2022 Will Not Be 2020 (Too).
Hey y'all,
The building is quiet. Everyone has gone home to get ready for the New Year's plans, or they are traveling, or they have just gone home to take a much needed break. The building is quiet. I said that twice, didn't I? That is because it rarely happens.
As I sit here alone and reflect over the last year, I find myself in tears with an overwhelming but equal parts of humility and gratitude. I left corporate America in November of 2019 and had no idea how this would go and what Dixie Grace had in store for me, now all of us. As soon as I got into the swing of things, designed new lines to launch - Covid-19 hit. I sat with my head in my hands crying and didn't know how we'd survive.
Yet, here we are. If you're reading this, you survived it too. We're all a little scarred, weary, tired, grieving for those we lost, but we are here, almost two years later. Nice to see you on the other side. We made it through a global pandemic (we're moving to endemic stage now). But still - Holy shit. Think about that.
My wish for all of us, myself and you, is that 2022 becomes the year we move forward - personally, professionally, mentally, physically, emotionally. We find kindness and mutual respect for each other again as we step back into this world to rebuild our communities and each other. I don't want to go back to the way things were, I don't think we can. What we can do is become better, wiser, more patient. We can make the conscious decision to stop being burned out, overwhelmed, and tired. We can make the decision to change things for the better, but it will take all of us. We will continue to burnout if we do not fix the things burning us out, and if we don't fix those things - 2022 will become 2020 (too).
There are so many things we have been working on in the background this year as we have tried to keep up with our growth. Exciting things. Things I didn't think were ever possible and things I thought were years down the road for us. None of these things are possible, Dixie Grace is NOT possible without each of YOU. My goal in Dixie Grace was always to build a brand bigger than myself, a way of life that valued the WORK, versus just a single face or product. To watch Dixie Grace tell her own story, find her own path, and watch her grow, to watch people fall in love with Dixie Grace and for our team to also have the overwhelming sense of gratitude, accomplishment, and sheer joy that I have - it's not replaceable. It's truly special and it's a blessing I will never take for granted.
So thank YOU. From all of us to you - for making Dixie Grace what it is today and what she will continue to become in the future. Our cup runneth over.
Katie & The Dixie Grace Team