I didn’t choose a WOTY this year, but I have always attempted to maintain a healthy balance in my life. I have often written about designing a life that includes feeding my mind, body, and spirit (elements of my contentment), and I think this month’s recap captures what that means to me. I am not suggesting that every day, or even every week, is balanced, but I do notice when it isn’t, and I make a conscious effort to identify and ‘fix’ what’s missing. Movement, thought, creative expression, nature, connections, exploration, awareness…

The new year blew in quite literally, with cool temperatures and a few windy days. We celebrated quietly, just the two of us, with a big pot of steamed muscles, a crusty baguette, and a nice bottle of wine. Just a few yellow carnations adorned the table. Setting the tone for 2026, I suppose – simple, straightforward, good company.

Health and Fitness

I’m keeping the initial weight loss off, but haven’t progressed in that area. I have a goal of losing 5 more pounds (total 15) before March 10th. I need to get serious soon since I am running out of time before our next vacation. Below is my tennis team on the day we took our club to first place in our league. They challenge me to keep moving, and their energy makes me feel younger than my years.

Malcolm and I have been attending to eye, skin, and teeth health this month, getting all our appointments out of the way. All of that stuff makes me feel old. Especially when the dermatologists suggest we ‘burn these off’ as a precaution, and the Optometrist reminds me that the cataracts are small, but growing. Great, thanks! In addition, Malcolm is getting PT on the shoulder that he damaged when he spilled down the stairs in Paris. He is working hard to recover in time to pull his suitcase across New Zealand in March. Not that we will be doing a lot of suitcase pulling during the three cruises.

Celebrating

We celebrated Malcolm’s 70th birthday, spreading the festivities out over most of the month. His wish – a chocolate cake from Surfside Diner and a visit to Peebles for barbecue ribs. The man has simple needs and never makes a request for anything. This I can do. We shared the cake with some friends, and still had leftovers for days. I staged the photo below of Malcolm with his favorite birthday gifts. His friends know him well. A nice cigar, a glass of bourbon, and chocolate! He makes turning 70 look easy.

The celebration continued when friends dropped by with a delicious cheesecake and a silly candle a few days after the big day. The kids visited for the weekend, and we made lots of food and hung out together, doing nothing. He felt doubly blessed with time with friends and family to celebrate his milestone birthday.

Contributing

My friend Maryanne hosted a Mahjongg tournament in support of a local charity for the third straight year. I attended, made a donation, and won a few games. It was fun, but some of the tables I played at were stressful. I hadn’t realized how competitive the game has become. I kept reminding myself that it was for charity and I was there to support my friend. I think I might have actually said that out loud! The part about it being for charity. Chill people.

Blogging

I posted three times this month. It seems I had a lot to say, but I promise that frequency will not continue. Thank you to everyone who read and commented on all three posts. I suppose this one counts as #4.

This is the month I perform annual blog maintenance. It’s a task that I highly recommend for keeping your blog clean and engaging. Below is a list of things I suggest reviewing.

• About Me page – Does it include your name, something about you, and the general ‘flavor’ of your blog?
• Search Box – do you have one? Is it functioning? Is it prominently located?
• Contact Me page – Is it easily located and functioning?
• Resize photos and eliminate unused or duplicates to create space
• Check links within posts and correct or delete posts with broken links
• Update Profile Photo – especially if it no longer looks like you (just sayin’)
• Photos – replace out-of-focus images, crooked horizon lines, or any images that distract from your message

Creating

I put the finishing touches on our annual photo book and hit ‘publish.’ Memories of 2025 are literally in the book. I received my 12×12 keepsake just a few days ago and added it to the shelf. Creating an annual memory book is an ongoing project for me, and I love arranging photos and adding text that captures our experiences throughout the year. The 2026 book is set up and underway. We are looking forward to writing our story.

