We’ve come to the end of 2024. It was a challenging year for me with a lot of ups and downs with my mental health. I was laid off at the end of February and have struggled to find a new job, which hasn’t helped. But I wouldn’t call it a bad year, because it wasn’t really bad.

I had my best reading year ever in 2024. Prior to this year, my record of books read was 135 in one year. I far surpassed that this year, finishing with 187 books (as of this writing, I may finish one or two more before midnight). I’ll be sharing a full recap and break down next week.

For the last several years I’ve selected a word as my theme of the year. My word of the year for 2024 was Heal. I don’t think I necessarily took the healing journey I originally envisioned, but I was still able to heal in many ways this year. I’ve stopped beating myself up for being fired in 2023, finally. And I allowed myself to experience my depression without succumbing to it. And I found my rage and anger, which actually fueled my voice in a positive way.

As I look ahead to 2025 and what is to come, I feel a great deal of trepidation. I fear that my country is in for a very turbulent year. But I have hope that we can push back against the tyranny. With that being said, the word I have chosen for 2025 is Resist.

Resistance comes in many forms, not just the obvious of  protests and marches. Reading and sharing and speaking out in favor of diverse books is a form of resistance. Uplifting the voices of marginalized communities is resistance. Making plans and setting goals for a better future is a form of resistance. And experiencing joy , happiness and love in the face of hate is resistance.

I plan to resist in all of the above forms and am willing to go as far as I need to in order to ensure that every single person in this country has they rights they deserve as a human being. So when you see me sharing the books I’m reading and sharing happiness in my life, I am resisting. When you see me speaking up for my rights and the rights of others, I’m resisting. When you see me at a protest, I am resisting. When you see me putting my mental health first, I am resisting. I hope you’ll join me.

As far as all the rest, I want this to be a good year for me, personally. I want to be authentic and true to myself and my beliefs. I want to regain my independence and my sense of self. And I want to read, a lot! I’ve created a couple of Bingo Boards for the year to make it a little more fun.