An End-of-Year Wrap Up
Buh bye to 2025. No resolutions, but instead, wishes for all.
After being a victim of New Year’s resolutions for way too long, I decided, some years back, that I’d stop all the madness.
I found I was repeating the same resolutions year after year. Be more organized. Procrastinate less. Be happier. Learn a new skill.
I mean, really. If “resolutions” really worked, I wouldn’t be repeating the same ones year after year, so why bother?
So, I stopped making any.
And yet.
As this year winds down, I can’t help but automatically veer in the direction of the word “change.” A new year has a way of forcing reflection: It shocks us into realizing that time passes way too quickly; that we don’t ever accomplish everything we set out to; that things go undone, unsaid, unfinished.
🎉Rather than resolutions, I’ll offer up some thoughts as we move to a new year. 🎉
🥳Although 2025 was a year of tumult, sadness, unrest, and uncertainty, I’m hoping that ultimately, it will teach us what doesn’t work and what is still possible. I’ve always been a firm believer in Benjamin Franklin’s wise words: “Out of adversity comes opportunity.” May our share of hardship offer the perfect opportunity to regroup, build resilience, and find inner strength. Hopefully, this will unite, rather than divide, us.
🥳Post-menopause is underrated. We’ve crossed a threshold that brings some degree of peace. Our hormones are no longer ping-ponging. Our moods are steadier, our sleep more settled. We know ourselves quite well; so well, in fact, that we stop giving a sh*t about what anyone else thinks. (Okay, sometimes we do care, but we care less.) We know what to pursue and what to discard (and that includes certain toxic “friends” and spending, er, wasting, time on things that don’t make us happy. Think of yourself as being powered by experience.
🥳Aging well means knowing what we’re capable of, what we need to alter, what we can do with what we’ve experienced. My knee arthritis may keep me from running (although that’s not the case for everyone), but I can speed walk and elevate my heart rate. The weights I lift are still challenging enough to keep me strong, though they’re not as heavy as they used to be. It is entirely possible to still show up and work hard - just differently. Keep moving; you’ve got this!
🥳Loss, whether it be through death, divorce, or moving away, stings; it can tear your heart out. But it also sends a message to be present, love fiercely, and appreciate that we are here now. As our bodies adapt to their changes, so can our minds.
🥳Thanks for being here! Any sense of community - even if it’s far away - makes us all feel “heard.” In case you missed some readers’ favorites, feel free to take a look through the archives of AfterthePause to see what resonates with you!