A new year, and January is already exhausted from its days consumed with the world’s stress. I imagine this month is warning: “February, be prepared, because not even your Valentine’s Day can heal our hearts.” What will the end of this year look like, with so many days of each month cluttered with uncertainties?

Another observation is how quickly time passes after the age of fifty. It’s as if my generation wants a do-over—to push the delete button and step back to their younger selves, when life wasn’t bombarded with the price of tea.

I thought moving to Europe would be an easy reward after years of planning. Yet, the reality is that home is inside yourself, and not a physical place. I’m happy with my decision, and this is the truest statement about me. And as I age, I like the mirror’s reflection. I’ve learned from friendships and in my life’s lessons, there’s no cure for what you don’t know, but what you do with what you know, can help make the days on the calendar bearable.

If there’s a take-away from the beginning of 2026, life is uncertain, and no matter how much you prepare, there’s always going to be that unforeseen stone to trip you. I think of the lives being disrupted by racism and violence. I think of fears growing like weeds, and the challenges douching voices clamoring to speak their minds. What is their reward?

Friends in the States often ask if it was worth it—leaving behind all I knew to walk in uncomfortable-new-shoes. My answer is the same: WHY NOT?

I have no control, whether it’s here or there, but what I have is faith and a belief in a better and wiser humanity. I can show kindness in the smallest task to a stranger, and choose not to look at the days of the calendar in news segments. Because days in a calendar are the same, just spoken in different languages. People want to see more gardens than weeds, to stay connected to friends and family, and to live without fear.

“Time doe not change us. It just unfolds us.”  Max Friseh