On December 19, 2025 I finished a glass of white wine while enjoying conversation with my friend’s mother, sitting at the end of our bar, Wine Shop. That was the last time I drank.

As I woke this morning, a thought made its way to the front of my brain. 

I never look in the mirror.

With the turn to 2026, I have been thinking a lot about Becoming. How we tend to be in a constant state of it. Becoming our best selves, becoming healthier, becoming insert thing we are striving for here. 

About two years ago my entire identity was wrapped up in my job. I was convinced it was where I would retire, I had no hobbies, I checked my phone every thirty seconds, I responded to emails in the middle of the night when I was almost always awake. And every single connection I had was tied to my job.