HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND MY WORD FOR 2013

As I do not really like to have any new years resolutions I figured I could also just choose a word for the year that I will try to keep in mind and that I will try to incooporate into my daily life. 

And after some thinking I decided that my word for 2013 would be hospitality.

Since living in a „new city“ (been actually living here for 3 years already), a 5 hour train ride away from my home town, my family and my old friends making new friends had become a big deal in my life. 

Plus I'm rather picky concerning friends.

But with the discovery of the Kinfolk magazine I suddenly became inspired to really take this matter into my own hands.

The Kinfolk magazine declares itself as a growing community of artists

 with a shared interest in small gatherings.

„We recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us. We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love.

Every element of Kinfolk—the features, photography, and general aesthetics—are consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived. Kinfolk is the marriage of our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends. “

- manifesto from their website www.kinfolkmag.com

This wonderful outlet of creativity functions as a source of inspiration to those who long to spend afternoons with friends playing card games, having whimsical little get-togethers on a porch and to those who just never dared to take the first step and introduce themselves to their neighbors.

Of course, I immediately ordered all the volumes I could get a hand on. So far I received a copy of Volume 6, no. 5 is on the way. Flicking through my copy I already got so much out of it.

Especially one story spoke to me. 

A story of a woman, new in town and living in an apartment complex. 

She had some problems with making new friends (I guess she was a rather introverted – just like me) and as she finally got over it she discovered the loveliest way to get in to touch with her neighbors. 

She left them little thoughtful presents in front of their entrance door. 

And quickly after that she found herself engaged in some wonderful new friendships and spent mornings having breakfast at their neighbors apartment and felt like she finally was able to take root. 

This year I want to take the inspiration behind the Kinfolk Magazine and its stories and live with this one word in mind: „hospitality“. I want to create room for having small gatherings. I want to have a place where people want to go. I partly think I already do have such a place actually ;) but I'm afraid most people we've invited feel like they can't just stop by and maybe have a cup of tea or two if they feel like it. I want to chance that. I want my friends to know they can come over. I want to create memories for and with them in my own four walls or perhaps even somewhere in the woods in a cabin or on a lake by a bonfire (yeah, I know – these are pretty idealistic, romantic and naive thoughts – but let a girl dream, won't you?) 

Just open up and give with open hands. Then you will receive.