ED’S LETTER

NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS… this is what we’re all hoping to focus on this year…

1. This year is the first year that we won’t have a schoolgoing teenager in the house! I resolve never to make a lunchbox again, to loll around in bed for another 30 minutes every morning instead of racing through the school run and to go on holiday during school time (cheaper and quieter). I can’t wait. Happy New Year to us all! – Suzy Brokensha, editor

2. To try to embrace my empty nest syndrome with good grace and mindfulness and to use my `freedom’ to do more of the things I have been wanting to do for a long, long time. – Caryn McArthy, deputy ed and creative director

3. To learn to speak at least one foreign language. I am interested in Spanish, Italian and French. I’m leaning towards Italian first so that I can read the menus when ordering pizza (my favourite!) on my dream trip to Italy! – Crystal Matthews, managing editor

4. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I think this year I’d like to take a trip somewhere with my mom. She’s only really been overseas once, and that took quite a disastrous turn when all her luggage was stolen off the train in Italy. (It shouldn’t be too hard to improve on that, surely?) Now I just need to find a destination that has some old-world charm, nice sandy beaches and isn’t too expensive on the rand. I’m hoping that such a place exists... – Liesl Robertson, features editor

5. The top priority on my to-do list is organising myself better, decluttering and attending to those long-neglected tasks around the house. And, one of my secret desires is to improve my baking skills. I know patisserie quality is not even an option; all I want is to bake a damn good chocolate cake! Also, I need to stop overthinking everything, stress less and spend all my free time with my little girl (more dancing to nursery songs… yay!). – Tasneem Larney, content manager/ test house editor

6. My 2018 started on the sofa, watching movies. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2017 and had the six-hour operation over Christmas. So I spent the first two months of 2018 moving between the sofa, bed and little walks in the garden. Two months of sick leave gave me time to reflect, put things into perspective and to realise that I wasted so much energy stressing about things I can’t change. I don’t have a New Year`s resolution for 2019 but want to carry on doing what I was doing in 2018 – that is, maintain a positive attitude and fighting spirit, continue to laugh and be silly, and spend time with the people who were so supportive and showered me with an abundance of love during a very difficult time. – Roxanne Cloete, brand manager

7. I went on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca last year and felt a subtle but profound shift. I want to explore that shift, Insha’Allah, and anchor my life on kindness, small simple pleasures and most of all, gratitude. – Sameena Amien, chief subeditor

8. To appreciate and enjoy every day. Be happy, spend more time with my family and let tomorrow sort itself out. I feel blessed to be where I am right now. Happy New Year! – Washiefa Larney, picture editor

9. I have decided this year that I won’t set myself up and make New Year’s resolutions as I never seem to think about them again once they are printed (shamefully, a true story!) Rather, this time round I know what I need to improve and focus on, and in all honesty, I am sure I share these with many other people. That said, they are health, fitness, saving all that can be saved, from animals to money and my sanity (if it is not too late lol) – and just to be kind. Kindness can transform any given moment, someone’s day, outlook or life. To smile, laugh and find the happiness we were all meant to know, instead of the daily stress. And last but not least, to give where I can. – Janine Nortjé, senior designer

10. So here we are again: that dreaded time of the year where `New Year, New Me’ is emblazoned all over the place. This year I have given up on New Year’s resolutions. Honestly, I don’t feel like sticking or committing to anything! As my kids would say: `Let’s wing it!’ And that is exactly what I’m going to do. – Liezel Dukes, production

11. 118 deployments, 15 654 training hours, 5 360 standby hours, and 207 members. On their own, these numbers may not mean much. But they are statistics for the Volunteer and Wildlife Services. My New Year’s resolution is to be entered in these records as a volunteer. Every year, at Media24, we have to spend three days doing volunteer work, an opportunity I always look forward to. However, volunteering for the Wildlife Services means more to me than just three days; it is a journey I want to be involved in, with its ample opportunities that are not just limited to firefighting, but other services such as driving, logistics, fundraising and events. For me, 2019 is about getting my hands dirty holding the line against forest and veld fires, and giving back in ways that enrich the environment and communities. – Johan Alberts, retoucher

12. Ironically, for someone who rarely voices her views much, `Sinelizwi’ means `having a voice’. My New Year’s resolution is to find that voice. More often than not I tend to doubt it. I love challenges, so listening, learning, and understanding became something I am good at because I invest the time. However, that is inward work. In 2019, I want to overcome the fear of speaking out, especially about things I know a little something about or am experienced in. Most people speak their minds naturally; others find their voice a lot later. I fall in the latter category, and I am resolute that my voice will not only be limited to the page, but will be audible in the spaces I occupy in 2019. – Sinelizwi Ncaluka, features intern

13. This year I want to strengthen my connection with nature, I’ve always wanted to do something that scares me a little. Learning how to sail is at the top of that list, so here’s to harnessing the wind. – Liza van Deventer, photographer

14. In 2019, I want to befriend myself again. I’ve made the decision to invest in meaningful relationships, I plan to spend less time in negative spaces and around negative people—basically I will stop passively existing and try to live life more actively. – Andile Nkosi, marketing assistant

15. To stop apologising so much. 2018 was the year of `I’m so sorry’ for me. And though there’s nothing wrong with being apologetic when you are in the wrong, I started saying it even if I wasn’t at fault, and it hurt my self-esteem quite a lot. So for 2019 I’m going to make an effort to avoid saying sorry for everything and rather replace it with something more valuable – like solutions. – Charis Torrance, features writer

16. Take time to do the things that give me joy. Yes, I know. It sounds like the kind of schmaltz that tiresome Facebook `friends’ post and insist on tagging you in on. But the sentiment has only just hit home. We’ve all felt the frustrations of the year, what with crime, SARS, Trump, people, the world… And `just be positive’ is too impractical a directive. Instead, I’m going to do more of what I love: spend the better part of a day reading (you can tell I don’t have kids), binge on podcasts, stick to my weekly hikes, play more music (loudly) and boldly claim alone-time without feeling guilty. – Maya Morgan, subeditor