Thursday, December 31, 2020

Happy New Year!

To all my friends and readers, a very Happy New Year! 

May it be kind and healthy to you and yours! 



There was a lot of chaos, grief and sorrow in the world this year, and like you I'm feeling completely overwhelmed at times. There were some losses and disappointments, and a lot of frustration. But there also were some extremely important lessons we've learned and continue learning both as a society and as individuals. So while we are eager to drop all the unpleasantness, leave it behind ourselves, some of those painful lessons of 2020 we ought to take with us moving forward as humanity. We must always remember just how fragile and how significant every person's life is. How much depends on ourselves, how powerful our choices are. We must be kinder to one another, to learn to appreciate each other more sincerely and love more deeply. We must remember that home is where we are, both in the most literal and the broader sense, remember that if we are not happy with ourselves, we won't be happy anywhere.




And even though I'm feeling overwhelmed and anxious at times, just as are so many of you in all the corners of the world, I am also thankful to the old year. It made so much clearer what is really important. I'm thankful for my family here in America and my family back in Russia, for being able to have our home, for the old friends, their number is small, who are loyal and choose to remain close even though there are thousands of miles and oceans between us. I'm thankful for my students who give me the inspiration for my work, asking to send them homework even though they are officially on a break. I'm thankful for the return of some old hobbies, and gaining one or two new ones which brighten the long winter evenings. I'm thankful for the beautiful vintage piano which was a huge surprise just a couple days before Christmas, and for my fingers that remember music after almost 40 years of not even touching the instrument. And I am thankful that I can play with my wardrobe, write and hopefully inspire you, even if only rarely these days.  


I hope that each of you, my friends, can find things to be thankful for. And if it's hard to find even one, remember that you are not alone. We all go through hard times in our lives. These things to be grateful for, they don't have to be grandiose, just something that warms your heart when you think about it. Hold on to it, and like tending a fire, your gratitude will grow as well. Happy, peaceful, beautiful New Year to you!


Dress and coat - Eloquii
Jewelry - vintage finds
shoes - AGL (old)
haircut by Erica

Photos by Justin

21 comments:

  1. Happy New Year Natalia. Joy and health for you and your family. ♥
    You look stunning in this wonderful dress.
    With a very huge hug and much love Tina

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    1. Danke shon, liebe Tina! Happy New Year to you and yours!

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  2. thank very much for your wise and warm words - dear natalia!!
    and congrats to the piano and that you´r able to play again - wonderful! you look gorgeous in this chic dress - its colours sing with your teint. cool coat too!
    wish you and your family a healthy and happy new year!
    big hugses! xxxxx <3 <3 <3
    ps: love that mirror and tiffany lamp in the background :-D

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    1. Thank you so much, dearest Beate! Happy New Year to you and your wonderful family, R & L. Lots of love!

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  3. Haven't read this yet, but: I ordered this dress! I love it for my (our!) colouring. Now I know it will hang long on me too.

    Love the lamp. I have similar ones.

    Since you and I last chatted, I have continued doing my Jewish genealogy and have found Russian family in Russia! So cool.

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    1. You will look gorgeous in this dress, Charlotte! It's easy enough to shorten the skirt. Happy New Year!

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  4. A very kind and lovely post by a kind and lovely woman! I hope you have a special end of year, and woke up in the New Year to a world full of opportunities and possibilities-as I wish for myself and all others.

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    1. Thank you for your warm comment, dear Sam! Happy New Year to you and yours!

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  5. What a heart-warming post, Natalia! There have been many things to be thankful for in 2020 for me as well, but there's been a lot of sadness too. I can be happy and content for days, even weeks, and then suddenly the tears come out of nowhere. I had such a day yesterday, and I have learned to just go with the flow. And look, today was a much brighter one.
    How lovely that your fingers remembered what to do, so that you can play that beautiful vintage piano. And your dress is absolutely stunning. You look amazing! Sending you loads of love xxx

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    1. Thank you so much, dearest Ann! It's an extremely trying time. Take a good care, my friend!

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  6. Thank you for the this thoughtful and eloquent post. I especially savored the thought that each life is fragile and significant and that our quality of life depends on our choices - powerful choices made in love and harmony create a quality life, no matter the external circumstances. (I added that last bit myself. Ha!). It was a lot to learn in a year and as you and everyone else said, there were tears and tirades to interrupt (or stimulate) the learning. You look fabulous, Natalia. Not only pretty but strong and audacious. Keep going! I always get excited when I see you've posted. xo karen (your friend from the nearby border north).

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    1. Thank you so much, Karen! I'm always looking forward to your thoughtful comments, we are like-minded. Lots of love!

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  7. Happy New Year, dear Natalia!
    (I'm late, but wish you a fabulous year)
    besos

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  8. Dear Natalia, all the best for you and the family as well for 2021! Expecting another kind of year seems all our dreams round the world, allthough nothing seems to be another at these times. Oh, a new-old piano! So great. I started playing again after 55 years 2 years ago, when I brought an old violin for my husband to play. He did it last time 70 years ago, so he told me , his fingers with ahtrosis would even not be able to do it...but took the violin and...played. Not for Carnegie Hall, but for the two of us, that`s all that counts. I love your text, cause of the things you are thankfull about. We have to be more, cause its the only line we can hold on. Send you love, Sunni

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    1. Thank you, dear Sunni! I am amazed by you and your husband! No Carnegie Hall here either, but it's great fun to discover that I still remember something! The piano has changed the whole atmosphere of our home. Lots of love!

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  9. What musical talent you must have to still remember playing after all those years. The vintage piano looks great, so nice you got it. You look wonderfully stylish and feminine in your beautiful dress and coat. I noticed the portrait painting Shawna made of you in 2015 on one of your shelves. I always liked it, there's something magical about it, just feels very spontaneous and warm. I enjoyed reading about things you've grateful for and I agree we need to be grateful
    I wish you all the best in 2021 to you and your family!

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    1. Thank you, dear Ivana! I am looking forward the day I unpack all my things after our moving, and display all the art - including yours!! As for my musical talent, my teacher told my Mom that I was her best student. Unfortunately, I had to quit and never really continued learning. I regret it now, but I'm not dead yet, right? ;))

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    2. Yes, it's never too late to learn something or to get better at something.

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  10. Witaj:))))wspaniale wyglądasz w tej sukience:)))Pozdrawiam serdecznie i również szczęśliwego Nowego Roku życzę:)))

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