The Sunday Letter — Issue No. 05
Dear Readers,
It is officially 2026, and I find myself feeling both very normal and quietly optimistic about what the year has to offer.
There is always this idea in my head that when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, everything magically resets. A clean slate. A fresh start. With my ADHD brain, that feeling of newness gets my dopamine pumping. New plans, new ideas, new possibilities.
But if I’m being honest, that same excitement can sometimes tip into something heavier. When I start measuring myself against imaginary standards I created in my own head, the fresh start can quickly feel like pressure.
So this year, I’m trying something different.
This Week’s Reflection: On Small, Reachable Joy
I am working on setting smaller, more realistic goals for myself.
I have a tendency to plan my life five or ten years ahead with very strict expectations. That approach has not always been healthy for me. Perfectionism can wear a very convincing disguise. One minute I’m outlining an idea, and the next thing I know I’m mentally planning a book release event for a book I have not even written yet.
It really is a gift and a curse.
Instead, I am lowering the stakes and focusing on micro-joys. Simple, reachable moments that bring me back into my body and into the present.
Things like:
Sitting outside and eating my lunch
Growing herbs in my planters
Outlining an essay or blog post
Reading five chapters of a book
Catching the sunrise or the sunset
A fresh cup of tea
A good piece of toast with delicious jam
Grabbing a meal with my best friend
Preparing something comforting for my family
Smelling rain in the air before it falls
These are the things that make life feel full without asking too much of me.
Currently Watching
I finished watching The Price of Confession, and wow. I will be posting my full review soon, but I will say it stayed intense all the way through.
On New Year’s Eve, I also watched the series finale of Stranger Things. I ended the year with it, and it left me feeling reflective in a way I did not expect. I wrote a post about how the ending landed for me, and it is up on the blog if you want to read my thoughts.
What I’m Reading & Writing
I have not finished any books yet this year, but I did check out a few from the library, including works by Toni Morrison and Jesmyn Ward. I am easing into those reads slowly and intentionally, and I will share my thoughts once I have spent some real time with them.
On the writing side, I have been:
Outlining essays and blog posts
Letting ideas exist without forcing them into finished form
Practicing starting without needing to know the ending
A Gentle Note for You
You do not have to turn your whole life around in January.
You are allowed to move gently.
You are allowed to set small goals.
You are allowed to let joy come from ordinary moments.
Progress does not have to be dramatic to be meaningful.
Until next Sunday,
Thank you for being here with me as we step into a new year together. I am grateful for this space and for the quiet way it continues to grow.
Love,
Iris — xoxo
