How did you fill in the blanks?
your answers to Around The Circle Filling In The Blanks from the last newsletter
In last Friday’s newsletter, I invited people to participate in Around The Circle Filling In the Blanks, and I said I’d share the results on New Year’s Eve. So that’s what I’m doing! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the folks that chose to complete this exercise and share their answers. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, vulnerability, and openness. I am really floored!
I found reading through our collective reflections restorative, intriguing, and so full of humanity. I hope they make you feel that, too — or not! I’m so curious how these will feel to each of you!
I asked, “How do we go from one year to the next?”, and here’s how you answered.
This year, I tried __________.
This year, I tried to grow.
This year, I tried committed partnership
This year, I tried to expand.
This year, I tried to get a job.
This year, I tried to write
This year, I tried to let go.
This year, I tried to inundate myself
This year, I tried to transition
This year, I tried tinned fish.
This year, I tried to react to what was in front of me
This year, I tried to be present.
This year, I tried to enjoy the present
This year, I tried to stay sane, which for me means balanced
This year, I tried new foods
This year, I tried to be kinder in the way I thought about my body.
This year, I tried looking out to new horizons
This year, I tried making without an end goal
This year, I tried to understand myself better: how I see the world and why.
On the warmest day of 2024 __________.
On the warmest day of 2024 the air conditioner broke.
On the warmest day of 2024 I stayed inside
On the warmest day of 2024 the power went out and we covered the dogs in wet blankets beside a fan.
On the warmest day of 2024 my father broke his collar bone and a couple of ribs for good measure.
On the warmest day of 2024 i wore a sweater vest…
On the warmest day of 2024 I thought I was going to pass out on the subway platform.
On the warmest day of 2024 I couldn’t bear to wear pants
On the warmest day of 2024 I put on my sunglasses and strutted down 5th Ave.
On the warmest day of 2024 I was probably miserable.
On the warmest day of 2024 the AC was so high i had to wear a sweatshirt
On the warmest day of 2024 I was sweaty as hell.
On the warmest day of 2024 we ate dinner on the terrace, after dark
On the warmest day of 2024 I decided I officially hated New Jersey
On the warmest day of 2024 I was luckily out of town
On the warmest day of 2024 i used 2 sweat towels instead of 1.
On the warmest day of 2024 I made a new friend in the shade who gave me a can of soda.
On the warmest day of 2024 I cried, and I tasted my sweat and my tears at the same time
On the warmest day of 2024 I realized the value of a long shower to wash off the sweat.
On the coldest day of 2024 __________.
On the coldest day of 2024 I imagined the snow in Brooklyn.
On the coldest day of 2024 I went for a walk
On the coldest day of 2024, my beloved dog Clementine left this earth.
On the coldest day of 2024, I felt alarm about climate change.
On the coldest day of 2024 i was shivering in bed crazy style
On the coldest day of 2024 I felt like the breath was being pulled out of my lungs.
On the coldest day of 2024, I still had to walk my dog.
On the coldest day of 2024 I grimaced.
On the coldest day of 2024 I was so happy to be back home.
On the coldest day of 2024 I wore mittens for the first time
On the coldest day of 2024 I was shivering under the covers.
On the coldest day of 2024 I lit all of our candles
On the coldest day of 2024 I felt home
On the coldest day of 2024 I had to wake up early and go to a dumbass corporate work training day in the Chrysler building. Thank god I received a new job offer via email under the table while attending that crap training.
On the coldest day of 2024 i swaddled my dog in blankets.
On the coldest day of 2024 I shivered audibly
On the coldest day of 2024, I stood very, very close to a swan in the snow
On the coldest day of 2024, I was happy for warm clothes and living in a mild climate, having experienced "real cold" in New England.
This year __________.
This year I expanded in ways I did not predict.
This year I fell in love.
This year, I moved in with my partner and tasted queer domesticity.
This year, I persisted.
This year was better
This year I followed my heart and not my head.
This year, I learned that working 7 days a week is too much
This year I struggled to move forward.
This year I found love again.
This year went so fast
This year I reached some sort of equilibrium.
This year offered new kinds of freedom and new fears
This year I learned things the hard way and I'm thankful for it
This year my family got larger
This year i let myself be.
This year I learned something I didn't want to learn
This year I pulled off a wedding
This year I started to verbalize what I want more to myself and others - and nothing terrible happened!
