Be warned, expensive reader: It is a bout of introspection that veers towards naval gazing.
All December lengthy, I felt the pull towards drafting all of the year-end content material: 2025 in assessment, high submit recaps, 2026 objective setting, and so forth.
I wasn’t pulled as a result of I wished to write down any of that–I didn’t and nonetheless don’t–however as a result of it’s what is predicted. As somebody who has labored on the web for an extended, very long time, these ebbs and flows of content material might be compelling. Tempting.
However, this area, together with my electronic mail and my Instagram, all really feel like extensions of my life and my work, which are sometimes woven collectively extremely tightly.
So, as a substitute of dropping into the anticipated content material of a brand new yr, I’m going to replicate on what I’m doing in my non-online life and see the way it suits right here. And I’ve just a few questions, so I’d love your enter if you happen to’re so prepared.
- Committing to consistency, not stringency.
Final yr was HARD. Towards a backdrop of what feels just like the world falling aside, we handled diseases, losses, college stress, and extra. Personally, my e-book launch didn’t go in addition to I’d hoped or dreamed it could. (I feel just a few individuals requested a submit on the publishing course of, so I’m including that to my queue… keep tuned, however when you’ve got particular questions you need me to handle, go away them within the feedback, please.) Stola joined our household and took us on a wild journey (submit on that quickly, too).What I noticed amidst the turbulent yr was that I wasn’t displaying up persistently… wherever. For anybody or something. It felt like making an attempt to maintain the dam from bursting however operating out of fingers to plug the holes. I wore myself fully down making an attempt to do every part however feeling like I did nothing.
Then, I used to be reminded of the Nora Roberts story about how we’re juggling glass balls and plastic balls; the secret’s to not drop the glass ones. (Google it if you would like the complete analogy. It’s good.) So, I sat down and tried to type out glass from plastic, and I noticed that if I present up for just a few particular issues each single day, I’ll make progress. Gradual progress is best than being frozen in place. The opposite issues… meh. I’ll get to them. Or not.
- Utilizing my voice for what issues. Re: the world falling aside. There’s a lot occurring that it might grow to be really easy to both look the opposite means and keep away from all of it OR get so consumed that it’s troublesome to maneuver ahead. I fall in that latter class. So, within the vein of glass and plastic, there are just a few locations I can use my voice the place it issues. Right here’s what’s coming quickly:
– On Christmas Eve, whereas combing by means of the horrors of the newly launched information, I found the identify of a board member from The Sincere Kitchen concerned. I shortly fired off a Fb submit, which you’ll learn right here and it consists of the supply hyperlink. I’m engaged on an electronic mail to ship out tomorrow with how I plan to make use of my voice to ask THK to take away him from their board. I’ll share extra by way of Substack and hope to tug collectively a draft template anybody can snag.
– Slashes to DEI packages and help packages like SNAP are leading to bigger animal surrenders and extra determined conditions in neighborhood shelters round the USA, together with an affect on dwell releases.
– Similar for deportations. Think about leaving your property within the morning to go to work, getting snatched off the road, and your pets are simply… there. Trapped. In your house.I’ll proceed storytelling, in fact. I haven’t instructed many Stola and Penny tales, and I’ve a backlog, so search for these. I’ll proceed writing about coaching and welfare and all of the subjects that matter to me, and I’m going to weave in these bigger discussions which might be demanding we concentrate.
- Balancing work with relaxation. Severe query: Are any of you unhealthy at resting like I’m? I genuinely suck at relaxation. I really feel responsible, like how can I presumably take a nap when there are nonetheless unreturned emails and dishes within the sink? Or, okay, tremendous. I’ll sit right down to recharge for just a little, however what else can I be doing? Like, how can I maximize this relaxation time? Sigh.
There’s all the time a lot to do–it’s actually endless–but I continuously transfer the bar on myself. It ties into being constant as a substitute of stringent. I can’t hold going with out pausing, and the extraordinary exhaustion I struggled by means of final yr proved it. So, I’m going to determine the way to relaxation. What does that imply for right here? Properly, typically I would simply submit a foolish story in regards to the pups or a listing or one thing as a substitute of a deeply researched submit. Taking it straightforward as a substitute of significantly.
These are the ideas that had been swirling in my head after I sat down to write down this morning. I truly supposed to write down a submit about Stola and a progress replace, however these ideas took priority. Subsequent week: Stola shenanigans.
No actual reflecting on 2025.
No actual objective setting for 2026.
Sure, I’ve a listing of initiatives to finish in service of my bigger imaginative and prescient and goal (increasing the catio! ending one other e-book! de-cluttering the home! studying as a substitute of scrolling! and so forth.), however no particular metrics for me this yr.
If there are any questions you could have or subjects you’d prefer to see me cowl within the yr to return, please do let me know within the feedback beneath!
Are you setting targets or resolutions? Do you are inclined to deal with retrospectives and resolutions or keep away from them?
Thanks, as all the time, for being right here.
And cheers to a brand new yr!
P.S. Huge favor: In case you’ve learn FOR THE LOVE OF DOG and have a spare minute, may you please go away a assessment on both Amazon or Goodreads? Not solely does that assist get the e-book on the market, BUT I’ve entered a juried e-book truthful, and one of many judging factors is a minimal of 35 evaluations on both platform with a ranking of three stars or above. I at present solely have 26 evaluations on Amazon and one is a 1-star. I’ve 17 on Goodreads and one is a 2-star. (Apparently, the identical individual left each these low evaluations…) Your assistance is SO enormously appreciated!
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