Watch Me Fail in 2026
trust me, it's a good thing
Now, before you get all, “Andrea, why are you putting such negative energy out into the universe with that horrible post title,” all I ask is that you read this post. Hopefully by the end, I’ll have convinced both you and me this was a good idea.
Yes, hi, it’s been a while.
I don’t have much of an excuse. Just … 2025, you know?
On Sunday, I took an online yoga class by my dear friend Lisa B. and she read from a social media post Dr. Robert Svoboda wrote recently, titled, “We have reached the end of a strange year.” No shit!
He says:
What made this year unsettling was both what happened and how it happened, incrementally, diffusely, without a single moment we could point to and say, this is where it changed. Change that comes as a series of low-grade disruptions rather than a clear crisis can cause the nervous system to oscillate between two unhealthy responses. Either we dissociate, by scrolling past, numbing out, minimizing, and pretending that everything is background noise, or we over-engage, doomscrolling our way into tracking every fluctuation, every outrage, every signal. Either way, our inner equilibrium eventually evaporates.
WORD!
I think I have wandered all over the place between dissociation and over-engagement during the last 12 months. How about you?
So here we are, at the end of the year. I have done some things. I have not done some other things. I went a few places, read a few books, saw some people. I fell into a pleasant routine over the last half of the year, while simultaneously being unable to focus and get much done.
I found out I have low bone density and elevated cholesterol. I discovered I seem to be careening toward being much older than I actually feel. The disconnect is real.
I’ve probably overshared regarding some things in my life, but I’ve also hesitated in speaking my mind on other things. The inconsistency in my voice (both my vocal voice and the “voice” which I put out into the world, consisting of how I show up in it), might have led me to a writer’s block of sorts. I haven’t been able to put it into words. I lost it. Whatever “it” is.
I have been writing a little bit though, and have plans for 2026, which I’m going to share with you. I’m going to re-commit to this Substack again. Two posts per month, hopefully with some short stories sprinkled in. I hope some of it will be kinda funny, albeit probably really dry. One can hope. The only “rules” I have for this platform is to adhere to the title of my newsletter—I personally guarantee I will overthink absolutely everything.
Oh, and there will be book recommendations. Mostly fiction. My personal belief is that in an age of the unregulated proliferation of AI and enshittification, curation will take on more meaning—at least to those who wish to opt out of a world where everything is thought/written/chosen/read/decided for you and pushed at you by an algorithm.
Dr. Svoboda goes on to say:
As we enter 2026, the commitment is simple but not easy: to remain awake without becoming overwhelmed, engaged without becoming entangled, serious without becoming grim. To keep our feet on the ground while the ground itself feels less stable. To remember that attention is a finite resource, and where we place it shapes not only how we see the world, but who we become inside it.
This feels inspiring to me. Not only because it’s nice to read words by someone else who gets it, but because it makes me want to aspire to finding this middle ground. So much in our culture and politics and basic human interactions has veered away from middle ground. It’s seen as a weak place to be. But those of us who practice yoga know that the middle, that place of balance, is the best place to be.
Strength combined with softness. Rising up and rooting down. Bringing energy up through the center. Keeping your center while venturing outward.
Every December I try to pick a word for the following year. I thought about using BOUNDARIES. It seems like 2025 destroyed my ability to hold boundaries around my creative energy. But the word kind of has a negative connotation, like I have to focus on repelling rather than inviting in. I don’t want to go forward with a word that’s negative. BALANCE is neutral, but kind of boring.
So far I’m thinking of PRESENT. The more I can stay present, the more I will be aware of where my energy is. And when I’m aware, I have choices. Also, I like presents. Presence and presents. And I plan to present in 2026. And represent. Oooh!
What word or phrase will you choose for 2026?
So I’m going to do some things in 2026. I’m going to use my voice. I’m going to show up in a way that works for me and helps make things around me better. I might fail sometimes and I will make mistakes. But I’m going to own it all. I’m here for it.
Happy New Year, Dear Ones—may you find your word, guard your voice, and continue with me on this strange, strange, journey.
Special Offer!
The editing business I run with my friend Michele, Two Birds Author Services, is hosting an online accountability group for the first quarter of 2026. If you’re a writer and want to get some sh*t done, you might want to check out The Hatchery. And if you join before January 1, it’s a super cheap $75 for all 3 months!
Join here: https://www.twobirdsauthorservices.com/hatchery/
Here is wishing you a great 2026! And some book recommendations from you!
Thank you. I missed you.