2014, off to a perfect slow + simple start

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

In my quest for a slower, more simple lifestyle I thought that my New Year's should reflect this new philosophy of mine... a philosophy that I hope to instill in my children... Life isn't about running around like crazy, trying to cram in as much as possible, it's about making choices, picking a few events and savoring them, enjoying them... taking in as much as possible so that the memories linger and the smiles that are created linger, and hopefully last a lifetime. It's taken me a long time to understand that less really is more. Savor, enjoy, relish...

Our New Year's eve was slow and lovely... we eased into the night gently... I didn't go crazy over prepping and cooking, instead we opted to have sushi, champagne and chocolate fondue. We ate in stages, slowly, lingering over our delicious treats. We lit a fire and watched a movie and then turned the television on to watch the ball drop. We sipped champagne and adjusted the fire, allowing it to completely put us at rest, to warm our hearts and our souls. We bid farewell to one year and welcomed a new one with open arms. Shortly after Midnight, when the fire had subsided, we turned down the heat, turned off the lights, our hearts light, our stomachs satiated, our bodies warm, and climbed into bed. We fell asleep as a new year and a new day had already begun...

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House


I woke up this morning to darkness all around me. I tried to get back to sleep but my mind wasn't about to settle down and my body seemed to want to follow suit. I trudged down the long corridor, bare feet cold on the hardwood floors, and made my way into the kitchen to prepare a mug of coffee. I moved without thought, my body programmed to go through the early morning motions, and settled onto the couch with my coffee, blankets and television remote. Outside the sky was still dark with a purple undertone... the house was quiet, the children still asleep. I built another fire.

I need to ease into my day slowly. I've always been this way. I cannot wake up, jump into the shower and dash out of the house, I must start my day slowly, deliberately, with purpose and with the pace of the snail. This allows me to think about the day ahead and plan accordingly. I need to savor my morning coffee, not toss it back as though I'm taking an aspirin with a glass of water. And so this morning began like every other morning. But it was a new morning. It was the first morning in the new year. And from my couch, I can look out my over-sized window and watch the world around me. During the cooler months it's most spectacular, for the bare branches allow me to see for as far as the eye can see. I can see toward Long Island, all the way across the sound. In the early morning I can watch a new day dawn. There is no sight as lovely as the sky before the sun actually rises. A sherbet like rainbow of colors fills the horizon with pale greys, lavenders, pinks and oranges... and the colors then shift, becoming bolder and stronger until the bright red ball appears, a sign perhaps, that we now have permission to leap forward and seize the day. I'll seize the day, but I will do so slowly... I'll spend much of my day writing and planning my new year!


Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Happy New Year to you all - I wish you all health, happiness and prosperity... and I hope you all take the time to have a slow and simple year and savor all the wonderful things that will come your way!

Jessica