This year __________.
This year was bittersweet.
This year was full of lessons in healing.
This year cured me, but like meat, not medicine.
This year i made so many friends
This year was fast and heavy.
This year, I learned about money
This year was less than I’d hoped for.
This year was exhausting.
This year was bizarre
This year I settled in.
This year was full of unexpected questions
This year exhausting emotionally and physically
This year was filled with big life events for me and my family
This year begat growth.
This year was hard and a blast at the same time
This year felt like a series of sprints
This year was full of some serious experiences with several in the older generation passing on or having health issues. At the same time I had some amazing unique experiences with people that I love very much. So, yes, bittersweet fits my year too.
This year __________.
This year my eyes sparkled.
This year my skin cleared up.
This year my hair grew and grew.
This year was a lot
This year I laughed and felt seen.
This year, many days were an out of body experience
This year was better than I remembered.
This year my friends left.
This year I missed my friends
This year I said fuck it we ball.
This year I had to know who I was
This year had incredible moments of lights
This year I felt seen
This year i learned more about my family.
This year I ate my vegetables with glee!
This year I gave myself a new title
This year my legs and body grew stronger. I thought about doing something in 2025 for my wrinkles and for my mind.
I discovered __________.
I discovered sour cream.
I discovered the caeser salad at Tsubaki.
I discovered knitting.
I discovered truffle brie with apricot jam on a gf cracker
I discovered a voice that had been buried deep inside myself.
I discovered the pleasures of old gold.
I discovered self-worth and the quiet rage that comes from feeling short-changed.
I discovered I know myself more and less than ever before.
I discovered fake tan
I discovered that it just keeps getting better.
I discovered my own neighborhood
I discovered coconut water
I discovered great foods hidden in not well marketed titles
I discovered a balance between needs and wants.
I discovered endlessness
I discovered the first steps towards self-love
I discovered that any food eaten with my hands is a comfort food: Japanese, Indian, dim sum, I love it all!
This year, my favorite smell was __________.
This year, my favorite smell was the damp air in Wilton, New Hampshire.
This year, my favorite smell was my new partner’s BO
This year, my favorite smell was doggy paws.
This year my favorite smell was the Costco bakery on the wind.
This year, my favorite smell was my illegal dorm room candle
This year, my favorite smell was a waning moon candle.
This year, my favorite smell was a clean bathroom, so zesty with bleach
This year, my favorite smell was jasmine.
This year, my favorite smell was the 7 Virtus Vanilla Woods roll-on.
This year, my favourite smell was the sea
This year, my favorite smell was a villa in Greece.
This year, my favorite smell was the fur on top of the dog's head
This year, my favorite smell was the spiced coffee recipe I made up
This year, my favorite smell was the wafting trail of perfectly cooked whole fish to be served family style, table side
This year, my favorite smell was garlic sautéing in olive oil
This year, my favorite smell was the aroma of hot chocolate chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven
This year, my favorite smell was the air around 7:30pm, early august, new england
This year, my favorite smell was the crisp air along Crissy Field beach - or any beach.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind __________.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind hemming and hawwing.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind spending too much time with my new partner
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind anxiety clockwatching.
At the end of the year, I am leaving behind justifying my actions.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind my jitters hopefully
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind the idea that there’s something wrong with me.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind a bully
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind stories about myself that don’t serve me.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind a lot of projects.
At the end of this year, i am leaving behind excuses
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind plans I don't want to actually make.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind judgment of myself and others
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind self pity
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind a pivotal period of my life
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind twitter.
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind my propensity to leave loved things unknowingly only to lose them
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind idleness
At the end of this year, I am leaving behind guessing what other people are thinking.
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me __________.
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me a sense of wonder, an openness for what’s to come.
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me making ceramic planters
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me my commitment to listening to my body, and allowing my art to emerge organically.
As I go into next year, I am taking with me the unrelenting pursuit of my own wellbeing (and happiness).
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me my jitters probably
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me the love of my friends.
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me the gift and power of a good night’s sleep.
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me the knowledge that a lot of people care about me more than I realized.
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me hope.
As I go into next year, I am taking with me hope
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me my body.
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me a commitment to abundance and optimism
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me a determination to be kinder to myself
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me my drive & creativity
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me my glass half-full
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me some fire
As I go into the next year, I am taking with me strength to keep myself well physically and mentally. And a sense of freedom.
