Happy New Year 2017

At last! A new year! New chances, new plans, new ideas, a fresh start. Good bye horrible 2016, welcome 2017!

Last night we said goodbye to a year that felt like the Earth had accidentally collided with a black hole that sucked us into a strange parallel universe. Brexit, Trump, David Bowie, Allan Rickman, Prince, Carrie Fisher, Nice, Berlin, Syria… so many gone too early, so many people killed by war and extremists. And because we complained a lot in 2016, I decided last night that I want to be more positive this year. So I made little lists of „5 things that made me happy/I love“ in the past year.

MUSIC

• Agnes Obel – Citizens of Glass
• Alice Phoebe Lou – Orbit
• John Barry – Beat Girl
• Poppy Ackroyd – Feathers
• OST – Stranger Things

TV/MOVIES

• Stranger Things
• The Crown
• Carol
• Fantastic Beasts and where to find them
• Girlmore Girls

MOMENTS

• sitting on the beach in Brighton/collecting stones
• Berliner Flußbad Pokal
• picnic at Highclere Castle
• Gilmore Girls weekend with best friend
• Amsterdam in the rain

BOOKS

• Neil Gaiman – Neverwhere
• Ransom Riggs – Miss Peregrine series
• Elizabeth Gaskell – Cranford
• Randall Munroe – What If

I will continue to make such lists as the year progresses because in times when everything seems to fall apart it is important to concentrate on the little things, the everyday things. And we will realize that not everything is bad and desperate and that we don’t need expensive holidays or new clothes everyday to make us happy. Friends, a good book, music, an afternoon at the sea, a nice cup of tea on a rainy afternoon… that’s enough and good for the soul in stressful moments.