01/01/2026
Offering a recap of your year is the thing to do on your public facing social pages, and I’m in a reflective mood, so I’ll join the party. Read on for some meandering deep thoughts, or something like that.
Notes on my “highlight reel” from last photo to first:
- Only made it into the pottery studio a couple times this year. Don’t be fooled by the documentation - I’ve grappled with whether I can justify the expense of maintaining my membership when I can’t seem to block out the time to make it a regular occurrence. But every time I go, it feels so nourishing that I can’t let it go yet. This video taken by my son who captured me talking to myself.
- We reached the milestone of putting our youngest into preschool. With both children, we managed to make the first several years of their lives at home/with parents, and the transition to out-of-home care is bittersweet, but both kids thrived in social settings and it’s a relief to move on from 100% parent-led care.
- Went to Italy with my Italian best friend, again. Won’t ever take for granted the privilege afforded to me by the people in my life - my partner, my parents, my coworkers - to make it possible for me. It’s also such an honor to facilitate retreats abroad. The level of trust it reflects from our participants makes me feel so proud of them for taking the chance.
- A glimpse into a rare outing for the family and I. It’s been a major missing piece of our lives this year and last to get outside often. We’ve prioritized other responsibilities, but the truth is, it’s also hard for me to mentally break away and grant myself permission to unplug and walk in nature rather than keep chipping at the problem solving and thought work that makes up a lot of my life. It’s something I need to work on reclaiming for 2026.
- My camera reel is not full of images of me doing yoga. To some, I may not seem like much of a professional yoga teacher if I’m not constantly selling myself as such. The truth is, I’m much more likely to be doing some deep breathing on a balance beam at a playground than I am to be pursuing big poses or spending long blocks of time on a mat these days. My practice feels so personal, and so interwoven into day to day life, that there isn’t much to show for it. But practicing yoga is an indispensable part of who I am and I bring that back to how I teach. I believe my students recognize it because they keep showing up.
- Bjorn and I bought a house. An old house, with surprise problems (as could be expected.) But at least we took the time to take a cute selfie on closing day so we could reflect on the accomplishment as a couple.
- My oldest became a 10 year old just recently. One whole decade of parenting. I am humbled often by what a privilege it is to be in charge of amazing little people. I’m so proud of who he is and I keep hoping that I’m giving him a life that allows him to flourish.
- A view of the wreckage of the new house. Bjorn executed on huge amounts of work to prep the place for the pros. Intense hours of messy hard labor so that we could transform the place into our shared home. I am not sharing any after shots in this post because I’m too tired to stage our new living space for a grand reveal.
- A very boring video of me taking time to get into my body Glowing Body Yoga & Healing Arts - a haven to me for 17+ years. In a world where going digital seems to be the norm - branching out on your own to create a brand, a following, to differentiate, to individuate - my urge continues to be to reinvest into a space that’s not just for me. Not just about me. It’s about building up anyone who wants to be there, and who shares the recognition that life is hard and we need tools and community to keep us sane.
- A photo of put together me. A rare instance of trying to look good for a camera. A dear friend made the effort to nominate me for a local recognition and much to my surprise, I was selected for 40 Under 40, just in the nick of time in my 39th year of life. I always thought this recognition was for big shots and people who contributed far more to the community than me. I’m humbled and grateful.
- My version of chop wood, carry water this year was lifting flooring and pulling allllll the fu***ng flooring nails. We could have paid someone with money we didn’t have to do it for us but this was a task I was capable of so I owned it. It was monotonous and tiresome but it was a great example of holding a vision and being willing to focus on the minute steps to get there. Our refinished wood floors were worth it in my opinion, and the satisfaction of having poured my labor into it will stay with me as long as we live here.
- Just a cute selfie of me wearing some branded merch. Still Glowing, indeed.
- This was a year of remembering the necessity of authentic friendship. Many of my people had to scrape through adulthood this year, cross some major thresholds, and we leaned on each other. I discussed with a friend recently the difficulty of accepting help even when your world is falling apart and you really need it. But I’m here for the ugly parts. Let’s make the meals, do the laundry, pack the boxes, unpack the boxes, commiserate, and keep company. It’s what makes life bearable and not so lonely. But also: it’s ok to let go of friendships that just aren’t fu***ng worth it. So do that too.
- Got to spend a good amount of time with my parents this year. Like many children of parents who love them, I’ve had my fair share of failing to appreciate their presence and contributions to my life. But not this year. This year I saw and felt their love and I hope to prioritize quality time with them as much as I can because life is short and we won’t be here forever. Pictured is my dad doing what he does - solving problems and fixing things.
- Just a good ole fashion selfie. I love this one because my skin is damaged and showing signs of age. It was taken while seated on the rocks of a river bank on Christmas Day. I hope to have at least double the worry and smile lines by the time I die because I’m here for a life lived fully and that’s my definition of beauty.
Happy new year y’all. Keep going.
