2026 is my year.

In reflecting on my past year, much of it was spent just trying to survive. Especially during the first five months. I’m grateful to be in a place now that doesn’t just feel like survival. This past year has taught me many, many things about myself, my partner, relationships, the world.

This past year began with and was dominated by the stress, trauma, coping, and grieving of adopting, rehabilitating, and eventually rehoming a very traumatized dog. Even after finding the perfect home for him, much of the last part of the year has been dedicated to healing from the whole experience. It’s a journey that I don’t think I could ever put into words in a way that would feel whole so I won’t try to do so here.

What does feel possible to say is that I sit here writing this with a great appreciation and gratefulness for this past year. Despite how hard it was, there were still so many amazing moments and experiences of this past year that are heightened by the depths. I find it quite incredible that such beautiful, amazing experiences can exist right alongside really awful ones; though, I’m not often sure that the two are ever wholly different. There always seems to be a beauty in difficulty even if it’s just the beauty in the resilience to get through it.

If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that it’s ok to prioritize only the essentials if that is what is necessary. It also taught me that the little things are everything. When my world felt like it was falling apart, it wasn’t the realization of big, long-term goals that gave me comfort; it was the small moments I noticed I could relax the tension I held in my muscles; it was the ritualized songs and dances my partner and I had when we’d grab ice cream sandwiches from the freezer every night; it was the silly voices we’d do to make light of the frustrating behaviors of our dog; it was the moments we’d just sigh, order pizza, and watch TV in bed.

Having these big, lofty projects and ideas and the desire to see them through is good. In 2026, however, I will no longer use progress toward their end as indicators of my day, week, month, or year being “good”. As I look forward to another year I hope that by the end of it I’ll be able to reflect back and see that I made progress toward aims I’d like to achieve but that I still prioritized those little moments that make any difficulty endurable.