2025 was the year I took a hard look at the things I can and can’t control. I’m not one to set new year’s resolutions. But if I had to choose a goal for this year, it’s this: ignore the things I can’t control and focus on the things I can.
Having said that, I’m not ignorant to the fact there are some very bad things going down right now. Some truly atrocious things are happening in this country. I’m aware of that. I’m just choosing not to allow myself to get all worked up about events I can’t control.
Here are some things I’m choosing to focus on instead this year:
Helping Marginalized Groups
Wendy and I were talking about what we could do to rebel against all the fascism and hatred going on in the US today. What does it mean to rebel? Rebellion means going against the status quo and sticking it to The Man. Right now, The Man is fighting a war against immigrants and any other class of human being who is not a straight, white, native English-speaking male. The Man has classified immigrants as animals who need to be destroyed. And he is supported in that opinion by millions of US citizens who are just as racist and xenophobic as he is. What better way to rebel against that horrific ideology than by helping immigrants and other marginalized groups? I don’t know what that looks like at the moment or what shape that might take, but there’s a desperate need for compassion and basic human dignity right now. I’d like to be a part of helping to restore that.
The Things That Make Me Happy
I’ve spent the last few years searching for the activities that make me happy. There’s writing, obviously. I’m still working hard on wrapping up my anthology and releasing it like a plague on the world in October. But I’ve discovered other interests I’d like to pursue more this year too. I’ve had an acoustic guitar hanging on the wall at home for years, but I’ve never done anything with it. I’ve always wanted to learn to play, which is why I bought the thing in the first place. I took several lessons years ago, but then life happened and it was forgotten. Now things are way more stable for our family and the kids are all grown and gone. So that’s one thing I have my eye on this year. I also have some models I’d like to complete this year. That Millenium Falcon is still waiting for me to finish. And I’ve been toying with the idea of a scale model of our house made out of popsicle sticks. I’ve always had an interest in photography and videography and would like to study those more this year. There’s also sketching and drawing, which I’ve always wanted to try but just never felt capable enough.
That’s basically it. There’s way too much going on already in the world. I don’t want to complicate things with to-do lists and goals that stretch a mile long. Helping people where I can and doing a handful of things that make me happy. That’s what I’m focusing on this year. And ignoring all the deafening explosions going on around me.
Amen. Keep it up.