The holidays relentlessly come and go. This is the year I turned 57 and despite the fact that I often joke about being old, I don't often feel that way. What I never realized as a kid and young adult is that there is no magical boundary where all of a sudden you feel like an adult. Most of the time I still don't. Maybe it's because of the lack of magical boundaries.
This is also the year that sets us up for another four years of backbiting, infighting, and general chaos in the White House. It has already begun, and I'm hoping some natural consequences come into play at some point. I'm just sad about the environmental consequences that will no doubt ensue alongside them, not to mention all of the people who don't have privilege to hide behind like I do. As for myself, I'll continue to do what I do, which is find ways to get kids to care about the natural world. This is always the first step in inspiring people to take action, whether that action comes next week or sometime down the line. Nuff said for now.
Time off from work, not to mention the ending of a year, puts me in a reflective mood. At the beginning of 2024 I started mostly sticking to a rule of only eating a maximum of one sweet thing a day. This included a lot of wiggle room around the definition of "sweet thing" - it could be a small piece of candy, or it could be a whole cake. It also meant that if something was generally considered a healthy food despite having been sweetened, I could decide it didn't really count. Long story short, I lost over 20 pounds and have kept it off. It's interesting what instituting a new personal rule and/or starting a new personal habit can do. So, I've started thinking about what new thing to start for the coming year. The first idea that sparked in my head was less screen time. I've noticed that I've started looking at my phone when I have no specific reason to do so, and it unsettles me. Not to mention time spent on social media. Boredom shouldn't be remedied. It should be allowed to happen. That's when the light sneaks in.
In fact, the reason I rarely write here is because of social media. At least I think it is. I started this blog when I was in my mid-thirties and I'm now careening towards sixty. I'd like to think that I still have things to say, and I'd also like to continue to write.