Happy New Year – 2025

A new page in a blank chapter. Nothing excites me more.

On a rare occasion, a blank page might cause me a little anxiety. Sometimes it causes “writer’s block” where I just sit and stare at the blank page because I don’t know where to start, but that doesn’t happen often, and it isn’t happening concerning the new year at the moment.

What I see are all the possibilities.

It’s an odd thing, I think; that a date on the calendar can signify things like a fresh start, a new beginning, endless possibilities.

The year ahead will hold many milestones. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ll turn 55 this year. For some reason that feels like a bigger deal than turning 50 was. Maybe because it signifies that I’m solidly into my 50s? Not just skimming the surface? And I don’t say that as some sort of ominous statement, I’m actually coming to embrace this midpoint. At this point in my life, I am comfortable in my skin. I feel like I know myself pretty well. I have a voice and I am not afraid to use it. I have a healthy marriage and a beautiful family. I have surrounded myself with good friends and have built a beautiful tribe of women who I adore, and who cheer me on as I do them in all our endeavors. Sometimes it feels like I’m just getting good at this thing called “life” – I hope I am literally only at the mid-point of the journey.

Some highlights as I look ahead for the year:

Come November, I’ll be taking a trip abroad with my daughter. Her first time out of the U.S. (for “real”, not just on a cruise to an island for 8 hours off-ship). We’re heading to London to celebrate her 25th. I am so excited to share that experience with her. I was 26 the first time I ventured over the pond, and I went alone. Definitely not as much fun. I remember constantly thinking how I wished Frank or my mom had come with me so I could share the sites I was taking in.

Our annual couples trip will be on the West Coast this year. I’m super excited about that. Not that I’m wishing away the year, but I can’t wait for September to hit so we can all get together.

I’m also planning our first trip to Napa. Memorial weekend. This will be Frank’s first notice of this plan. It’s going to be awesome.

Frank and I will celebrate 29 years in March. Thirty-two years as a couple. This year we will work on planning our 30th anniversary trip to Greece for next year. I am so excited. On so many levels. To share that time together, to reminisce about the life we’ve lived and the life we’ve built together. To do that while exploring a place I’ve longed to go as long as I can remember is the icing on the cake.

And finally, 2025 is the year I will focus on intentional time. I know it won’t be a perfect endeavor, but awareness is the first step. Along with scheduling. I am committed to scheduling my time each week. It’s a simple, basic truth. If I don’t write “it” down, it doesn’t happen. And “it” can be anything from quiet, reflective time, to exercise, time with friends, or a reasonable bedtime. I’m not striving for perfection. My intention is not to schedule every waking (and sleeping) moment, but to get a general flow to my days and to make time for the things I hold important generally, and for things that I want to make more of a priority in the coming year. God time, writing time, exercise, time with Frank, and time with friends. If 2024 taught me anything it’s that if left unscheduled, my day job becomes my life, and my life waits in the wings. And that’s just messed up.

Happy New Year’s to anyone who has read to this point. Tell me, what will you fill your blank page in this beautiful blank chapter with?