Resolutions for the new Year

’Twas the day after Christmas and all through my house,
I’m picking up pieces smaller than a mouse.

I love that the holiday went off without a hitch, but cleaning up after Christmas with two small kids is no small feat.

There’s something semi-cathartic about the chaos of post-holiday cleanup. I’ve been organizing toys, tackling the mess in the office, and breaking down the avalanche of boxes in the garage. In a weird way, it feels like I’m not just tidying up the house, but clearing out the leftover emotional crud from the year too. And what a long year it’s been.

Over the past several months, I’ve been in therapy, working through some deeply personal stuff. At first, the goal was just to get my mental health on track, to find the right balance of therapy and medication. But somewhere along the way, I had to confront the role alcohol was playing in my life.

Even when I was trying to moderate, cutting back during vacations or spacing out drinks at events, I realized that unless I cut it out completely, it would become a slow-burning cancer, threatening everything I care about. So now, I’m abstaining entirely. I’m cleaning up those parts of my life too.

I won’t pretend it’s perfect. I won’t pretend it’s easy.

Alcohol used to play a big role in how I celebrated. Champagne toasts, wine at big meals, cocktails at work mixers and holiday parties. It was always there. The holidays were supposed to a reason to cut loose and burn off some steam. I have started reframing that mindset, actively pursuing a different way to relax and enjoy. The joy of celebration doesn’t need to come with inebriation. It can just be celebration.

It seems to be going ok because honestly, I’m kind of a wild card even when I’m sober. More than one friend has said I’m just as lively at parties now as I was before, maybe more so. Not sure if that’s always a good thing, but hey, I’ll take it. The energy is still there, but now it comes without the crash, the guilt, or the mess.

I love that I’m getting to this place. I love that I’m moving toward a better version of myself. I don’t love that it’s taken me this many years to get here. That last part, in itself, is part of what I’m learning to accept. One of my largest hurdles.

That brings me to my theme for 2026: Dualism.

The idea that two seemingly opposite things can be true at the same time.

• I’m glad I’m sober; I still sometimes want to drink.
• I want to get in shape; I also have to be realistic about the time I’m giving it.
• I love myself as I am ; I know I’m not perfect.

This next year is going to be about learning to live in the grey. About not trapping myself in either/or thinking. About recognizing that progress and imperfection can live side by side. That growth can include doubt. That healing can carry discomfort.

So yes, I’m making my resolutions early. I’m not waiting for January 1st. I’m sweeping out the old, making room for the new, and starting now.

I’m a work in progress and 2026 is going to be a year of grand results.

One Holiday at a time,
K