Looking Back to Move Ahead
Here we are, Vibe Tribe, counting down the final days of 2023.
This year has brought so many adventures, so much joy, and so much growth for so many of us. The end of the year is often a time of reflection, as well as a time to celebrate and rejoice. It is a time of honoring traditions of the past, creating new ones, and viewing the world with child-like delight and wonder.
This unique and beautiful combination of reflection and remembrance, specifically of our younger selves, is a perfect opportunity to think about those childhood dreams, hopes and habits that we may have set aside along our journey into adulthood.
In this vein, for this final post of 2023, we asked our Vibe Guides to share with us which aspects of their childhood have guided them to where they are now, and what fragments of their youth they want to reinvigorate and bring forth into this coming year.
Vibe Guide Toni had this reflection to share with us: “I grew up in a very ‘simple’ town. And my family lived a very ‘simple’ life. Nothing was over the top, fancy, over done. Just… simple. It was good for me as a child to grow up this way, but I really didn’t know any different. It helped me focus on what mattered most to me at the time. So for me, a childhood habit I would like to rebuild in 2024 is ‘keeping it simple’ - to not complicate anything more than it needs to be. I want to resurface those innocent moments of my childhood and go back to basics - to the foundation that helped build who I am today.”
Vibe Guide Alena is hoping to revive a different aspect of her childhood, as she shares: “The childhood habit that I would like to bring into this year is awe. As a child, so many things, as simple as they were, felt amazing to me. The awe of walking into a museum. Of looking up at the trees in the forest. Of my ability and desire to try new things, just for fun. The older I get, the smaller the world feels. I want to reverse that in my mind. This year I want to bring back the feeling of being a small piece of a world that is so much bigger than me—a world that is worth being curious about.”
Vibe Guide Jada shared how her reflection has increased her gratitude regarding her journey: “Child me was obsessed with dance and enjoyed learning about music and all aspects of performance. I think kid me would be insanely happy and proud that I am still dancing and teaching others dance too.”
Co-owner and Vibe Guide Kristine shares with us traditions and memories that are guiding her through the season and beyond. Regarding childhood traditions, she shares: “I used to go to NYC every Christmas with my family. This year we are taking our kids to see a show and see all the magic of the holidays - seeing the Rockefeller tree light up, hearing the holiday music, walking past the magically decorated shopping windows, and feeling the nostalgia of the holiday season just like you see in the movies. Being in NYC brought back the innocence of childhood dreams where the Christmas spirit is alive and real.”
Regarding reviving childhood habits and experiences, she shares: “My extended family (aunts and uncles) used to rent a few houses side by side at the beach in Hilton Head, and I always looked forward to going each summer. As our family has grown older, and as my cousins and I now have kids of our own, it’s been harder to plan such a big trip, but I'm hoping we can figure out a way to plan something like that again in the future. Maybe not in the same place, but all going somewhere together on vacation so the kids can have that same experience as I did growing up.”
Vibe Guide Jen also took a moment to reflect, and to share her hopes with us: “I want to revisit the idea of approaching everything in my life with a childlike wonder and innocence that I was lucky to have growing up. When you’re a child you have a deeper sense of imagination, the brain is more absorbent and creative, and in turn everything feels more magical, but also somehow that magic is accessible to you in your mind. I think there is such an importance to returning to that and preserving that in adulthood - to nurturing that inner child. I have found myself putting on a hardened exterior in some relationships /situations as a coping mechanism to avoid being hurt, and sometimes that really is necessary for survival. But in all honesty I feel best when I wear my heart on my sleeve - it might expose my feelings or make me more vulnerable to being wounded, but I will take that in stride if I’m able to view the world with a fresh set of childlike eyes even when everything feels cynical.”
Finally, Vibe Guide Laura shares her perspective: “I am VERY in touch with my inner child. I still play sports, I feel the need to put stickers on everything and one of my favorite things to do is eat candy and watch scary movies - just as I did when I was a kid. I equate my inner child with joy and being care free and not caring about what anyone thinks because I’m too damn busy having fun. With the new year I hope to bring out my inner child even more. I hope to have WAY more good days than bad - I hope to let more things roll off my back- and I hope to not let anyone or anything steal my joy.”
So whether it’s boundless excitement and curiosity for what lies ahead, sharing generations-old activities and recipes with your families, or even just taking a moment to remember when you felt safe and loved, we hope that 2024 brings you opportunities to re-engage with the joys of youth, to reinvigorate old passions, and to reconnect with who you have always known yourself to be.
Thank you, Vibe Guides and Vibe Tribe for a wonderful 2023.
We can’t wait for all 2024 has in store!
