As January 2024 approached, I wrote a column candidly sharing that I did not know what made me happy anymore. At the time, I was dealing with a big loss. My grandfather John, who was more of a best friend than a typical grandpa — had passed away a few months earlier. I was starting a new year — a year without him — and I felt as though everything I knew and was comfortable with had changed.
As someone who does so much for others and often forgets to make herself a priority, I was staring a new year in the face, unsure of how to rebuild or where to begin. Things that had once anchored me felt out of reach.
For the first time in months, I was struck with the realization that I needed to pull myself out of the funk I was in. As I sat with one of my best friends in Bath, Maine, on New Years Eve 2023 in a stunning mobile sauna that overlooked the ocean, we discussed what we wanted our “word” for 2024 to be. After some thought, I chose “stability.”
Stability in my personal life. Stability in my work life. I needed a deep breath, a sense of calm.
January’s always have the added pressure of resolutions — people diving headfirst into a new year, setting goals that are at times unattainable — and by February, are already falling off their path of growth. I decided to start small — I would simply seek experiences that would ground me — ones that would create the stability that I so deeply needed.
I began volunteering with horses, an animal I grew up loving. I went snow skiing with my mom and our close family friend Mike — something I used to love to do with grandpa, but in recent years had not made time to do. I took a pottery class. I made a few new recipes that I had been wanting to try. I had countless family dinners. I watched one of my best friends have her first baby, watched another best friend get engaged, watched my cousin get married. My annual girls weekend went off without a hitch, gathering all my beautiful friends. Took a trip to Second Chance Animal Shelter in East Brookfield and adopted a Malinois puppy with my boyfriend. I water skied for the first time in years. I began consistently reading for pleasure again.
I filled my personal life with so many small, grounding experiences, that I can’t help but be thankful for 2024, especially after the difficult year 2023 was personally.
I cannot say everything was stable — there is only so much I have control over — but I can’t complain.
As I look to 2025, I’m hoping for much of the same. Sure — I’d like to exercise more consistently. I’d like to save more money. There are “resolutions” that I could make.
But more than anything, I want to continue prioritizing the small moments that bring joy, connection and grounding to my life. Those moments — family dinners, hobbies rediscovered, adventures big and small — are what made this past year special. They weren’t grand or earth-shattering, but they reminded me of who I am and what makes me happy.
If 2024 taught me anything, it’s that stability doesn’t mean perfection. It means finding balance amidst life’s inevitable ups and downs and giving myself grace to let go of what I can’t control. It’s about building a life that feels rich in the things that matter most to me, even when everything isn’t perfectly aligned.
So, as I enter 2025, my word isn’t changing — it’s still “stability.” But this time, I’m going into the new year with a clearer understanding of what that looks like. It’s not about rigid goals or chasing an ideal, it’s about continuing to choose the things that fill me with gratitude and peace, one step at a time.
Here’s to a year of small joys, meaningful connections and the kind of grounding experiences that remind us all of what is truly important. May we all find our own version of stability, whatever that may look like, in the year ahead.
