2022 surprised me.

A thief of sleep in an already-restless evening, I woke sore and alarmed to banging, cheering, honking. It must be midnight.

A joyful world outside my window ushered in an already-defiant year.

I closed my eyes, hoping to relax the muscles in my forehead enough—just enough—to send me back to dream while I whisper:

“Happy New Year.”

I’m not ashamed to admit I’m one of those annoying souls who lives for fresh starts. I get off on introspection, reflection, and meaning-making. Hand me a clean notebook to set some intentions and baby, oh, baby… game on.

So the week leading up to this all-holy of fresh starts—January 1st—is a special one for me.

I love the ritual of it all, writing and purging through the lessons of a year I’ve earned the right to say farewell to. I love the hope of it all, a clean slate to carefully map out all the magic I’m going to will into existence over these next twelve months.

Burn the book.

Open a new one.

There’s nothing that puts this heart at ease like the promise of a new beginning.

Sometimes, though, plans are disrupted. Sometimes these should-be inward days look like wrapping up end-of-year work tasks and navigating too-full holiday schedules and care-taking sick housemates and holding it all together until that most sacred day of page-turning.

And on that day, you find yourself sick in bed.

Unable to partake in the conjuring—instead, a weary mortal and modest witness to the ‘supposed to be’ version of it all.

But the quiet, heavy hours that came and went with psychedelic grace brought their own lessons. As I knew they would.

And I’ll sit with them, in this bed of twisted sheets, entrusting this new year with the mighty task of being the teacher I need her to be.

Deep belly belief that this particular start to these 365 days was the one I needed most.

May 2022 teach you all it is meant to teach you, friends.

I, for one, am already dazzled by her moxie.

Guest post by studio BE Co-founder and COO, Sara Crolick; originally posted on her instagram account @steadyshegoes.

When she's not busy managing the day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month (and beyond) tasks for her beloved tech start up, parenting three beautiful sons, and being the brightest light to everyone who knows her, Sara squeezes in time for writing—a practice that fills her cup.