It has been a minute since I have felt the urge or the desire to blog. This year has been the year of sitting back and resting. It was also the year that I slowly realized was a year of needing to be present instead of chasing things that were 5 years from now.

For a long time, I was running around and trying to be everything that I could. A jack of all trades, I guess you could call it. I felt like if I said no to an opportunity, I would somehow be "washed up" for others.

Truth is, I was going insane with a schedule that I could not say yes to anymore. At the beginning of this year, I evaluated what was on my plate. I looked at the schedule, the tasks, the desires, and the needs of my family, and I realized, I was pulling myself in a thousand different directions.

I couldn't figure out why I was not sleeping nor getting to bed on time... Until the schedule and platload was evaulated.... And it hit me... I was driving myself insane.

I was doing way too much and giving myself to way too many things, even though I was showing up well, I felt empty and drained.

We live in a world that says we have to go-go-go and that slowing down is for the weak. We think saying "no" to anyone will let them down but what if saying "no" and being present helps us feel full again?

From January to April, I shifted what was on my plate. I took things off my plate. I took it a week at a time and said "yes" to things from the place I was at instead of the place I wanted to be. And I felt panic for a while. From January to April, I prioritized getting to bed before 11pm. I was used to getting into bed at 1am and falling asleep by 2am or 3am. My normal used to be going to bed at 1am and waking with my daughter each night.

When I made the shift, it was not easy. I laid there night after night, waiting to fall asleep. I noticed as the consistency played out, my body started to shift. 2am falling asleep became 1am or 1230am. And slowly, it became 11pm.

Every once in awhile, I had a 1am night but the majority of my nights became 11pm. This helped the panic and anxiety reduce over time.

From April to now, I have being present with my family. And this is where I started to see a bigger shift happen.

There is nothing wrong with having plans 6 months out, a year out, or even 5 years out. Those plans can be good. However, when we start to stress out so badly over what is going to happen in 6 months/a year/5 years from now, we lose sight of the NOW. Truth is, I was living in the anxiety of the future and what could go right/wrong, that I was not even being present for conversations that happened right in front of me.

Truth is, I am still working on this. I am working on being present.

2025 was the year I started to learn being present. Being present to who is in front of me. To stop chasing who is not giving me time and energy, and to plan what the future looks like but let go of the need to stress over it.

2025 was better than I expected. I read through my blog from 2024 and I realize that I felt a lot coming into 2025, but I didn't expect this to be the year of simply being present.

I am excited to see what 2026 is. To end one year in focus and to start the next year with keeping it simple just feels different.

I am excited to see what lessons we can learn in 2026 but I want to challenge you: Focus on being present with who is with you today. Turn the phone off. Don't worry about the future. Focus on who is sitting next to you and around you. Focus on being present.

Peace is in the present.

Your friend,

Danisha