Regrouping
Getting it together for 2026
This past year was a real mixed bag…satisfying writing work, including teaching another writing course and wrapping up a two-year book project; the delight of our grown kids and growing grandkids; a long-awaited trip to Asia; another treasured summer at the beach. It was also a year with some health challenges for me—mostly age-related and to be expected (so why didn’t I expect them?) and general angst over the state of the world.
I entered my 70th year last week, ever more aware of my lifetime’s rapid passage. I have decided not to make resolutions—instead to regroup, restore, reset, reimagine. And also, to give myself permission to do a little wool-gathering right now.
Speaking of gathering, here’s the first batch of “things I’ve been thinking about”…
FAITH FINDERS FUN VIDEO: THE STORY OF THE SPOON
I have a very hard time remembering the pandemic. Not because I’ve forgotten it, but quite the opposite—I recall it TOO clearly, and that’s very difficult emotionally. What has helped me, over time, is bringing the good things about those years to mind. One of those good things was the chance to film five videos for a project called Faith Finders Fun. We would shoot on Fridays, and my films would air on Saturdays. These short movies were intended to reach, and teach, kids who couldn’t currently attend church education programs. I pray we will never go through anything like the COVID-19 pandemic again. But I also pray we’ll keep the GOOD memories—togetherness with our home “bubbles,” more time outdoors, taking care to protect each other from disease.
Here’s one of the videos, The Story of the Spoon…
ESSAY: 5 simple questions to ask yourself if you’re feeling stuck in life (from NPR’s Life Kit)
Will 2026 be the year of a Big Change for you? Or do you just yearn to get un-stuck from routines or habits that no longer serve you? Ask yourself these five simple questions, give thought to your answers, and prepare for a new outlook and some new motivation!
SHORT VIDEO: TIMEPIECE
This is a sweet little video about a girl who’s late for school, the mysterious old man she meets at the bus stop, and a very special wristwatch…
SONGS ABOUT TIME
Here’s a lovely song my mom Joanie would warble as she sailed around the house (she was a veritable goldmine of tunes from the 40s). As we approach 20 years since her death, these songs mean more and more to me…
“Time” by the Alan Parsons Project, is a really beautiful song. But a close listen to the lyrics reveals a melancholy idea: that as we flow through our lives (like a river to the sea) we will encounter many people we must leave behind, and people who must leave us. The older I get, the truer this rings.
The band Green Day used to perform this song as the finale of their concerts, and no wonder. It’s a heckuva musical punctuation mark…
ESSAY: I perform at a piano bar. The most-requested song might surprise you. by Jesse Rifkin (in Washington Post)
A cocktail pianist looks back at the time when his audiences shared the knowledge, and love, of most of the same songs (when he would play “Hey Jude,” Everybody would “na-na-na-na-na-na-na” together.) No such unanimity on the current, vast array of pop tunes. Worth a read (oh, and you probably won’t guess the most-requested song these days)…
BLOG PREVIEW: MY DAY IN ESREVER (REVERSE)
Ugh. And here we thought it was a mental triumph to accurately remember what we did all day; now, to help stave off dementia, we’re supposed to recall our daily doings BACKWARDS. Ok, here we go!
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
I have to say that this Lewis quote is generally appropriate. Our everyday lives can absolutely seem similar, even repetitive. However, this past year, the constant disruptions of our society were a worrisome daily drum beat. So, while I know change keeps happening, maybe one hope for 2026 is more “similar, even repetitive,” but POSITIVE things…
Here’s to a hopeful start to January, my friends!
