21 Things I Learned In 2021

Although you get wiser with age, you also never stop learning. Can you imagine if we did? Stop learning, that is. That would be a very narrow, uninteresting, unexciting way to live out the rest of your life.

With each passing year, I like to look back and think about takeaways. They can be big and epiphany-level or they can be minute but somehow life-changing. It can be the simplest trick you learned that somehow made your life 10x easier, or it can be something incredibly monumental that changes the trajectory you’ve been on for years. I would say my 2021 had a bit of both, equally positive and negative.

Something monumental happened to me in 2021 that I may very well never share. It’s deeply personal (even for me, the over-sharer) and a part of my life experience that I’ve yet to decide if I’ll ever divulge to my reading audience. I don’t mean to dangle a carrot; I share this because it caused me to take such a fantastically deep dive into my psyche and self that I wasn’t prepared for. As much as I fancy myself an introspective, self-aware human, I quickly learned that I only ever really snorkeled around my soul without committing to the oxygen tank and wetsuit and truly scuba-diving in. It was intense. It was scary. It had me mixed up for months. I learned so much about myself that I thought I was already so familiar with, and although the cause of the deep dive wasn’t a happy thing, I am endlessly grateful for the work it forced me to do on myself. And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Now, onto lighter and brighter learnings of 2021.

I LOVE extra dirty martinis? Still hate eating olives on their own (pimentos can suck a dick), but can’t get enough of their salty, briny juice all up in my martini. Go figure.
Zac and I can go through hell and back and come out the other side stronger than before. He is my soup snake, and I learned that without a shadow of a doubt in 2021.
I can smoke weed and enjoy it! It just has to be 100% indica and in very small amounts. Hooray!
When you’re a control-freak and have 10 years of independence under your belt, moving in with a boy for the first time can be very stressful and anxiety-inducing. I learned it takes time to find your rhythm and feel at-home and that’s okay.
I learned what it really looks, sounds, and feels like to be a good partner. This will for sure be an ongoing lesson and, albeit a challenging one, the most rewarding.
Not that I didn’t already know this, but it was reinforced that I have the best friends in the world. No debate.
I learned that my “goal” as a social media presence is no longer to grow my audience by the hundreds and thousands. I don’t exist to constantly scheme HOW to appeal to more people. How tiresome. I learned I am extremely content with where I am and with being myself and that my main prerogative is to serve my existing audience the best I can every day and not worry about anyone else.
On that note, I also finally learned to accept the fact that spending your energy on trying to dissect why someone or someones may not like you is truly the biggest waste of time. All you can be is yourself, and if what you have to offer isn’t enough or too much or not what someone wants to hear, that’s on them. Not you.
I learned about Charlotte Stone shoes and want a pair of her sneakers so, so badly.
I learned that my new life goal is to life in Cape Elizabeth, Maine within the next 5-10 years and go on daily strolls around the lighthouse and play with our kids and dogs in the family park.
Oh. This was a big one. I learned how to apply blush in a new way that completely changed the appearance of my makeup. Watch that here.
I learned the aunt-love that all my friends have talked about and got to experience it in full force when my niece and nephew were born. It only grows stronger by the day.
I should’ve known this, but I learned that there’s no need to soap up a loofah and scrub the shit out of my vag. That simply hitting it with warm water will clean it because it’s self-cleaning anyway. For real.
I learned and accepted once and for all that MY ARMPITS ARE TOO STRONG FOR NATURAL DEO.
Ya know, I learned a lot about house stuff. I’ve never owned a home before or lived in a legitimate one besides my parents’, so moving in with Zac and becoming a homeowner by association has taught me a lot about the upkeep of a house.
NESPRESSO VERTUO PLUS IS THE FUCKING MOST INCREDIBLE AT-HOME COFFEE EVER. DON’T @ ME. Also, Stormio for life. Stormio with a pack of splenda, ALL DAY.
I learned to run! And by run I mean jog at 4.5-4.6, but it’s more than a walk, so fuck it! This was a huge lesson and massive accomplishment, and as I complete week 6 of this couch to 5k app, I am continuously in awe that non-runner Emma is FUCKING RUNNING.
I learned I am pretty much a wine snob now. Maybe “snob” is too strong a word, but it’s getting there. Or maybe it’s just getting older and appreciating better wine? IDK, but basically, if I open a wine, taste it, and hate it, it goes down the drain immediately. I do not have the time nor calories to waste on mediocre, tasteless wine. Thank you.
Hey. Ya know what? I learned that Hampton Inns are nice as hell and should not be overlooked when booking a trip to a place where you’ll be outside the hotel most of the time, anyway! They’re cleanly. They have free (yummy) breakfast. And they’re perfectly priced.
I learned that, with the massive ass bottles of Tide detergent, they’re meant to sit on top of your washing machine right above where you dump the soap in. That’s what the nozzle is for. If you’ve been following me for the last year, you’ll remember this moment of epiphany on Instagram. Greatest day of my domestic life, tbh.
I learned that I am “terrified” of marriage for an endless amount of irrational reasons, all of which stem from my own feelings of self worth and history of irrational anxiety. But for as anxious as I am, I also learned that I am thrilled for all that comes with it and cannot wait. Oh, I’ve also learned I don’t love wedding planning. Hehe.
So, in short, I learned that while I had the most introspective year of my life, I’m still the same ole’ Emma who is both terrified and mesmerized by life itself on the daily. I’m glad that hasn’t changed—keeps things interesting.