The practice of identifying and trying to follow through on X things in 202X has become my favourite New Year’s resolution thingy. I first tried it in 2024. And again last year.
I came nowhere near completing all the things either time, but that’s just fine. The lists helped me build some habits and identify where I wanted to make changes. Here is what I’m thinking for 2026.
1. Camp more at the cottage. Last year I figured out contracting, plumber and electricity, but I won’t have running water or heat until the electrical actually gets connected to the grid, hopefully by the end of 2026.
2. Get the canoe into the water and explore the lake. This will require at least temporary stairs to the water, and I hope to hire someone to build permanent stairs during the summer.
3. Hike some of the trails around the cottage area. This is a repeat because I never got up to the property often enough to explore. Maybe I can count tromping around on snowshoes this year? I have been keen to do that.
4. Bike at least 1,000 km, including a ride to Gatineau Park for a swim. This number decreases every year, thanks to an overuse injury and fears around longer rides thanks to the heart murmur discovered early in 2025. My e-bike being out of commission for much of the year didn’t help; nor did the switch to a lot more trip chaining so I could combine local errands with elder care across the city. I’m going to remind myself that nearby Lac Leamy is actually part of Gatineau Park (just not the hilly, ambitious part).
5. Read one book a month. I exceeded this goal in 2025, partly because I renewed my library card and started reading fiction again. So the stash of “owned” books hasn’t decreased much and this one needs to stay. Besides, it forces me to rest and that’s a good thing.
6. Read one magazine a week. That’s 52 magazines. I read 41 in 2024, am at 41 so far in 2025, and I have enough for at least another year. I’m going to try and read one more today.
7. Cook one new recipe a week. This is an old habit, and cooking just for myself and sometimes for Mom worked after Dad died in May. This has been a way to explore vintage recipes I think she would enjoy but this year’s challenge will be to add more vegetarian dishes she would also enjoy since my sister is vegetarian.
8. I want to do more recipe redactions from medieval cookbooks. Let’s say one a month? That part of last year’s cooking challenge collapsed completely due to all the other things going on in 2025. But using my collection of medieval cookbooks and blogging about recipes I have tried gives me joy I have missed.
9. Weed and care for my gardens and hopefully harvest more food. This is a repeat and I hope the weather cooperates better than it did in 2025. I’m looking forward to riding my e-bike to the furthest garden again.
10. Swim. I completed exactly half my goal of 200 km a year. I probably won’t reach 200 km, but it’s going to remain as a stretch goal, especially if I can get some serious cottage time.
11. More crafting. I blew past the deadline for last year’s February project. But it still needs doing, along with a whole bag of other unfinished projects. I learned the basics of sprang this year and want to keep exploring that new skill.
12. Sew at least five outfits that have been lurking in my fabric stash and “to do” list for 5 years or more. This is one I could probably keep going for at least a decade. So much fabric stash….
13. Declutter the things in my Mom’s house without adding to my own clutter. I have discovered several great new places working with refugees and other marginalized communities; the real challenge is moving stuff along in a timely manner.
14. Couch surfing vacation to southern Ontario. No change from last year or 2024. I have three planned babysitting weekends with my grandson, and hopefully another invitation to Sam’s for the bloggers’ barbecue, so I’m looking forward to building on those as a way to visit friends.
15. Volunteer less. This is a complete reversal from last year. I realized I don’t love leading harvests (but I do enjoy helping with them), and I’m almost done my terms on various boards. It’s time to let go and focus on me for a while.
16. Eat more fruit. I have a deeply ingrained habit of eating vegetables but not fruit, so my aim is two servings a day. I won’t be able to manage 6 prunes a day on top of that, but they can certainly be an option as my main fruit.
17. Spend more time with Mom. Elder care is going to continue being a big part of my life.
18. Stretch and modest strength training. Physio, yoga, some of the videos from Movement Union, and on-line Pilates, which I started in December and really love.
19. Shop from my pantry. I’m really good at preserving food, not so good at using it up. This is an ongoing challenge but I did make a little headway last year.
20. Meet up with friends. I hang out with way too many introverts. We love getting together, but it rarely happens. I’ll aim to meet up with one of them each month for coffee or a meal or something. This is a repeat because it didn’t happen nearly often enough but needs to happen. Those visits with friends were precious time to me.
21. Do something artistic. Will I finish that oil painting that has been sitting around for years? Work on my calligraphy and illumination? Take a watercolour class? Or just take my sketchbooks to the cottage and put them to use? My art supplies were trapped with the sewing machine for most of the year so this is a repeat.
22. Keep on top of my health issues. Notice and take action when things feel off, rather than trying to power through or refuse to acknowledge in the first place that what I’m feeling is not normal.
23. Relax. Deliberately spend time staring at trees, or lounging in the sun, meditating, or whatever. More specifically, hammock time. Use the one in my back yard and set up one between a couple of trees at the cottage. Another repeat, but so necessary!
24. Set up my bike for indoor rides and watch some movies while I cycle. I have never tried using my Garmin to track indoor cycling, so that could be a test this year. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just guesstimate distances by my average speed 14 km/hour) times the length of the show I watch.
25. Requalify as a lifeguard and swim instructor. This is something I have to do every two years and shouldn’t be a big deal, but it always makes me anxious.
26. I have no idea! This is a placeholder for whatever adventures might come my way, or new things I want to explore. This may have been my favourite last year. Maybe it will morph into this great resolution from a friend:
