The Best of 2015

{Image courtesy of the delightful Julie Williams Photography.}2015 was a curious mix of saying yes to new and exciting projects (the podcast! our workshops! The Bloom!) and realising I'd bitten off way more than my slow-living self could chew (taking a long-term blog sabbatical! closing The Bloom after only a few months! succumbing to overwhelm and pnuemonia!)Personally I've found it both incredibly challenging and wonderfully rewarding, and can already see that the things I've learnt this year will act as a strong foundation for an even more intentional year in 2016.I've learnt a lot about passion, focus and saying no, and that I need to get better at the last two.I've learnt about the joy of taking a risk and seeing what happens.I've learnt that my personality isn't naturally inclined to slow living, but it certainly benefits a great deal from it.I've learnt that my challenges and obstacles aren't unusual and I'm not alone in trying to overcome them.I've learnt that I need to create boundaries for myself, and that if I respect them, others (almost always) will too.I've learnt that The Joneses don't hold a lot of appeal anymore and many, many people are looking for another way - a simpler, slower way.It's been such a big year of discovery and learning and mistakes and finding my feet, and I just want to say thank you for being part of it. I appreciate you endlessly and think you're ridiculously awesome. As far as highlights go, we launched The Slow Home Podcast earlier in the year and have reached more than half a million downloads since May, and this website has connected with more than 1 million people since January. I can't tell you how crazy those numbers sound to me.We were also named by iTunes as one of the top new podcasts of 2015, and reached Number 1 in Australia. Again, none of that would have happened without you, so many thanks for reading, listening, sharing and commenting.I can't pick favourite episodes of the podcast as they've all been fascinating and inspiring to me, but in terms of downloads and comments, some of the most popular episodes have been:

• Courtney Carver on health, minimalism and tiny wardrobes
• Rhonda Hetzel on living a simple life
• Kelly Exeter on white space and deliberate inefficiencies
• Cait Flanders on simple money and mindful budgeting
• Sam Lustgarten on living a frugal life
• What's the best part of slow living? 
• A very hostful holiday

And before I took my long-term blog sabbatical, these posts resonated most this year:

• Ignore the shoulds. Do something you love.
• Inside my minimalist wardrobe
• A vacuum-less life (NOT about a vacuum cleaner!)
• Don't be impressed with busy-ness. Be impressed with intention.
• This season's must-haves
• Donate or sell? What to do with unwanted stuff?
• Rethink. Reset.

And just for fun, these are a list of some of my favourite things of 2015:

• Best Book: Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow
• Other Best Book: Yes Please! by Amy Poehler
• Best TV Show: The Walking Dead
• Other Best TV Show: Parks and Rec
• Best Album: Sing to the night by Shred Kelly

Thanks again for a cracking good year, and here's to a wonderful holiday season, a restful and safe break, and an amazing 2016!I'm taking time offline between now and mid-January, but I'll see you on the flip side.Much love. xx