I’ve had some people ask the age-old question you often hear this time of year & that is, “What are your New Year’s resolutions?”
This time, I feel I’m entering the new year with even more of a “radical” mindset of you will than last. 2025 taught me so much & I would like to think I listened & took heed to some of what it taught me.
I won’t draw this out for time’s sake, so here’s my 2026 list for resolutions:
1.) LIVE LIFE MORE ON “ANALOG MODE”.
What does this mean? Quite a lot, actually. It means less screen time & more “real life time”. It means using an actual alarm clock instead of a cellphone. It means spending time engaging in activities that strengthen & enrich the brain such as reading, journaling, using a paper/physical planner & sending actual letters–this also helps keep our wonderful USPS up & running! It’s these little things that add up & mean so much…which reminds me, stay tuned for a future post on just that!
2.) LESS AI USAGE
This one fits hand-in-hand with #1 but I wanted to dedicated a section just for this.
For an old soul that craves more of that simple life, things like AI & such make me feel overwhelmed & overstimulated. People laugh when I say this but the increase in AI usage is something that concerns me deeply. Things like ChatGPT & Gemini can be useful, I respect that, but when you start allowing it to think FOR you, that’s when it’s scary & has become an actual problem. I never want to sit down to write something (such as a blog, a card, a letter to a loved one, or even something as simple as a comment online) only to discover that I can’t come up with my own words without a “crutch”. I never want to lose brain function or exercising my mind. That being said, I want to take extra & special care to curate the calm that my body & mind crave. Does it take more time trying to think of what to write in a Christmas card myself? Yes, but it’s worked for me for 31 years & those who came before me, so why should I stop & lean on AI to speak for me? Also, I have been using the em dash (—) & ellipsis symbols my whole life. It’s ridiculous for me to suddenly feel I can no longer utilize these for the sake of not appearing as if I am using AI.
3.) COOK MORE
This one is likely NO surprise to those closest to me. I have always enjoyed cooking but a newborn passion for it was birthed a few years ago. Since then, I began collecting vintage cookbooks, mostly from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, & 1970s. There is something so incredibly therapeutic about cooking. Perhaps it is the method of it? I have always been a woman who found joy in the cleaning, cooking, planning & such. It’s like heaven for me. It helps my mental health tremendously. Regardless, I want to ever expand my skillset & broaden my knowledge of cooking.
4.) DECLUTTER
Yes, I am sure I am not the only one who has this little number on their resolution list. I have gone through major clear-outs through the years but I think it’s time for another one. In the words of Henry David Thoreau,
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.”
5.) USE THE NICE THINGS– TODAY
You know how it is, you have nice things & think to yourself, “Oh, I’ll use that for a nice/special occasion.” I have found that particular occasion doesn’t always make its appearance. That being said, I believe every single day is a special occasion because life is a wonderful miracle. So, I am going to use that lovely plate in my china cabinet. If I feel like I am in the mood to drink out of my fanciest wine glasses, I shall. The nice silverware? That, too. It’s time to view each day for what it is– a special occasion.
6.) DRESS UP
This is one I have been trying to implement for a while already but I really want to do it even more in 2026, which is dress like every day is an important occasion. This goes in hand with #5, too. I find I feel better about myself when I dress nice. Does that mean I am putting my value in how I look? No, but I also believe dressing nice helps improve your mood. When you feel good, you can feel more confident. I love how I feel when I am all “gussied” up, so I will carry this habit onward into 2026.
7.) STOP APOLOGIZING FOR BEING MYSELF
This one is especially important for me. As an obsessive apologizer for about everything under the sun, one thing I want to stop doing is apologizing who the good Lord made me to be. An old soul, through & through? Am I different, yep. Am I weird? Most likely. Eccentric? Probably. Do I always fit in? Definitely not. Does that upset me? Nope. So WHY on God’s green earth do I need to apologize for being an old soul with vintage values? I don’t. If others don’t like or agree with me, that’s absolutely fine. I am not here to win fans but to live life & enjoy it.
Are you still here? If so, I appreciate it ever so much. I know it’s been awhile since I have written. Between holidays, my job & getting engaged, life’s been quite the whirlwind but I am hoping to write more, as well as create more vintage-inspired content in the coming year.
May the Lord bless you & keep you in 2026 & may it be a year filled with joy, new opportunities, restoration & growth!
Happy New Year, lovelies!