You can grieve people you had to leave. You can love people whose choices devastated you. You can be grateful for the family you came from and also grateful that you're not still in it. Those things can coexist. There's no shame in choosing yourself. There's no shame in protecting your peace. Sometimes love looks like distance

Hard doesn't always mean horrible. 2025 had its gut punches, but it also gave me peace I'd never known. I finally addressed my anxiety, protected my peace, and got ready for what's next. Here's why I'm not running from this year, I'm saddling up because of it.

I spent last week in bed. Not because I was sick, at least not in the traditional sense. I was depleted. Burnt out. Running on fumes that had long since evaporated. Outside of showering, brushing my teeth, and washing my face, I pretty much stayed horizontal. I cooked dinner maybe once. I responded to emails and dealt with our youth and social workers from under my covers. But getting up? Facing the world? I just couldn’t do it. And honestly, I didn’t want to. At the beginnin