My favorite book of 2024 was __________.
My favorite book of 2024 was What You Are Looking For Is In The Library.
My favorite book of 2024 was Kick the latch, Kathryn scanlan
My favorite book of 2024 was The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.
My favorite book of 2024 wasn’t a specific book but an enduring gratitude for those who write.
My favorite book of 2024 was one a friend gave me
My favorite book of 2024 was All Fours by Miranda July
My favorite book of 2024 was Severance by Ling Ma
My favorite book of 2024 was Saving Time by Jenny Odell.
My favorite book of 2024 was Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.
My favourite book of 2024 was Small Things Like These
My favorite book of 2024 was Our Wives Under the Sea.
My favorite book of 2024 was the Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
My favorite book of 2024 was Small Things Like These
My favorite book of 2024 was Lessons in Chemistry
My favorite book of 2024 was perfume & pain by anna dorn.
My favorite book of 2024 was probably the one I'm reading and loving right now!
My favorite book of 2024 was All's Well by Mona Awad
My favorite book of 2024 was Piranesi. Then Ariadne.
I held __________.
I held it together.
I held my dog as the life left her little body.
I held it in my hands.
I held a little kitten
I held my own.
I held my own
I held my cat’s paw.
I held my heart.
I held hands with my husband
I held my breath on accident.
I held multiple truths at the same time
I held grudges
I held my tongue
I held my friend's baby.
I held sway under pressure
I held my wife at our wedding
I held my baby heart and explored it. I held myself as valuable as anyone else.
I began __________.
I began conversations without knowing how they’d go.
I began to really enjoy being a stepmom.
I began many crafting projects.
I began playing cards
I began healing.
I began to doubt objective truth
I began to envision something different.
I began to come back to myself.
I began to focus more on what i could control
I began a new job, whatever that means.
I began to say what I really think more often
I began learnings how to style bangs (it's a journey)
I began a new era
I began to relinquish control over situations.
I began more than I finished
I began to follow my desire to make more work
I began to enjoy talking to strangers about their lives.
I am proud of __________.
I am proud of my ability to find solace and stability within myself.
I am proud of my ability to move through grief, and to love my people fiercely.
I am proud of the way I showed up for my friends.
I am proud of my improved self-esteem
I am proud of my open and breakable heart.
I am proud of my brother for all the changes he made
I am proud of being someone my partner can depend on.
I am proud of my tenacity.
I am proud of my independence
I am proud of my life.
I am proud of my courage to leave what wasn't working
I am proud of keeping it (somewhat) together
I am proud of my desire to grow as a person and family member
I am proud of myself for reading like i'm 10 years old again.
I am proud of my family
I am proud of my expansiveness
I am proud of my ability to breathe deeply and calm myself.
I wondered __________.
I wondered if I should be medicated.
I wondered if America might actually be hell.
I wondered why I wasn’t chosen.
I wondered how long i had gone without water
I wondered if I’ll meet someone who can care about me in the way that I care about them.
I wondered if anything in my life would ever change
I wondered how priorities incentivize structures.
I wondered if it ever gets any easier.
I wondered what on earth went wrong
I wondered about my teenage self.
I wondered what it would mean to 'get over' it
I wondered if I got adulting wrong
I wondered how I can help others grow too
I wondered what will happen when my dad dies.
I wondered where the trail would lead me
I wondered if I should have left my job a long time ago
I wondered why some people cut off their family - really - and what does family really mean?
At the center of this year was __________.
At the center of this year was deciding to step into the unknown over and over.
At the center of this year was a blazing genocide that haunted everything.
At the center of the year was caring too much and trying too hard.
At the center of this year was a lovely summer night
At the center of this year was a feeling that does not rationally make sense.
At the center of this year was a desire for normalcy
At the center of this year was an unsettling dissatisfaction.
At the center of this year was work, work, work.
At the center of the year was the overwhelming question "whats next"?
At the center of this year was laughing with my friends.
At the center of this year was finding confidence in myself
At the center of this year was rolling with the punches
At the center of this year was celebrations
At the center of this year was old friends becoming new again.
At the center of this year was an appreciation for observing beautiful colors in nature
At the center of this year was complete and utter madness in the sweltering heat
At the center of this year was me trying to grow myself in positive ways.
