Happy New Year!
It’s been a long time since I looked forward to the start of a new year in a way that wasn’t in hopes of restarting or erasing the previous one. I recently read something that a friend of mine wrote that talked about how 2025 was the first time in two years that she wouldn’t simply be “surviving” anymore but actually living and able to be creative or hopeful again. 2023 and 2024 were formative years for me and each served their purpose but I’ll be honest, they were brutal and often unforgiving in their own ways at times, too. Moving abroad took a solid two years (in combination with a few other things) to feel settled and like I was standing on solid ground. The back half of 2024 propelled me into action and got me moving in a way I had been stuck for many months. I’ve been carried by this momentum until now and feel the current pushing me into another year. This sounds passive but the momentum and action came from me so now I’m just benefitting from a front loaded previous year.
I’ve always appreciated the idea of a new start whether it be a day, week, month or year. I don’t expect to be a new person on January 1 by any means, but I do use a new year as a starting point to set new goals and review the previous year. 2024 was a year of hard emotional work, loss/grief, exercise, travel, new opportunities, acceptance, etc. But now for the first time in a while, life feels much lighter and I’m eager to do things again. I stood in the hallway two nights ago and talked to my neighbor, the Monk, about the new year and energies. He told me the minute you doubt a situation, yourself, whatever it may be, you’ve already lost. He said this time of year is filled with positive energy and momentum from everyone as a collective feeling the excitement and hope for a new year and it’s a good time to ride that energy wave. I intend to do that.
I spent New Year’s Eve with Adam on our couch, the metal blinds drawn and Russell heavily sedated on anxiety medication. I could write my thesis on the unnecessary use of fireworks in Germany on NYE but I think I’ve stated my feelings enough about this. Watching my dog shake and live in terror for three days straight is enough motivation for me to hate fireworks and their useless existence. I digress. So we spent the night watching movies, drinking sekt and made a nice dinner. We were in bed, falling asleep shortly after midnight and that was that. The next morning, we woke up and headed out for our first workout of the year. When we got home we decided to completely reorganize the house and declutter the space. We bagged up junk that’s been sitting in various corners of the house and it was extremely cathartic. For the first time in a long time, I feel organized and minimal in my space.
I tend to not make resolutions but rather set goals or make a list of things I hope to do by the end of the year. I posted my list last year so I’ll post it this year as well for accountability sake!!
- Visit 3 new countries
- Deep core exercises daily
- Read 25 books
- Get to B1 speaking level auf Deutsch
- Run another half marathon –> maybe a full marathon… we’ll see
- Get a new bike
- Take a writing course
- Watch more movies
- Take Bildungsurlaub
- Get ripped (lol)
Honestly, the things I care most about this next year in terms of personal goals are physical fitness, travel and improving my spoken German. Keeping it simple, baby! I ordered some cold weather running gear so I can keep myself active outside during the winter. I’m in the process of planning a trip to Portugal to visit a new place and see the sun for once during a gray Berlin season… and I’m continuing to see my German tutor twice a week with an emphasis on speaking to build up my confidence. Off to a solid start I guess!
I hope everyone had a good start to their new year~