Reading and Watching

My friend Linda recommended a book that her book club just finished. ‘The Correspondent‘ by Virginia Evans. The book was presented in a format of letters written between the main character (an accomplished and aging retired law clerk grappling with the certainty of blindness) and several supporting characters. Through her correspondence, the protagonist, Sybil, came to terms with poor decisions, confessed wrongdoing, offered and received forgiveness, healed old wounds, found love, discovered an unknown family member, and reconciled with loved ones. These aren’t spoiler alerts, just an unfolding of what the reader is asked to piece together through the ongoing letter exchange. Sybil is revealed through her letters, and while I didn’t always like her, I respected that she did the best she could, flawed and imperfect as she was. The ending was a little too neat for my taste, but it heralded the possibility that it’s never too late for self-discovery, new beginnings, and redemption. The power of the pen. 4 1/2 out of 5.

I also read ‘Normal People‘ by Sally Rooney. While I enjoyed the plunge into the world of two twenty-somethings, attending Trinity University in Dublin, their on-again, off-again relationship was irritating and far from relatable. The rich unpopular girl, poor popular boy theme highlighted class differences, but the author missed the chance to go deeper as did she, regarding abuse, domination, communication, and true love. I’d label this a contemporary read for me, and one that was entertaining, but frustrating at the same time. Sally Rooney is a very popular author, and I wanted a ‘breakthrough’ moment, character growth, or a semblance of resolve, but it never came. I did manage to stumble across at least one quotable quote – “Life is the thing you bring with you, inside your own head.” 3 out of 5.

We saw ‘Song Sung Blue’ starring Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman. It was the first time we’d stepped into a theater together in years. We enjoyed the experience (reclining seats, buttered popcorn) but the movie, not so much. No fault of the entertainers. They delivered fine performances. The story was about an interpreter of Neil Diamond. The music was nice. Wait for it to come to Netflix.

This morning, we will be bundled up on the sofa (winter came to Florida), watching an ‘Encore’ presentation of the Men’s Tennis Final from Melbourne, Australia. No spoiler alerts, please! The match was originally broadcast at 3:30 am, which is a bit too early, even for diehard tennis fans. It should be a great final, with our long-time favorite player, Novak Djokovic, vs. our new favorite player, Carlos Alcaraz, testing both skill and endurance.

Sightings – from my back porch

There are currently five wood storks and a couple of bobcats living in the preserved area behind our house. They are a recent addition to our resident rabbits, birds, and squirrels. I shot the cat through the window, not wanting to get too close to this protected and potentially dangerous animal. The wood storks are seasonal, and I expect they will move on shortly. The bobcat will stick around as long as there is food, i.e. rabbits.

Traveling

We are getting excited about our upcoming visit to Australia and New Zealand. Our original plan was to do an extended stay trip entirely on our own, as we saturated each destination, bit by bit. Unfortunately, I got cold feet and couldn’t commit to moving hotels every 3 to 5 days, driving on the ‘other’ side of the road, and dealing with logistics in general. It was overwhelming, and I cried, “Uncle.” Which means, I threw in the towel and started researching cruises. The solution, and a ‘whimpy’ one at that, was to book back-to-back cruises, which will allow us an overview of the two countries. Nevertheless, I am overthemoon about the trip and can’t wait to flip down under.

If you read us regularly, you know there is always something in the hopper before we have completed the current plan. Currently, the possibilities on the table are Iceland/Greenland (expedition cruise), Japan (land & sea), or possibly South Africa (land & sea) next. Which would you choose?

Ongoing Stuff

Our Realtor showed the house a few times this month. We are hopeful that an offer will be presented soon. But we are also being realistic and have started to think about how we could make the house more suited to us. We’ve developed a plan for renovating and will get a few bids. In the meantime, we are still looking at properties in hopes of finding the perfect fit.

The new year is off to a good start, and we have much to look forward to. How about you? What are your plans for 2026? Did you choose a WOTY, make resolutions, and are you feeling content with more of the same, or anticipating change?

Sharing With Natalie The Explorer – Monthly Wrap-up