Happy New Year's Eve!
Brian has already summarized our year and his cancer journey. I'll just add that my long covid has dwindled to a single - manageable, but not curable - symptom. So we are entering 2026 with no outrageous medical situations. We've been to the dentist and the optometrist, we have our vaccines. We're in maintenance mode.
Fiscally, we're as close to autopilot as possible. My "recreationally employed" status means very little other than I've been in a bit of a "treat yourself" mood. Which I admit being a caregiver for B added to. I splurged on a qiviut hat, a gym membership, monthly housecleaning, and a lot of chocolate. The little luxuries. I still need to hop on the medical billing challenges, but that's money already paid. I'm just arguing that they need to give it back. Quixotic quest indeed.
Until B's taste returns he's not particularly interested in travel. It is also a limitation on how much he wishes to socialize, as food and drink are so much a part of that. So I will be taking some trips without him to see friends and family. But long-term planning for the big multi-month journeys we like to take is on hold for now.
Which just leaves me working out how to live our best lives here at home. My Goodreads summary tells me I read 101 books in 2025, and that seems like an excellent benchmark. I have a date to practice knitting with a friend on Friday, so that potential hobby may finally take off. My to do list has been shortened considerably since I had time to work through tasks while B was couch-bound. I am not feeling the urge to over-fill it for 2026, but time with family and friends will of course be wonderful.
The geopolitical situation continues to be horrible, but what we can do to sway it is minimal. We work to minimize our carbon footprint, donate and vote for reasonable candidates, and pay for and read quality news reporting. I find that micro vs macro thinking is most useful for addressing the stress. We know our neighbors, and while we don't agree on everything, I think it is the interpersonal relationships that actually keep people from ossifying into extremes. Staying out of the echo chamber takes the work of attending community council meetings, transportation open houses, and paying attention to school boards and assembly meetings. Hopefully people of goodwill can come together to agree to make lying and corruption wrong again.
See you in the new year!
~Lucy
