Now we have to figure out to get through this time since that is much more important than living in the past. Wishing you a very Happy New Year, my friend, despite all the shit that comes with every year!
xoxo
Shelbee
Darlene
You are SO right that many of us enjoy SO many privileges that we don’t even realize. The trick, of course, is in realizing that and the fact that so many people do not. I was reminded by Michele’s comment that it is indeed a fact that so many of us are so better off. Thanks for the thoughtful post. We have much to be thankful for and hopeful for in 2021. My words for 2021 are joy and mindfulness.
BTW, that royal blue or purple outfit is absolutely stunning, Shelbee!! What a knockout!
Wishing you the very best in this new year~I am thankful to have you as a “pen pal” and blogger colleague!
xx Darlene
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Darlene, thank you so very much! Once I was able to shift my perspective to where I realized how very privileged I am (although I am certainly not a poster child for “privilege” in the way most interpret that word), it became easy to appreciate all the things I do have with much gratitude. It seems the more things we have, the more likely we are to become spoiled brats…that’s like basic parenting 101, isn’t it?! Haha I am also very thankful for your support and friendship and I so enjoy our exchanges! Without these connections, I would never have survived 2020! Looking forward to better days ahead for us all.
xoxo
Shelbee
Helen C.
Happy New Year, Shelbee! Feliz año nuevo! Ευτυχισμένο το 2021! (In all the languages I know!😊)
I hope you and your family have a great year, a lot better than 2020!
Lots of hugs from this corner of the planet!🥰
P.S.The inspiring quotes were just what I needed to hear right now, thank you
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Helen, thank you so very much, my friend! I hope you all are well and heading into the new year healthy and happy! Wishing you and your family all the best in 2021!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jacqui Berry
You make a fabulous ice queen Shelbee. Thanks for the linkup. Jacqui x
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jacqui! I hope the new year is off to a great start for you!
xoxo
Shelbee
Grace
Such a beautifully written post, Shelbee!! I love the conversation you had about wealth. It really is so true that we are extremely rich and have so many blessings in our lives. Thank you for this eloquent reminder, and happy new year!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
gracefulrags.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Grace! It is fascinating the different ways people define and perceive wealth. And I think our idea of wealth can shift and change over time as well. Wishing you all the best in the new year, my friend! I am grateful to know you!
xoxo
Shelbee
Cheryl Shops
Happy new year, Shelbee! I had no idea that Seneca quote was famous—I thought it was just a lyric from the song “Closing Time” LOL! Anyway, yes, it’s all about perspective. 2020 was not great, but it could have been far worse, and I’m grateful for all the people and blessings in my life. I do, however, appreciate the promise of a fresh start that a new year can bring, so hopefully 2021 is it 😉
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Cheryl! The song lyric from Closing Time kept repeating in my head and I was going to quote the song itself but when I looked it up to get the exact words, I found that it is attributed to Seneca. So funny. 2020 definitely took a toll on me as I am sure it did on everyone, but you are right, it could have been so much worse. Keeping a perspective of gratitude has helped me push through, for sure. Cheers to new beginnings in 2021, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sheila (of Ephemera)
I was getting all lathered up over that sheer blue skirt and then you showed us the VELVET OTK BOOTS, Shelbee, and I started yelling in my typing, lol! Wow, love that sexy little surprise.
We are so very privileged with the excess of “stuff” in our lives, but as kids see it, all that richness is just “things”. My motto this year will be “Life is short; wear the clothes” to reflect on my own loss of a best friend, the loss of work (reduced hours) and also to take joy in the simple pleasure of putting on good clothes. Saving them ‘for good’ is not how they are intended to be used. And so, I wear a gold skirt to work even though no one saw me!
Oh, and there’s my picture! What did I do…? Oh, people liked it – how very lovely of you to showcase that and link back to me – thank you!
May our lives be rich in relationships!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Sheila, thank you so very much, my friend! This is one of my favorite outfits ever, I believe! I love your mantra for the new year, too. I kind of started switching to that attitude some time in midsummer. I have so many lovely things in my closet, why am I not wearing them? And I do feel so much better about all things when I get dressed up a little bit more! I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your best friend. But I do admire your attitude for getting through all the life shit. A life rich in relationships is very likely the richest life one can live. I am so grateful for the amazing relationships I have! Happy New Year!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kimberly
Shelbee, you are such a bright spot for the Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party. Your posts and photos always make me smile because your uniqueness and genuineness shine through every time. Thank you for sharing this one on Traffic Jam Weekend! It has been chosen as a fave feature for this week’s party that goes live on Thursday at 5:00 pm CST.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Kimberly, thank you so very much! That really made my day today. I have been struggling much lately with staying optimistic and trying to share things that are light and joyful on my blog. I often feel as if I am failing, so I really appreciate that validation. I cannot thank you enough! Wishing you all the best in the new year!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
Great message Shelbee, yes we all have a lot to be grateful for. I’m just going to try and get max enjoyment out of life, particularly in lockdown, because as Covid has shown, every day is precious.
Blue is so good with your skin tone – I love that skirt! And you’ve done it again with those OTK boots. Oh my! I’m just getting back into color analysis, having been “done” three times. I’m supposed to wear several types of blue but so far a good one has eluded me, but I’m going to keep trying.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail! A focus on gratitude has been challenging some days, but as soon as I shift my perspective at the first sign of sinking into pessimism, I do feel much better. I love cobalt blue but I don’t wear it often. This rich shade of it is often difficult to find. I can definitely see how blues would be so great on you! Hopefully you can find the perfect shades for yourself. I hope your week is going well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lorena
Very well said.
Interesting how children see perspective, funny thing is some adults also see it the same way.
When I look at how things are and what a terrible time it has been for many, i see that we are truly blessed being able to meet our needs in the midst of this all.
That blue skirt and sweater are spectacular, this shade suits you very well.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Lorena, thank you so much! There are definitely lots of adults who have not evolved their perspectives away from that of children. I am so grateful that we have had all of our needs met this past year as well and keeping that perspective with some gratitude in tow is the key to surviving this mess!
xoxo
Shelbee