It’s 2026!
Whew! It's 2026 and it feels like forever getting here. My 2026 started with rain, actually it started on New Year's Eve. We even had rain on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I really enjoy the rain, but most of my new years have been rain-free. So some rain is a welcome change and helps usher in the feeling of renewal and restarts. Only time will tell for sure, but being an optimist at heart, I find value in sharing the positives in life so let's recap 2025...
My 2025 Wins
- Blogged up through April 2025 (that's four months!)
- Increased my rest to about 7 hours on average and moved away from 5-6 hours worth of sleep (my mental health says thanks)
- Pulled back on soda, didn't completely quit, but I have less of an urge to grab a can (my tummy says thanks)
- Completed (and survived) 3 semesters in graduate school which included courses in epidemiology and biostatistics (my brain says, WTH, but also nice job)
- Decided to continue blogging and moved my blog
- Learned to cook more at home and eat out less
- Cleaned our dining room and removed a ton of clutter (yay for my personal goal of cleaning at least one room in our house)
- Learned to separate professional and personal identities (that's a toughy and one I work on daily)
What I'm hoping for in 2026
In no particular order:
- Keeping an herb garden alive (I have a rosemary and basil plant so far)
- Trying out this digital gardening thing
- Cooking more, walking more, sleeping more (heath, baby!)
- Being more intentional with those I love and care about, through connection, attention, and giving space
- Better honoring time and how to use it wisely and meaningfully
- Writing and creating more
- Unlocking or rediscovering passions and more about who I am
- Traveling more
Last year, I focused on these things and I feel okay that I was somewhat on the right track. I still want to honor those habits while tinkering with new ones. And like I wrote in that last post, please remember we're not judging ourselves if we don't meet these aims (I'm not). We're human, we stumble, (and often discover a different path), and we try again.
AW