This year I longed for __________.
This year I longed for confidence and cohesion.
This year I longed for certainty and the realization of my work.
This year I longed for prestige, power, and, most of all, control.
This year I longed for little hairless animals
This year I longed for clarity, reciprocity, & honesty.
This year I longed for a more pleasant personality
This year I longed for serendipitous disruption.
This year I longed for peace.
This year I longed for more discipline
This year I longed for more time.
This year I longed for freedom and self knowledge
This year I longed for health
This year I longed for others to see what I see
This year I longed for connection.
This year I longed for connectiveness with others
This year I longed for a vacation
This year I longed fora break from routine. A Hawaiian beach.
This year I __________.
This year I saw my selves holding hands, dancing together.
This year I was brave, gritty, and resilient.
This year I felt like I was always outside looking in.
This year I found essential closeness
This year I took chances.
This year, I often lost control of my hands
This year I stayed home more than I wanted to.
This year I took leaps forward.
This year I was ok
This year I watched all my families get married.
This year I understood others in new ways
This year I discovered a new way to vacation
This year I thought a lot about the future
This year I traveled to 2 different countries.
This year I got great gift by being there for my daughter
This year I read more books than I have in the last decade
This year I saw myself and dear family and friends deeply enjoying each other.
I hoped for __________.
I hoped for a better outcome.
I hoped for Kamala to be president.
I hoped for validation.
I hoped for a good opportunity
I hoped for real love.
I hoped for adherence to a schedule
I hoped for an outside force to move me.
I hoped for something better next year.
I hoped for humanity to win
I hoped for everyone to chill the fuck out.
I hoped for easier resolutions
I hoped for stability
I hoped for others to want to work on themselves and do something about it
I hoped for bravery.
I hoped for lots of love
I hoped for our first female president
I hoped for a better future for my kids and all young people.
I hope for __________.
I hope for perseverance.
I hope to be a better friend to myself.
I hope for adequacy.
I hope for safety
I hope for softness.
I hope for ease
I hope for the will to move things myself.
I hope for more life.
I hope for the energy to keep hoping
I hope for sanity.
I hope for community and closeness
I hope for my family
I hope for a better work environment
I hope for creativity.
I hope for lots of love
I hope for our first female president
I hope for wisdom and patience to explore my reality.
From 2024, I want to remember __________.
From 2024, I want to remember Tubbs’ sleepy eyes slowly shuttering open in Secret Room.
From 2024, I want to remember riding a horse through a Costa Rican river.
From 2024, I want to remember my nieces reaction to my sister in laws chocolate cake.
From 2024, I want to remember the music i listened to when i was going crazy
From 2024, I want to remember late nights.
From 2024, I want to remember that man trying to dance with an oven
From 2024, I want to remember weddings and baby birthday parties and hugs from my friends.
From 2024, I want to remember dipping my toes in the ocean.
From 2024, i want to remember the small moments
From 2024, I want to remember dancing at the Pink Pony Club.
From 2024, I want to remember what it felt like to be in Greece again
From 2024, I want to remember letting go
From 2024, I want to remember all the happy times
From 2024, I want to remember brandi carlile pouring tequila into my mouth in mexico.
From 2024, I want to remember valued experiences for continuing into 2025
From 2024, I want to remember the fullness I felt after feeding myself
From 2024, I want to remember that I adore closeness and laughter.
The conversation I’ll remember most from 2024 was __________.
The conversation I’ll remember most from 2024 was with my dad.
The conversation I’ll remember most from 2024 was with my dog’s death doula.
The conversation I’ll remember most from 2024 was with my grandfather as he lay dying.
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was extremely funny
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was with a new friend.
The conversation I’ll remember most from 2024 was with someone who turned out to be far from a friend
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was had over time, with others and with myself.
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was my first date with Jonny at Ottava.
The conversation I'll remember the most from 2024 was with Joe
The conversation I’ll remember most from 2024 was probably in therapy.
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was with my brother in law, about women
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was with my husband
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was too many to name
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was tough and necessary,
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was in a loud room
The conversation I'll remember most from 2024 was with my therapist: it's personal!
I am not ready to __________.
I am not ready to be done growing up.
I am not ready to stop smoking weed, or even slow down.
I am not ready to relearn how to drive.
I am not ready to figure out housing for next year
I am not ready to end it.
