Happy New Year!
Joe and I actually made it to midnight last night. It was shocking, because we were both so tired and Joe had to get up at 5:00 this morning to go to work. It got a little sketchy around 10:00 p.m., as we contemplated resting in bed for “Just a little bit”. We rallied though, and made it to share a kiss on New Year’s Eve. Our 37th New Year’s Eve together, as we met at a NYE party in 1988. 37 years just seems crazy. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s always worth it.
2025 was mostly good, but had a bit of health issues and injury (As I close out this year STILL in a walking boot and having thrown my back out). It also held some plot twists that left me sad and angry, not knowing the WHY. One day I’ll look back and see why things played out the way they did and discover I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this moment in time. But for now I still feel the bitter disappointment. It will get better with time. Sorry to be so vague.
I don’t really do big New Year’s resolutions. Every time I do, I fail within the first three or four months.
I do think about what I’d like the new year ahead to look like though, and small, attainable things I can do to help it play out that way.
I haven’t chosen a word for the year in quite some time. This year I received a vision board kit for Christmas. I’m excited to play around with it. Love the idea of putting my dreams/goals into a physical form that I can look at every day.
So this year I’ve decided to choose a word to focus on.
This year my chosen word is Connection.
I have been feeling isolated socially in the last year or so. My neighbors don’t get together anymore. Most of them have unfriended me on Facebook. Told me it wasn’t personal. Um..ok, but it is. You live ten yards from where I live but won’t be my friend on Facebook. That’s personal to me. I do realize it’s about my political views, but I won’t apologize for standing up for things that are right, and true and just. (SOME neighbors still get together, but I’m not part of the cool kid’s group). It is what it is. Rant over.
I don’t really have any close friends. I live too far away (and in a 475 square foot home) to host gatherings like bunco or book clubs, but I yearn to be a part of things like that. I was really hoping that us moving to a different city would help alleviate some of those things, but since the move didn’t happen, I’m stuck here and feeling isolated. I would also love for Joe and me to meet some couples friends. I feel like making new friends in your mid 50s is hard. I’m longing for more human interaction this year.
So this year, with the word connection in mind, I’d like to focus on these things:
Getting together with family more.
Sending more snail mail and creating things for other people, just because.
Reconnecting with old friends.
Going out of my comfort zone to meet new friends.
Join groups or clubs.
Volunteer. This is something I always want to do but feel overwhelmed at where to start, and always fighting with the fact that I’m SO tired at the end of the day.
Reach out to people more regularly.
Be present when I am with people.
Limit digital distractions.
So those are some things I’d like to focus on this year. Pretty simple, attainable things, that I hope will bring me more connection in the upcoming year.
I will add that I am going to try to journal and document more, as well as get more exercise and drink more water, but I’m going to ease into it over the next few months and not feel disappointed if I don’t start them right away.
Monday is my 55th birthday. I feel ambivalent about my birthday this year. I love birthdays. I’m lucky to have them! Some birthdays have been joyous, some have sucked (Hello 50th COVID birthday), but I’m grateful for them all. I guess this year would be considered some kind of “milestone” birthday, but I’m not feeling that this year.
I truly do feel like I am blessed to just be able to make it another circle around the sun each year.
Maybe I’ll have a post on that later.
Maybe in 2026 I’ll start blogging again. (Don’t count on it though. lol).
I hope everyone has a healthy, happy New Year.
