Thursday, January 1 Today is not for fixing your life. Write one or two gentle things that help you land in the new year — water, fresh air, a reset corner, an early night. That’s enough for today. Slow start. Clean page.

Guilt doesn’t usually come from big failures. It comes from small, unexamined yeses. Most mental noise isn’t emotional depth. It’s undecided responsibility. From here forward, one rule: No task enters your system without a clear yes or no. Not “maybe.” Not “let me think about it.” Not “I’ll try.” Decisions quiet the mind. Ambiguity keeps it loud. If you want to comment, one sentence is enough: “Deciding faster changes how my brain feels.” That’s Day Three.

Tonight my husband’s back needed a soak, so I went retro-needy on the kids and put on the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I told them the origin story. How the original comics were black and white. How the creators were friends who later drifted apart. How they mailed pages back and forth across the country. How they self-published with their own money. How it took decades—not virality—to become what it is now. TMNT is multi-generational. Not because it was perfect. But because something stuck. It made me wonder— What ideals am I passing on? Which ones will survive me? Which good habits… or quiet flaws… will echo longer than I intend? Transitions have a way of asking these questions whether we invite them or not. And we’re in one right now. What do you think you’re passing on? Bonus points if you tell me your favorite TMNT character. Mine’s in the comments.

December 31 Tonight isn’t about goals. It’s about closing the door properly. Before the year turns: • What actually mattered • What you’re not carrying forward No resolutions required. No reinvention tonight. Just end the year clean. #MomJungle #LivingList #NewYearsEve #YearEndClose #SubtractForSanity #MentalLoad

Wednesday, December 31 Today doesn’t need a plan — it needs permission. Write a short list: – One small thing to finish – One thing to enjoy – One thing to let go of No resolutions. No big thinking. Just close the year gently. Quiet list. Soft landing. #MomJungle #LivingList #HolidayRhythm #NewYearsEve #GentleGoals #OperatorMom #MentalLoad