In case you missed the news earlier this month: Sex & the City is being rebooted.
Carrie Bradshaw will be strutting back onto our screens again in her Manolo Blahnik’s alongside Charlotte and Miranda in a new 10-part spin-off series. Samantha isn’t joining the lineup though which means, as one of my friends quipped: “It’ll just be ‘the city’ returning then?!”
I had mixed feelings about the announcement, as you can see from my tweet at the time:
A couple of people from the Twitterverse agreed with me, acknowledging that you can’t always recreate the magic of what made a show so unique and ‘of its time’.
And it got me thinking (in true Carrie Bradshaw style, of course) about whether the past should stay, well, in the past?
The past gets a bad rap on social media.
We’re bombarded by ‘inspiring’ messages on how to live in the moment, stop procrastinating, look to the future, and chase our dreams. You know the kinda posts I’m referring to - the colour blocked text quotes your friends share on their Insta stories that are too darn small to read, so you squint your eyes for a split second, then swiftly tap ‘next’.
It seems that everyone is telling us that the past is a troublesome place and we should be quietly boxing it away.
But with life being so drab and depressing at the moment, I bet that - just like me - you’ve been unboxing a lot of stuff inside your mind recently and re-connecting with all your daily throwbacks on social. And that’s okay.
I’d say that replaying your past is very different to rewinding it, intent on pressing repeat.
When I reflect upon things, it helps me to explore decisions I’ve made, as well as my feelings towards different people or situations. By mulling over my mistakes, missed opportunities, achievements and favourite memories - I can figure out what I really want right here in the present. That’s gotta help steer the direction of my future, too, right? A worthwhile exercise then, I’d say…
But if we’re swept away by that blurry, romanticised sense of nostalgia, we might try to cherry pick say, a friendship, former crush, or even a burning ambition we once held, and slap a 2021 sticker on it. A foray into this place can be dangerous. You’ll yearn to recapture what once was and secretly hope it might even be better this time around.
But here’s the thing: stuff ends. Hearts break. People stop talking. Goals aren’t fulfilled.
And there’s always a reason why.
I get it though, sometimes the cliffhanger of a ‘what if’ is just too much and you want to know how the story could end.
Whenever I’ve been tempted to rekindle a lost friendship, connect with a guy that got away, or set in motion an ambition from 10 years ago - I always ask myself, why does this part of my past deserve a place in my future? And what’s going to be different this time, that’ll actually make it work?
There’s no definitive answer here.
All I know is that I’m incredibly stubborn. If something didn’t work out first time around - despite my ‘hey, but I’m much older and wiser now’ sentiments - I’ve learnt to just let it go.
Enough of my pondering though! Let’s move onto more important questions…like will I be watching the new SATC reboot when it eventually arrives in the UK?
Probably.
Will it compare to the original?
Probably not.
But at least my expectations will be in check, and if it does happen to be an amazing re-imagining of the original that’s fit for the 2020s - it’ll be a nice surprise.
I think I’ll leave it here now with one of Carrie’s eloquent quotes (no doubt coming to an Instagram story near you soon):
January 25 mixtape
Instagram of the week
Channelling my Charlotte York vibes - I also worked in an art gallery once upon a time! It was such a beautiful workplace, and it really made me appreciate original art and handmade contemporary craft. So it’s no surprise that this ever so pretty Instagram feed from Lucy Stewart Ceramics caught my eye! Her shop opens again in February and it’s one I’ll be bookmarking…
Music of the week
Bridgerton fans, if you loved the orchestral music from the show featuring some of your favourite modern-day chart hits - think Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes and Billie Eilish - you can listen to the covers via this Spotify playlist and pretend you’re swishing around your own Regency mansion, waiting for your next fix of scandal and gossip from Lady Whistledown…
Tweet of the week
You don’t even need to click through to read the original news story. The picture and caption say it all! 😃 🍪🍪🍪
Until next Monday
Alexis 💕
www.alexisforsyth.com
Catch up on my recent issues…
Don’t trust your inner narrator