Back in the waning days of 2024, when everyone was busy posting their “new year, new me” declarations, I quietly chose my word for 2025: soar. Not strut. Not survive. Soar. Bold, huh?

And with that lofty verb came three promises to myself: 
“Connect, Cook, and Cast a Wide Net,” or as I like to say on more poetic days, 
“Taste, Touch, and Travel.”

We’re now well into April — yes, already — and I must say, with only a modest amount of eye-rolling and a healthy helping of humility: I’m actually keeping my promises.

Connect: Every week I’ve reached out to two people I hadn’t spoken to in a while. Some of those convos have been delightful. A few awkward. And one felt like I’d opened a dusty old attic door and was immediately met with a bat. But connection is connection, right?

Cook: Friends, I’ve mastered Thai green curry. I didn’t say I could open a restaurant, but I could absolutely impress a date, feed a dinner party, or emotionally nourish myself after a long Zoom meeting. And let’s be honest — some days that’s what soaring looks like.

Cast a Wide Net / Taste, Touch, and Travel: I’ve been to Turkey and wandered through random small towns like a Hallmark movie extra. I’ve soaked in unfamiliar skies and new spice blends. I’m even heading out internationally again next week. My suitcase may be tired, but my spirit says, “Let’s keep moving.”

Now, here’s the honest bit. The soaring? That part’s been…wobbly. A little more paper plane than majestic eagle. This year has been a whirlwind of recalibrations. Some days, the only thing soaring is my to-do list, my anxiety, or my grocery bill.

But today — a day filled with a personal hush and a heartache that never truly fades — I’m reminded why I made those promises to begin with. I made them for me. For the me that grieves, for the me that remembers lives cut short too soon, and for the me that insists there’s still air under these wings, even if the wind is inconsistent.

So, no, I may not be gliding effortlessly. But I’m still lifting off. I’m still trying. And that, my friends, is worth a toast — perhaps with a steaming bowl of green curry and a one-way ticket to somewhere new.

Soar, stumble, or simmer — just keep your promises to yourself. 
Because in a world that often forgets, you remembering you is a quiet, revolutionary act.