twenty twenty six

and maybe this means it will be a good one?

when I was younger, I loved collecting rocks, writing really bad poetry, and taking everything as a sign — especially numbers, and the numbers those numbers created when you mixed them all together. which is funny, because I always hated math and favored literature and philosophy and languages instead. one year (don’t ask me which; I couldn’t trust my concept of time even if my life depended on it), the number 26 followed me everywhere. clocks, streets, doors, license plates: it was always there. I figured this had to mean something, and so 26 joined 8 and 19, and became one of my favorite numbers.

@chloegracelaws

Chloe Laws ✍️ on Instagram: "A feed palate cleanser, if you wil…

so yesterday, when I came across this post from Chloe Grace Laws, I thought, oh, look, twenty twenty six. which is obvious, but, again: funky concept of time. and despite my distorted relationship with the passing of seconds and minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and years, what I do know is this: some seconds and minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and years, you’re just trying to survive. and that’s how I spent most of the last 731 calendar dates, despite setting intentions to do the opposite of just surviving.

which is a lot, but,

no but.

twenty twenty five arrived. january, faithful to its season, a rainfall of questions. a storm of thoughts, most of them blue like the feeling you get when it’s 5pm and already dark outside. I was fine, then I started thinking. july, here comes summer, and the haunting realization that wanting is not enough, not anymore. december, three hundred fifty days in to be more precise, asking when did everybody stop smoking? time flies when you’re not enjoying yourself that much.

and now twenty twenty six. twenty six. twenty six. and maybe this means it will be a good one. or maybe it’s just a number, like twenty seven or twenty eight or twenty nine. or thirty. or thirty one, or thirty two.

maybe, I should open a numerology book and leave substack alone.

that’s a lie, I’m full of fears

so what is this all about.

I’m not sure,

if making resolutions brings any good luck or if that’s just eating the twelve raisins and wearing a specific underwear color when the clock strikes midnight.

but yesterday when I came across that post and thought, oh, look, twenty twenty six, I also thought, oh, look, making a list with twenty six items sounds fun. (watch me regret this once I reach lucky number 13)

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1. have a mobility routine, and stretch my body more often

2. learn a new skill without the pressure of being excellent at it

3. diversify my breakfast menu, I miss having pancakes in the morning

4. have more fun with my wardrobe, good quality basics are great but so is a statement piece every now and then

5. go to the beach more often

6. more fun and more whimsy

7. go out more: to dance, to drink a glass of wine, to have a cocktail after dinner

8. write, write, write

9. remember that a bad draft is always better than a blank page

10. self-acceptance and self-trust > external validation

11. redefine the meaning of success and accomplishments, especially on a personal level

12. invest in therapy again

13. resist the urge to isolate when life gets heavy

14. more solo dates because doing things alone is healthy and spending time alone is also important

15. read outside

16. underline physical books without feeling guilty

17. watch movies because they speak to me vs because they’re letterboxd approved

18. remember that I have free will

19. play word chain and sudoku when I’m bored, or research any topic that comes to mind, instead of automatically reaching for my phone

20. get that damn alarm clock so I can finally start sleeping without my phone in the bedroom

21. be a better observer, pay more attention

22. consume outside my comfort zone

23. invest more in writing as a craft, go to writers hours more often and writing workshops without feeling like I’m a fraud

24. take random days off work with no holiday plans, just to do things I love that I rarely get the chance to during weekdays, like catching a movie at 3pm

25. more weekends away, in the countryside, surrounded by nothing but trees and silence, and the occasional sheep baa or church bells in the distance

26. live.

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happy 2026. may the dua lipa / addison rae / name any fabulous, well-read, unbothered person lifestyle find you next year. have fun. be whimsy. go crazy. crash out. and then get high on peace and quiet.