A Warm Welcome to 2026

And some values I really want to embrace this year. But first, a little about the last 365 days: what they taught me, what adventures they hold, and how I grew.

It's been a couple weeks of the new year now, and I took time those days to really dig deep into how I want this year to look for me. I think a new year often feels surreal; it can be hard to comprehend that a new chapter has begun. That's exactly how I want to think about it, though, because what is this life without moments to celebrate, opportunities to cherish the blessings around us, and emotions to experience on what has past and what's to come? We can allow all this to blossom through reflection. So that is what I aim to do here, to realize all the good that came out of this past year, but also to acknowledge how I'd like to move forward into these new pages of my journey.

Let's get into my favorite topic: gratitude! Oh how I have a handful to be appreciative for regarding 2025, starting with good food. Sounds silly, I know, but the complexity behind it can be astounding. To think that not everyone has access to fresh ingredients that are nutrient-rich really puts things into perspective for me. Working for an organization that aims to increase healthy food access for more people has been eye-opening, making me realize that not everyone is fortunate enough to be fully fed and not think twice about it. So I've thought back on some of the memories made over good food this year, especially with friends and family, and I feel grateful. This past year, I also have sweet recollections of "coffee chats"; whether the conversation was over coffee or not, there were many times in 2025 that I got to sit and discuss life & the future & deep topics with people I hold close to my heart. That is one of the best feelings ever, and I stand by that. It's therapy. It's an opportunity for reflection. It's a chance to gain differing perspectives from your own and learn more about the world and each other because of it. Finally, I'm grateful for the ability to capture, read, and write. Creating has been such a healthy outlet for me, and has given me the chance to envelop the Good from these last 365 days. There's nothing I love more than looking back on my camera roll during a quiet Sunday evening, taking in and thinking back on the beautiful moments I captured. On the note of reading, I'm grateful for books! The sheer number of publications that exist in this world is unfathomable, and such a special reminder of all the knowledge written and all there is we could learn. A goal of mine this new year is to read tons more, but we'll get into that in a little bit. :)

Next, I'd like to touch on how I grew this past year. The first thing that comes to mind is the importance of rest. One of my biggest challenges week to week is feeling okay with true rest; to me, this means actually allowing myself to sleep in on weekend mornings if my body feels tired, staying off my phone when my mind feels exhausted and doing an activity that is restful instead, like coloring or stretching, etc. I try not to beat myself up too much for this lack in ability to do what's good for my body and mind when I'm tired, because I believe society has engrained the opposite into us: to measure our success by productivity. I know we've all heard this before, but to actually experience how degrading it can feel is something else. And to experience how true restful time feels on the body and mind made me want to make a change for myself. By reading this, I hope it gives you a chance to think about how you feel week to week and reflect on if you truly sense that you're giving yourself the rest you deserve or if you push it too far sometimes. By exceeding our limits, we actually diminish the power of Good we are able to do: in our relationships, our careers, our creative hobbies, and more. So, this year I've realized how important it is for me to prioritize rest for my overall well-being (another goal of mine for this new year is to figure out what else is really important to me; again, to be discussed in a little bit!). Moving on, in 2025, I lost touch with a part of my soul that honestly made things difficult for awhile. I've always been one to notice and smile at the little joys around me, and I would say to myself, "that filled my heart". Those things could be: the warmth I got from the first sip of my morning coffee, the peace I felt from hearing the birds chirping on my afternoon walk, or the comfort that a night of watching Gilmore Girls gave me. When my heart feels full from the tiny delights in the beauty of living, I feel that I could, as I mentioned before, do more Good. By Good, I mean be a great version of myself, do great work because I had the energy and mindset that put me in a place to do so. This past year, I lost this for a time. Not completely, but enough to where I was emotionally and spiritually affected. It was just in the last couple of months that I found that part of my soul again, and my days got brighter. It sounds deep, and I don't want it to sound like such a downer, but to me, it's essential to give these parts of life a voice, and to understand that we are all human and real emotion comes with that; it's not all sunshine and rainbows (but a good chunk of it is!). And to that, I grew this year in having a positive mindset- in believing that there is so much to appreciate and be in awe of in this world. If we give too much time and energy in focusing on what's going wrong, or what could go wrong, we really do miss all that's right and angelic on this earth and in each other. <3

Now, let's get into what I really want to embrace this new year...

1. Adventure!

It fills the heart up so much. For me, that's going to look like a lot more sunrise mornings, walks at new parks, picnics with friends, exploring the city I live near to a greater degree (Grand Rapids), camping, and cooking!

2. Kindness

Specifically, how I'm moving through the world. I want to give a friendly hello to a stranger at a coffee shop, write letters to those I love about how lovely they are, and lead with a considerate manner for what's around me, people and nature.

3. Trust

In myself. This is actually my word for the new year. Through some coaching I did this past year, I learned that this is a root cause of what tends to hold me back; I don't trust that I can show up for myself. And it's very much a mental block, so it's something that only I can work to fix. This matters to me because when I trust that I am doing the best with what I know and making decisions that align with my values, I can show up with calm and clear intent. This kind of goes along with expressing myself. What do we have to lose? I absolutely love getting to know other people's personality, and I bet they feel similar! This is something I need to remind myself. Again, nothing to lose is how I want to think about it. If anything, we are just learning and growing when we trust and express ourselves: what we value, how we want to improve, how others may perceive us, and how we perceive the world.

Onto ----> goals for the new year!

• choose to pick up a book rather than my phone a lot more

• stop believing that perfect exists. stop striving for it. strive for care instead. Care about my task at hand and do it to my best ability. I'll grow this way.

• a blog entry a month

• make some new vegan bowl recipes

• breathe in the fresh air mindfully at least once a day (close my eyes)

• read a handful of books regarding sustainability and the food system

And embrace my soul, my inner child. What was important to her still rings true today I think, and that is something I am really going to explore this year. I know she cared about animals and the well-being of the planet. Still true. :) I know she loved her friends and could sit and talk to them for hours and laugh and smile till her cheeks hurt. Still true. :) I know she was curious and creative, wanting to learn so much and capture so much. Still very true, and much more that I believe I can discover through reflection.

Anywho, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this; it truly means a lot. How exciting that we have entered a new chapter of our lives on this planet! I hope you've already made a good memory or had a big laugh in these first two weeks of 2026, and maybe you've been able to do some reflection on what last year taught you or how you want this year to look. In any case, today's unique, so let's try to enjoy some of it! And if things don't go as planned, tomorrow will be new. :) Okay, talk later!

xox, kat