A number of years back, I was trying on a pair of slacks at a women’s clothing store. I was shocked and dismayed to see that my size had changed … yes, as you might have guessed, it had gone up. The clerk who was helping me find the next size said, “It’s only a number”, which honestly gave me a lot of comfort. Sometimes (often when I step on the scale), I harken back to that phrase: "It’s only a number."
On the other hand, sometimes numbers can be empowering. Like the number 2026. It’s a new number, a new year. And I’m ready for it.
My 2025 was not so great. A hospitalization, a few surgeries, and the dreaded eye injections. Our dog died. We moved to a new house, which was a joyful outcome, but a whole lot of work to get there. Then there was my dad’s final illness and passing. I can’t put into specific numbers how many hours I spent in 2025 traveling, planning, talking to my dad, family members, hospice, and nurses. Then, finally, there were the many sad hours spent planning my dad’s funeral. It was an exhausting, grief-filled time, leaving me with no energy or desire to write about joy.
It has been three months since I last posted any writing, which makes me feel sad and discouraged. But it is only a number.
I am ready for a new number: 2026, during which I can resume my “Finding Joy” blog posts. Noticing small pleasures in life and writing about them gives me great joy.
I hope you’ll return to read my posts, which I will start again in a week or two. Together, we can make 2026 a joyful year for all of us.