Happy New Year! Sorry for the radio silence over the last five months. I had a lot more free time in the summer, so writing came a lot easier to me then. When I started the blog I didn’t want to set any specific writing goals for me, because I needed some time to figure out what I wanted from this new creative pursuit. I think I’m still figuring it out, but I can say I truly hope to write more than I have in the last six months in the coming months.
It felt easy to start the new year talking about something on everyone’s minds right now: resolutions. Personally, I’m not a fan of setting New Year’s resolutions but I do have a couple new years traditions that I thought I’d share.
First, I was inspired a few years ago by a couple of friends who shared that they create vision boards every year with each other. I went away with two of my close friends that year for New Years and we spent New Year’s Day making our own vision boards and I was hooked from then on. I really love the creative process of making something tangible to visualize the year I want. When I moved to Galway, I continued the tradition and it’s become my favorite yearly tradition to do with my friends. We gather at my home and spend the afternoon talking about our previous year and the upcoming one while cutting out words and images from magazines that speak to us. I love sharing a calm, creative space with my friends and seeing how each of our boards turn out. We’re supportive and encouraging of the process and it’s the best kind of energy to start the year with.
The second tradition I’ve only recently started to do is making a Bingo card of my yearly goals. When I first created mine last year, I didn’t want to set completely unrealistic goals that would have required a complete overhaul of my lifestyle because I knew that wouldn’t work for me (or anyone really, but more on that soon). Instead, I came up with a collection of fun and professional goals that I would like to accomplish over the year… but if I didn’t, then so be it. I think by making it a game, there’s less pressure on me that I have to accomplish them. When I sat down to make my 2026 card, I brought some of the goals that I didn’t complete in 2025 that I would still like to accomplish this year, as well as adding some fun new ones.
These two traditions are actually very grounding experiences for me at the beginning of the year and I believe that’s what makes the traditions so important to me. As someone who spends a lot of time in my own head, creating something real from my thoughts and reflections helps to clear my thoughts to find clarity. I have seen commentary online that we shouldn’t be setting new years resolutions in January, because seasonally the winter is a time for rest and relaxation. The time for real change and action is in the springtime; the season of change and renewal. I value that mentality and keep that in mind for my visions and goals, while still enjoying the process of reflection that I do in January. For me, it’s not about starting a complete overhaul of my lifestyle but about continuing to follow the intentions I set the year before, honoring the changes I made throughout the year, and letting go of what no longer is serving me. All with the understanding that real change doesn’t happen over night and that it requires small, intentional steps.
For example, last year I knew that I wanted to join a gym and start to focus more on my physical health. I also knew that I wasn’t completely in the mood to do so in January because, again, it’s a time for hibernating at home. But once spring hit, I used that energy to sign up for a gym membership and I’ve been consistently going since. I have never been so consistent about moving my body in my life and I believe part of this change has been because I have been very intentional about how I changed my lifestyle. When it came time to think about what energy I wanted to continue to bring into 2026, so my health is going to continue being a focus, but my goals are just a continuation of what has been working for me in 2025. Ultimately, I don’t want to be a New Me… I want to be even more unapologetically and authentically Me. When I was finished with both my vision board and Bingo card, I realized the energy that I was being called to bring into 2026 is ease, comfort, and pleasure… so I can be unapologetically and authentically Me. 2025 was a hard year, for a variety of reasons. I loved hard, I grieved deeply, and I dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome, guilt, and anger… while the world also descended into more fascism, hatred, and violence. But I also learned a lot about what truly brings me comfort and pleasure in order to live a more gentle life (as best as I can while the world continues to be a violent hellscape).
So, whether you are someone who sets a new years resolution every year or can’t be bothered to think about goals right now (or ever), I still hope 2026 brings more rest, joy, love and connection for you. Here’s to more of a gentle life for us all in 2026!
...But Not With Haste 