I am not ready to give up
I am not ready to give up on my own potential.
I am not ready to be unemployed.
I am not ready to give up
I am not ready to make nice.
I am not ready to decide about having children
I am not ready to to parent my parents
I am not ready to leave my last era
I am not ready to say goodbye.
I am not ready to go
I am not ready to go quietly into the night.
I am ready to __________.
I am ready to keep going.
I am ready to write my next play.
I am ready to knit my first sweater.
I am ready to learn
I am ready to leap.
I am ready to be both more and less legible at the same time
I am ready to try again.
I am ready to go back to sleep.
I am ready to start a new year with energy and optimism
I am ready to do it all again.
I am ready to pursue my creativity
I am ready to move on
I am ready to take on a new identity
I am ready to be more vulnerable.
I am ready to go
I am ready to keep exploring, keep doing fulfilling things and aging with strengh and grace.
In 2025, I will __________.
In 2025, I will continue to surprise myself.
In 2025, I will keep being intense.
In 2025, I will make it a priority to travel to see my loved ones.
In 2025, I will do the dishes
In 2025, I will center my own happiness.
In 1025, I will listen more
In 2025, I will trust myself and those who love me.
In 2025, I will be even more of an adult.
In 2025, I will invest in myself
In 2025, I will make more art.
In 2025, I will move with intention
In 2025, I will be kinder
In 2025, I will celebrate
In 2025, I will try not to spend as much money.
In 2025, I will not be afraid to spend time with myself
In 2025, I will build on the journey I started a few years ago when I was terrified. I will keep climbing up.
In 2025, I will __________.
In 2025, I will try things I’ve never tried before.
In 2025, I will stop resenting my intensity.
In 2025, I will buy clothes I like even if my waistline keeps growing.
In 2025, I will get even better
In 2025, I will sleep more.
In 2025, I will speak with more consideration
In 2025, I will trust that good things can and do happen.
In 2025, I will fly further and travel less.
In 2025, I will go to Africa
In 2025, I will stay consistent.
In 2025, I will take risks in my relationships
In 2025, I will continue to try fighting the trauma of capitalism
In 2025, I will kiss my partner every day and tell them how lucky I am to have them
In 2025, I will write more.
In 2025, I will feverishly love myself
In 2025, I will do more of things that I know are rewarding - and try new things that might scare me a bit.
Here I am, a(n) __________.
Here I am, a student.
Here I am, a leader.
Here I am, a self-proclaimed hag!
Here I am, a goop
Here I am, an artist.
Here I am, a total asshole
Here I am, a pattern.
Here I am, a director.
Here I am, a work in progress
Here I am, an artist :)!
Here I am, a part of things
Here I am, a perpetual learner
Here I am, a seedling
Here I am, a daughter.
Here I am, an artist
Here I am, a working woman, a dancer, a creative spark, and so much more.
Here I am, a(n) __________.
Here I am, an attempt.
Here I am, alive.
Here I am, as unsure of my sexuality as ever.
Here I am, a tryer
Here I am, a heart.
Here I am, a tired fool
Here I am, a disruption.
Here I am, a failure.
Here I am, a little hungry for more
Here I am, fluctuating.
Here I am, a person in history
Here I am, a hopeful
Here I am, a peacekeeper
Here I am, a speck of dust.
Here I am, a 10 year-old version of myself
Here I am, voicing an eternal wish to become a fuller, less anxious person.
Here I go, __________.
Here I go, gently, slowly, one foot in front of the other.
Here I go, onward, embracing all the contradictions.
Here I go, again, desperate for a different outcome.
Here I go, trying once again
Here I go, to the next right thing.
Here I go, somberly, carefully, with almost no weight in my footsteps at all, for often I don’t believe I am here but I am here
Here I go, even though I am afraid.
Here I go, hopefully.
Here I go, one day at a time
Here I go, here I go.
Here I go, looking around me and not just ahead
Here I go, building back up
Here I go, with a very deep breath
Here I go, with my friends by my side.
Here I go, continuing to actualize my dreams
Here I go, conscious that only I know what I really need. Learning how to get it.
P.S. If you’d like to complete this exercise, too, feel free to submit your answers here. Though this exercise was intended as a New Year’s Eve ritual, you can still fill it out, if you like! I’ll share more answers if they come through.
Anya, this is an epic poem!!!!! I love it!!