The New Year is Here!

So here we are….. 2026.

A brand-new year, and of course, with it come new thoughts, new hopes and new dreams.

But no resolutions.

I’ve never been much for resolutions. Instead, I find myself thinking about what I hope this year might hold. And yes, along with those hopes come some fears and anxieties about the unknown.

Then I remind myself:

God, lead me where You want me to be.

That may need to be my prayer for this entire year.

I have my own little personal bucket list—things I want to do, places I want to see, experiences I’ve always wanted to have. Maybe they’re bucket-list items. Maybe they’re goals. Maybe they’re simply hopes and dreams.

Whatever we call them, they’re mine.

They always say—and whoever “they” are, I hope they’re right—that if you really want something to happen, you need to speak it out loud.

So, I’m speaking some of mine right here.

In 2026, I want to see the ocean again.

I want to walk barefoot on the sand, hear the waves and stand there looking out at something so much bigger than myself.

I want to enjoy live music and live theater and art like I never have before. I want to experience more. Go more. See more. Listen more. Laugh more. Make memories.

And yes…

I want to attend that “Big Foot Festival” that has been hanging around in the back of my mind.

(More on that one later.)

This just may also be the year that I finally write my book.

Well…one of the many books I’ve already started in my head and on paper!

There are stories inside of me that I have wanted to put together for a long time. Maybe 2026 will finally be the year that one of them becomes something real.

I also have a new business venture floating around in the back of my mind.

An idea.

A possibility.

A little spark that I haven’t quite figured out yet.

And this just may be the year that it launches!

The truth is, I cannot predict the future, so I have absolutely no idea where 2026 is going to take me.

If the past several years have taught me anything, it’s that life loves to throw me curveballs—and apparently, I’m not very good at catching them!

But we’ll see.

Let’s just wait and see what 2026 throws at me.

Because maybe…

Just maybe… this old gal will throw it right back!

More than anything, I am hoping and praying that this is the year my self-confidence finally becomes louder than my low self-esteem.

I want to believe in myself more.

I want to stop questioning whether I’m good enough, strong enough, talented enough or capable enough.

I want to face obstacles that once would have wiped me out and somehow find the strength to say, Nope. Not this time.

I want 2026 to be a year to remember—and, of course, I’m hoping it will be remembered for all the good reasons.

But life doesn’t make those kinds of promises.

There will be difficult days. There will be disappointments, unexpected changes, unanswered questions and moments when things simply don’t go the way I hoped they would.

And if the negatives sometimes outweigh the positives, my prayer is simply that I will overcome, persevere and come out stronger on the other side.

Maybe that’s enough of a goal for any new year.

So here’s to 2026.

To new memories.

To replacement memories.

To oceans and sandy feet.

To live music, theater, and art.

To Big Foot festivals.

To books waiting to be written.

To business ideas waiting to launch.

To taking chances.

To finding confidence.

To throwing a few curveballs back at life.

And to trusting God with all the things I cannot possibly see coming.

By the way …. for those of you who read my last Blog …..

2026 rallied into existence in a really fun way this time!

I made new memories. Maybe you’d even call them replacement memories. And you know what? It was fun. Really fun. Really memorable.

Even if something like that never happens again, it was awesome, and I will always treasure the way 2026 came in. Sometimes one really good memory is enough to replace one (or many) that you’d rather leave behind. Maybe that’s exactly what I needed.

To each and every one of you, I wish you a truly successful and happy New Year—a year filled with love, joy, peace, happiness, laughter, strength and memories worth holding onto.

Happy New Year!

Here’s to seeing exactly what this new year has in store for me ……

Pondering 2026 …. with

gussiewrites.com