My house brings me such joy and comfort. I look around this morning, smiling at the February love/winter themed decor. It’s the first time I’ve really leaned into the love thing. I mean, not love in general, though on a romantic level it eludes me. I mean in the little touches around the house, and it makes me smile. It brings warmth and a softening to things that I haven’t allowed myself to feel before, and I quite like it. This winter, and year so far has been off to a stellar start.

The mountain has been open since mid-December, and I’ve already been out nearly 10 times with friends and on my own. I spent three hours solo on the mountain last Thursday, after three and a half miles earlier that day with the dogs, and loved every minute of it. Meeting up with winter friends at and around the mountain, making time for local friends and catching some football. The house de-Christmas-tized and settled into the next theme of the season.

Perhaps I am growing softer around the edges. Or, maybe even a little bit on the inside and I’m letting it show. I gave the Universe permission to intervene should I do anything that would get in the way of my affirmation, and it has taken me up on that swiftly and without room for doubt.

Then I had plans (sort of) and a no show with a side of slight disappointment on the heels of letting my brain talk in circles trying to narrate what was next. What WAS next wasn’t anything I had narrated and it served as a reminder. I journaled earlier this week and said, what I learned in 2025, and so far in 2026. The lessons are coming quickly and clearly these days and in literally just less than 24h from when I wrote it, the Universe laid out an example right in front of me, without any room to even question if I was understanding it correctly. It was clearer than runs under bluebird skis on a sunny winter day on the mountain, solo.

The most important lesson 2025 taught me was believe people when they show you who they really are. Even yourself.

The first lesson of 2026 is to hold space to let people show you who they really are. You don’t need to narrate for them. Even silence speaks volumes and actions reveal the truth.

The card I pulled for the week was “Death,” and I’ve never been happier to see that card. The end of the old patterns, clearing out to make way for the new blessings that lie ahead. Every day is one day closer to that path, partnership, and way forward that I can only get to by putting one foot in front of the other, learning from my past, and allowing the future to unfold as it may.

The long holiday weekend is ahead, with a cold front incoming, and fresh snow to be blown Thursday night for the weekend on the mountain. I’ll go to the range tomorrow, ahead of league starting next week. I’ll get up early and run errands and take some shots before my 1pm call, and then head home. Maybe get the dogs out for a walk – there’s supposed to be some sun again and it’s too icy out there to take them today. Wednesday I’ll meet friends on the mountain, and get in some runs on whatever is left of the deteriorating snow. I’ll skip trivia this week, and try to head out there again on Friday after there’s fresh snow blown – before the holiday crowds of the weekend. I’ll let my friends choose where we want to go / what we end up doing après ski. I’ll figure out where I’ll have the most fun watching the 49ers game and do that. I was in the hot tub before work this morning to start the week, and I’ll do yoga and stretching this afternoon to keep the focus so I can be flexible – literally and figuratively – for snowboarding and archery this week. It’s a fun, full week ahead and the weekend is wide open. I am learning I don’t have to plan all of it, narrate everything, or come up with all the dialogue in advance in my head.

And I think now that I’ve written again, I’ll get a little more work done, and use the day for some reading, learning, and growing.