I can hardly believe it, but this is the 11th “Things I’ve Learned” post I’ve shared! I love these annual posts—they’re a fabulous way to reflect on the year that has passed and think about what I want to bring into the following year. I also love hearing about what you’ve learned in the comments ❤️
Welcome to my final post of 2021; this year’s “Things I Learned” post. I was rather surprised to find that this year’s post marks ten years of capping off the Humblebee & Me year with a list of learnings and reflections! I love the introspection and reflection that this post inspires in myself and in the comments. Here’s what I learned in 2021; what did you learn?
Welcome to the last day (and the last post) of 2020. Phew. We made it, guys. That’s a thing to be grateful for every year, but even more so this year. This year has been a doozy, to put it very lightly. It’s been full of challenges, changes, lessons, reflections, worry, and a lot of time at home with my dog and mug after mug of tea. If you’ve been reading Humblebee & Me for a while you’ll know I share this entry towards the end of every year (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). It’s one of my favourites; I jump into this document all year as I have relevant thoughts and reflections, but tend to do the most work on it in the last six or so weeks of the year. Beyond the exercise in remembering and distilling lessons and experiences, I also love the comments on these posts, where you guys share what you learned in the past year. It’s really lovely. Thank you for joining me, once again, for things I learned—this time, in 2020.
I usually stud this entry with photos from my travels that year. That’s obviously not an option this year, so I’ve opted for favourite photos from fondly remembered trips in previous years.
Welcome to this year’s Things I Learned in post. These posts have become a bit of a tradition for me; a thing I keep in the back of my mind as I work through the year. This year featured quite a lot of change for me, as well as quite a lot of travel. I explored parts of Canada I’ve never seen, and revisited London and New Zealand. I got a dog; started preparing to move; and strengthened, started, and re-kindled relationships. I took up running again and ran my first 10km race, and I lived a lot of rather dull yet enjoyable days. I also learned a lot; here’s a selection of those lessons.
A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook asking for resources to learn how to better apply her makeup. This friend is a lovely, radiant, confident young woman, so I was pretty irked when I saw over half the replies were some variation on “you look so much better without makeup!” and “you don’t need it! You’re beautiful without it!”. I assume these remarks were made with good intentions, but as somebody who has devoted a pretty large part of her recent life to cosmetics, I hear these sorts of things a lot, and I’m sick of it. Here’s why.
With a bare handful of days left in 2016, it’s time for my annual “Things I Learned” post. I love this little tradition; I’ll usually start this entry mid-January of the year, and constantly come back to it throughout the year to read through it, add a new paragraph, revise, and reflect. I don’t talk about myself a whole lot on this blog, so it’s nice to have one entry a year that’s dedicated to a bit of introspection. This year has been a doozy—twelve months packed with change, growth, learning, and some pretty serious rug-out-from-under-my-feet moments. I made new friends and lost some, started some new relationships, and walked away from others. I woke up in the middle of the night panicking about lipstick and eye primer, traveled Europe for a month, and made a lot of things. It’s been great, with a bit of awful, and a lot of everything in between. It’s been 2016. Let’s dive in:
Make it Up: The Essential Guide to DIY Makeup and Skin Care is now available at booksellers all over the world!