Hello dear readers, and Happy 2019! I recognize this comes nearly a month into the new year, and perhaps even as a bit of a surprise, considering the blog has been virtually silent since November.
I know I don’t need to justify our absence here, and I won’t go into all the details, but I really wanted to share that this space has not been forgotten and that we’re confident we’ll get back to sharing here regularly, very soon.
In short, 2018 was the most mentally, emotionally, and physically challenging and draining year either of us has ever experienced. While there were loads of highlights peppered in, there were also some really devastating (and unexpected) blows when it came to our families, health, finances, and careers. We’ve had hard months and years before, but 2018, especially its tail end, really did a number on us, and we’ve been busting our butts to reset the sails and start heading back in the right direction again — and while the seas have calmed a little with the new year, there have still been some pretty wild waves we’re trying to ride out.
As much as we longed to bring ourselves back to Beard + Bloom time and again during this season of our lives, we simply didn’t have the capacity to do so. I’ve spent the first several weeks of the year doing some massive soul-searching, and part of what I thought long and hard about was whether or not blogging was still something that I want to throw my efforts into, something that I still find fulfilling. Every time, I landed on, “absolutely.” And so, here I am.
We’re hopeful that this year will be better, but we also recognize that, just because the calendar flipped over to a “fresh start,” a “clean slate,” it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t believe in the promise of a better year, and more importantly, work for it.
Changes, even when they aren’t your choice, have all the potential to be good, but if 2018 taught us anything, it’s that, unfortunately, it can take awhile for you to catch up and to understand what the universe is throwing at you and why. And that’s exactly what we’re in the midst of doing now.
Fortunately, we think Beard + Bloom is exactly what we need to keep us inspired as we keep pressing forward and figuring it all out.
We’re glad to be back.
xo, Aly & Jeremy
Image source: Pexels / Simon Matzinger