2026

As you may have gathered from my last few posts, 2025 was a bit of a bear.

Rabid badger?

Belligerent drunk?

Ooh, belligerent drunk. The evening started off well enough, then things got a little moody for a bit, then there was a nice placid phase where it seemed like maybe events would pass in relative peace, and then he decided to start a fight with an innocent bystander and now you're finding yourself at the opposite end of a phone call, refusing to post bail because he's had it coming for a long time and could just use a couple nights of "time out" to think about his decisions.

But that relationship is behind you now and you get to try again with 2026. Seems nice enough. Might turn sideways but hey, been there, done that.

I'm not sure I've ever felt quite like this: relieved to put a year behind me but absolutely not trusting the year ahead, either. Which brings me to my only real goal for the year.

Roast some marshmallows on that dumpster fire.

[Note: The AI overview when I went looking for a graphic for this one was hilarious. "Roasting marshmallows on a dumpster fire is extremely dangerous and unhealthy..." Yes, thank you AI. I did not know. Thanks for the reminder to disable my AI overviews.]

[Conveniently, I did have those years working at a camp.]

If I look back over the last two years, it's been a slow, stuttering roll to a stop. I didn't get my kayak out even once in 2025. I said no to entirely too many outings. My bike only got used about six times before July. And yes, I know now that there were reasons for this (even in May I knew, subconsciously, that something was wrong with my body and I didn't want to find out what it was while loading my kayak) — but no more. No more reasons to grind to a halt.

And my big reason to stay close to home at all times? Well, she's gone, too.

[One moment. I'm sniffling again.]

There are trips planned for this year — several of varying sizes — and those give me Big Things to Aim Toward, but there's also the near-constant reminder that sitting still does not work for me. Especially not my poor brain, which has been neglected as much as the rest of me. It requires books and interesting activities and possibly even this blog. Engagement. Interest. Motion.

So here I am. 2026: keep moving forward, despite the world. And for the love of Pete, try to enjoy it.