As you know, I don’t put much stock in the changing of the calendar year. But I do put stock in what you put stock in—much like the transformative power a beloved object holds after years of us cradling it. So I can feel your resignation and disappointment seeping away tonight—the hope you are harboring however cautiously—and I love it. More than that, I love you. To that end, I offer only one piece of advice for this upcoming year: Do what your heart tells you. Not your brain, not your pelvis, not your ego, not your fear, not your past, not anyone around you. If there is one thing 2020 taught us: there is no institution more powerful than love. Trust this energetic field. More than that: Embody it.
So may we inhabit our bodies respectfully and joyfully in 2021. May we eschew punishing exercise and diet and clothing in favor of whatever helps us relish our bodies even more. And may we be more lovingly present with each other—more sensual, even when we’re not sexual—when we once again can play, dance, dress, dine, hug, smooch, fuck freely. Physical freedom is a gift. When we regain it, let us treasure it accordingly.