Standing at the Threshold: Looking Back on 2025, Looking Ahead to 2026

This year didn’t unfold the way I imagined, but it taught me more than I expected.

2025 was a year of change, patience, and learning how to live in between what was and what’s next.

I find that the final days of a year always invites reflection. The world does not slow down. The dishes still need to be done. The dogs still need to go out. Life continues on as it always does. And yet, there is a quiet pause available to us if we choose to take it. A moment to look back before stepping forward.

This year asked a lot of us.

It asked for patience when progress felt slow.
For steadiness when things felt uncertain.
For trust when the next step was not yet clear.

It was not a year of dramatic breakthroughs or neatly tied bows. It was a year of showing up. Of continuing on even when the path felt unclear. Of learning that growth does not always announce itself loudly. Sometimes it arrives quietly, in small choices made day after day.

I learned that progress rarely moves in a straight line.
That rest is not something to earn but something to honour.
That it is possible to feel both gratitude and frustration at the same time.
And that letting go does not always mean walking away. Sometimes it simply means loosening your grip.(This is a lesson I think I will continue learning in 2026.)

More than anything, this year reminded me of the importance of connection.

The moments that mattered most were not the polished ones. They were the simple ones. Conversations around a table. Shared laughter. Honest exchanges. Quiet cups of coffee. The feeling of being seen and understood without needing to explain.

Those moments grounded me when everything else felt uncertain.

As I look ahead to 2026, I am not carrying a list of resolutions. Instead, I am carrying intentions.

I want to live more deliberately.
To move with purpose rather than urgency.
To create spaces that invite connection and belonging.
To trust the slow build instead of rushing the outcome.
To care for myself with the same thoughtfulness I offer to others.

I want to remain open. Open to learning, to change, to joy, and to the unexpected turns that so often lead us exactly where we need to be.

If this past year has taught me anything, it is that life does not unfold according to plan. But it does unfold with meaning, exactly as it is meant to, even when we cannot yet see it.

As we step into 2026, my hope is simple:

That we choose presence over perfection.
That we make room for both dreaming and resting.
That we gather more, rush less, and remember we are not meant to do life alone.

This year did not unfold the way I imagined.
But it taught me what I needed to know.
And as I step into what comes next, I do so with a steadier heart, a clearer sense of what matters, and a quiet confidence in the becoming still ahead.

Happy New Year, everyone!