I’ve started typing the intro to this post at least 20 times, and each time I erased and completely rewrote it. It’s weird because I’ve known for months what I wanted my word to be for 2026, but for some reason I’m having trouble articulating the reasons why I chose it. Does that make sense?
I’m about to be vulnerable here (and wordy, although that’s nothing new – hahahaha), so bear with me…
I want to start by saying that I am so blessed – I have a wonderful husband, two amazing kids, and an incredible village of other family members and friends who love and care for all of us. We are all healthy. We have food on our table. We have a roof over our heads. We have every single thing we could ever need. And I am so very grateful for all those things.
But despite having all these things, the hardships we’ve had over the past 15 years have worn me down, and at times, overshadowed the good. Maybe that is just adulthood? I don’t know. *Shrugs shoulders*
This, in turn, caused massive anxiety and then, said anxiety caused a bunch of other physical issues throughout the years – panic attacks, neck tension, breathing issues, throat constriction, general dizziness, headaches, stomach issues, etc. – and I’ve been stuck in this vicious cycle of all. the. bad. things. ever since.
So, while generally healthy from a typical standpoint (blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, no terrible diseases, etc.), all the issues listed above have still negatively impacted my daily life for years, and that, in turn, has affected my mental health in a very negative way.
And I don’t say any of this to garner sympathy – trust me, life is good for the most part, and I am so grateful for all the good in my life – I only say these things to give a little overview of what led to my decision to choose my word for this year.
After years of riding the struggle bus for a multitude of reasons, I am choosing a word that will not only help me focus on the good things in life but actually remember that I can also create the good things. Therefore, my word for 2026 is…
OPALITE
Now. If you’re not a Taylor Swift fan, then you have NO CLUE what I’m talking about right now. So, I will tell you – Taylor Swift dropped a new album called The Life of a Showgirl back in October last year, and it’s, perhaps, the happiest album we’ve gotten from her in years. After brooding for the last four albums (Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department AKA all my favorite albums by her – LOL), you can tell she’s in a happier space, and I want to be in a happier space, too!
One of the songs on the new album particularly inspired me, and it is titled Opalite. When Taylor spoke about the meaning behind the song, she explained that Opalite is a man-made stone and she uses that as a metaphor for making your own happiness since we can’t just expect happiness to find us… we can make our own happiness, too. And although Taylor refers to her love life in some of the lyrics, the concept can be applied to all aspects of life and hardships in general, not just love.
Ultimately, the song is about finding lasting happiness through self-creation, growth, and resilience and choosing happiness in your own life even when things aren’t going your way… spoken straight from Taylor’s mouth to my ears.
Isn’t that great? It ended up being one of my favorite songs on the whole album, and it just has aaaallll the happy vibes. From first listen, it jumped out at me, and I knew it would be my word 2026.
For funsies, here are the lyrics to the whole song…
I had a bad habit
Of missing lovers past
My brother used to call it
'Eating out of the trash'
It's never gonna last
I thought my
house was haunted
I used to live with ghosts
And all the perfect couples
Said, "When you know you know."
And, "When you don't you don't."
And all of
the foes and all of the friends
Have seen it before, they'll see it again
Life is a song, it ends when it ends
I was wrong
But my Mama
told me
It's alright
You were dancing through the lightning strikes
Sleepless in the onyx night
But now the sky is opalite
Oh oh oh oh, oh my Lord
Never made no one like you before
You had to make your own sunshine
But now the sky is opalite
Oh oh oh oh oh
You couldn't
understand it
Why you felt alone
You were in it for real
She was in her phone
And you were just a pose
And don't we
try to love love
We give it all we got (we give it all we got)
You finally left the table
And what a simple thought
You're starving til you're not
And all of
the foes and all of the friends
Have messed up before, they'll mess up again
Life is a song, it ends when it ends
You move on
And that's
when I told you
It's alright
You were dancing through the lightning strikes
Sleepless in the onyx night
But now the sky is opalite
Oh oh oh oh, oh my Lord
Never met no one like you before
You had to make your own sunshine
But now the sky is opalite
Oh oh oh oh oh
This is just
A storm inside a teacup
But shelter here with me, my love
Thunder like a drum
This life will beat you up, up, up, up
This is just a temporary speed bump
But failure brings you freedom
And I can bring you love, love, love, love, love
Don't you sweat it, baby
It's alright
You were dancing through the lightning strikes
Sleepless in the onyx night
But now the sky is opalite
Oh oh oh oh, oh my Lord
Never made no one like you before, no
You had to make your own sunshine
But now the sky is opalite
Oh oh oh oh oh
I mean, dancing
through the lightning strikes… this is just a storm inside a teacup?! YES.
That just puts things right into perspective and makes me so happy even
reading it. And the song is even better
when you listen because it has such a happy, boppy beat.
Bottom line – there are so many things that can bring us down (the current news cycle sure isn’t doing anyone any favors), so that’s my goal for the year… to make my own happiness even in the midst of strife. And I hope to share the journey here with all of you if I can figure out exactly how I want that to look.
Okay, let’s get into the goals…
Personal / Health / Wellness
/ Fitness / Beauty
Do more of what brings me joy.
Get my braces off once and for all!!!!
Completely taper off my vertigo meds.
Continue working to eliminate dizziness, etc.
Implement new meditation practices.
Condense my daily quiet time.
Finish reading the Bible and The Bible in a Year.
Make healthy changes to my diet.
Serve at our school and church.
Work out 3-5 times per week.
Walk / jog 350 miles.
Implement upper body strength workouts (if my doc approves it).
Read 24 books.
Appointments / Meetings
/ Other Requirements
Jacob complete Confirmation service hours.
Jacob celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Home / Organization /
Planning
Clean out the house.
Deep clean the house.
List items to sell / donate as house is cleaned out.
Alleviate a few pain points around the house.
Work on some more house projects.
Clean out two large keepsake boxes in storage closet.
Wash and put away all of Maui’s old stuff. Yes, it’s all still out 11 months later. :o(
Finish updating all album artwork in iTunes.
Move some of my lists from paper printouts to my List Master app.
Reorganize my List Master app.
Record our year (more intentionally this year!) using the One Second a
Day app.
Clean out my camera roll on my phone.
Tackle a few things from my Master To-Do List.
Blog / Social Media
Document my word of the year monthly on the blog.
Catch up on
backlog of old Reels. Sigh.
Create some evergreen
content (recipes, organization, crafts, holidays).
Do more fun
“get to know me” posts (Top 10 lists, throwback posts, etc.).
Work on
year-end blog post (Ode to 2026) all year so I don’t get behind.
Fun Stuff!
Go to a few concerts.
Go to a couple of plays / shows.
Go to a couple of Georgia football games.
Aim to average at least one date night per month.
Aim to average at least one girls night per month.
Get together with our poker night friends once a month.
Try new restaurants / things in our city.
Go to Disney World.
Go to the beach.
Go to Nashville.
And those are
my goals for 2026! And here are a few things I saw on social media that inspired me...
If you want to see my goals from prior years check out the posts below!
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
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