BEST NINE 2018
/You guys, I’m back for another year (see last year’s post) to share + compare what my computer-generated ‘BEST NINE’ posts of the year were, and then what I actually consider the ‘BEST NINE’ captured moments of this past year.
Kristin & I — after A WHOLE YEAR of hosting the podcast — have put out multiple shows on social media & how we - as women - can resourcefully coexist with it, and decided to re-release EP. 05 about this very topic.
In the vain of that re-released episode ‘from the vault’, I went over to 2018bestnine.com, inserted my IG handle, waited for it to generate, and received back the collage of my nine most-liked Instagram posts from 2018. // Here they are:
Oprah? Weird, right? // Okay, so 2018 was a really tough year for me: one of those years that ask the questions, not give the answers…and it was reflected in what I shared: not very much. When I did, it consisted of a bunch of random moments and projects and things to help me process the toughness.
So when my ‘BEST NINE’ came up, I was kind of indifferent to it. Last year, the common thread was obvious: ‘Happy Planner® land’ but this year my most popular haiku, my ‘done up’ self, a couple of images of trendy products, and a few posts that updated my followers with thoughtful captions made the cut. …oh, and Oprah.
It probably goes without saying at this point, but these things hardly make up what I consider to be the ‘best’ of this past year.
So last year Kristin & I posed our first Crafty Ass Female challenge:
#mytrue2017bestnine, and this year (DUH) we’re challenging you ladies again with: #mytrue2018BESTNINE.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Search what your #2018bestnine are, and assess the images that appear. What did followers and viewers find most appealing from your feed? Then reflect on what moments posted to your feed you would consider your TRUE best nine of 2018, and make a collage of THAT & tag it #mytrue2018bestnine so all us Crafty Ass Females can see!
Below you can see my own assessment of what my TRUE 2018 best nine captured + shared moments of the year are that perhaps we’re so generically trendy:
My chosen ‘BEST’ are not nearly as random. I totally sense a theme NOW: authentic connections to other souls - who love me and who I love back. People and pets and myself. THAT has been - no question - the best content this year — the stuff that’d I want to experience and reexperience over again - the moments with the most value.
The ones I chose above are as follows:
1) The surprise birthday party my sister & I threw our mom for her 60th birthday in April. My Grandma made it up from Florida to be there, my mom’s cousins, neighbors, co-workers, all were there to honor her, and every time we looked over at mom, she was enjoying herself...and that’s what it’s all about. THE BEST.
2) My cat Alejandro’s ‘HUG PARTY’ routine he started this year: when he knows I'm moving around the apartment & there's a chance I might pass him, he'll jump up on this cat tree in my bedroom so we’re eye-level, peek his fat head from behind that wall, and 'ask' for what I've been calling a 'hug party'. It's basically me taking a break from whatever I'm doing to pet him like crazy, rub our heads together, and talk sweet things to him for about 3 minutes, and it's been our favorite. THE BEST.
3) One of John & my most relaxing dates: when we drove to Pizza Barn in Yonkers to share a famous Super Slice! John had talked about going, and tried to twice before this with no success, so I made sure our schedules were cleared the last Saturday in April and made it a priority to have us go. I’ve been grieving over the fact that we didn’t work out and thinking back fondly on the small, calm moments like this that we shared. They were THE BEST. I miss him.
4) That NYC trip that ended in this Ace Hotel photostrip with Kristin! Kristin has become a great friend this year thanks to our collaboration on Crafty Ass Female, and this photostrip captures it perfectly! I’m so proud of everything we’ve been able to do, and grateful for all her support and encouragement this past year. THE BEST.
5) Oh, Raelyn, the youngest member of our femsquad! She is our magic - our Raelyn of sunshine - and this year her almost-2-year-old self started walking and talking and dancing and swimming, and I’m so grateful to have witnessed it and captured this day she spent splashing in my mom’s backyard. THE BEST.
6) All the crafty ass female souls I connected with via the podcast this year was nothing short of miracle sent down from the heavens. Getting to talk to Ali Edwards not just once, but TWICE (!!!) about crafting and life and profound deep stuff was a dream come true, I can’t even begin to tell you. And not just Ali, but every guest we’ve had…every single guest gracing us with their knowledge, experience, presence, love, relatablity, honesty, and heart…it taught ME so much more about myself, that it HAD to have done the same for our listeners. THE BEST.
7) Grams: the oldest member of our femsquad. This photo of Grams, me, and my sister was taken the week she came up from Florida to surprise the family on Easter + attend mom’s 60th birthday. I captured mom bursting out crying, and Grams’s hilarious stories during Sunday brunch at the table with my family. Hearing her tell her stories never gets old. Laughing with my Grandma is pure joy. THE BEST.
8) John took this photo of me and Carmen sleeping together on the couch, and I’m so glad he did. It’s a great summation of how I felt most of this year: in need of rest and a regroup. This moment is so special to me because it shows one of my two best buddies right there with me. I also had a scare with her earlier this year thinking she might not make it to the end of summer, let alone the new year. She had major surgery and the vet said something about t-cell lymphoma, but thankfully, she’s been alright. No warning signs or need to go on any medications, and we’re all hoping the vet was just…wrong. But this, right here, me and my girl together getting the rest that we need: THE BEST.
9) Finally, I chose this image I self-timed of myself working barefoot in my apartment because it’s the perfect captured moment of my enoughness and my connectedness to MY soul. I am capable on my own, I am creative and resourceful, and I am good and deserving of all things good. This has been the most important and hardest lesson not just of this year, but of my life, and 2018 brought me to my knees and cracked me open enough to begin to receive it. I have a lot more learning to do, but this image, right here, gives me a visual…and that is…JUST…THE BEST.
