newness

I love "newness"*. It triggers motivation for a fresh start. A clean slate that acts as a jumping off point from which we can dive into a pristine and unencumbered future.

A few new things I am loving at the moment...

1. New books.

I have been on a book spree lately, acquiring them at a much faster rate than I can absorb them.

Just a few of the books on my "to read" list...

2. New bedding.

A reward for finally accomplishing that room "detox" I have been resolving to do for months, modelled on this dreamy decor:

No, you're not going to see my real-life bed – I haven't made it yet today...

I still need to find the cushions, but new sheets and bedspread are always delightfully refreshing.

3. New sunglasses.

I had my eye on these for months. Originally, I wanted to get the Oliver Goldsmith "Audrey" sunglasses, but I concluded that the frames overwhelmed my face. These are perfect. They make me feel cooler. I don't think I'll ever actually be cool, though.

Cutler and Gross "D-Frame" 0261

There is a danger, I think, in becoming addicted to newness and using a lack of it as an excuse not to change or adjust bad habits. Let's not forget the magic of rediscovering or reworking old gems, which is equally satisfying and wholly inspiring. Not only that, but newness is relative, and tangible. A preoccupation with it can lead to needless accumulation. I know this all too well, and, trust me, it doesn't get you anywhere, except backwards.**

"You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you."

“If you don’t know what you want, you end up with a lot you don’t.”

– Chuck Palahniuk***

* It's a word. I looked it up.

** Okay, so maybe I didn't need all the things on this page... only as much as a privileged 21-year-old living in a first-world country could ever need something... My old bedspread is covered in makeup stains, and I lost my last pair of sunglasses last December (did you know that exposing your retinas to UV rays causes your melanocytes to produce melanin erratically, resulting in permanently uneven pigmentation?) The surplus book tower is difficult to justify, although education is invaluable, yes?

*** Chuck Palahniuk is my boyfriend Andy's all-time favourite author. I can't read his books (too grim and gruesome - just read the synopsis for Snuff if you don't believe me) but Andy reads me tame extracts from time to time and he can be so clever and insightful. I just bought his new book, Tell All, as a present for Andy and, from what I can see, it doesn't seem too disgusting, so I may try it.