Ever look around and wonder what comes next? That is me as we enter 2026. Youngest asked me what I am going to try this year. (She, has set herself the task of becoming a skater girl - she has dreams of conquering the ramps she sees.) I didn't have a great answer for her (or myself) - and now I am deep in my own head.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the constant movement and challenges of living a productive life from day to day. Being busy with all we juggle allows us to be focused on the now - not a bad thing - but limiting. I look back and I miss writing out loud - to a potential audience. I miss it not because I am convinced that people read it - but because it is so much more challenging to write for others than it is to write privately.
Why did I stop doing this in the first place? I have vague recollections of increasing demands on my time and shifts in expectations. The standard had shifted to podcasts and videos.
In my daily life, I already hear my own voice too much - typically
repeating the same directions or requests for the umpteenth time. At some point
you are just sick of hearing yourself. So, no podcast for me.
I cringe at every picture taken of me. Oldest used to say if I
was in Divergent I would definitely be in Abnegation - and I
can't deny the lure of no mirrors and selflessness appeal to me. I do work on
it - taking pictures with my loved ones that I avoid because...
personal growth. However, I am nowhere near having a Tic-Tok let alone a
YouTube channel.
These hang-ups have kept me from sharing beyond my musings around the house. After all, I can read the room and there is a very limited audience for the written word in the online universe.
But hey, when has disinterest ever stopped me? You are looking at a woman who diligently attempts to get over a hundred 14-year-olds to read and understand the plot and language of Fagles edition of The Odyssey each year - AND make connections to society today!
So here is to a new year with an old school approach. If you are
so inclined, join me on my rekindled adventure. Or don't. I
will be here either way. Happy New Year!
