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<p>The confetti has settled, and headaches have eased as the realization of a clean slate pours new life into a world dim with indifference. January is a sharpened pencil, brand new sneakers, and folded laundry wrapped into one potential-ridden month.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>As if the world as a whole wakes with a deep inhale of wonder and promise, we brush the dust off another challenging year and forward our gaze with hope and optimism.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The sense of renewal is palpable as the door is closed on 2021. The roaring 20s re-imagined as the decade gives historians a future. It's a novel of great intrigue, tragedy, good versus evil, and the rise and fall of leaders tasked with the impossible.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Our feet steady, hands coarsened from pulling bootstraps, and our resolve from years of tribulation solidified as we cautiously turn the corner into 2022.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Like any patriots, we do our part. Loudly proclaiming our abstinence from alcohol, sign up for every gym within 10 miles, and vow to pry ourselves from Netflix. We clean our homes from entryway to the attic, rid our pantries of taste and swear off the habits we love most. It's a tradition. As the tree comes down, our contribution to humanity goes up.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>We begin the year sober, hungry, and sore from overly confident workouts with fierce determination. Change somehow seems counterproductive in one fell swoop, causing our momentum to dwindle. We are compelled to accept the things we cannot change, find the courage to change the things we can, and have the wisdom to replenish our pantries with something other than kale.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>January beckons us to change all we are, all we do, and those around us. However, all we are, all we do, and all those around us are what got us through the previous year.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Our instincts are to change, do more, be more, and earn more. Less alcohol, more greens, and fitting a book between binge-watching Yellowstone is never a bad idea; however, acknowledging our resilience despite imperfections allows us the grace to ease ourselves into a new year with less elimination and more congratulation.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>We made it through another year of unprecedented challenges. Our story is one for the ages, and kale is overrated. Happy 2022, Beaufort.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><em>Cherimie Crane Weatherford is the owner/founder of SugarBelle, a long-time real estate broker and a lover of the obscurities of southern culture. To contact her with praise and adoration, email CCWIslandNews@gmail.com. To complain, call your local representative. </em></p>
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