Waves of optimism and a fresh new year

I watched waves of optimism welcome a new year yesterday as the sun set on a Florida beach.

The dichotomy of the ocean — at once steadfast and mercurial — offers the perfect metaphor for the gift we humans have fashioned for ourselves each year.

Waves roll in with a constancy upon which the whole earth depends. They make an impact, recede, regroup and return.

Isn’t that the same with us? We get a fresh start every year to set our goals, make our impact, analyze our efforts, regroup and try again.

Watch a wave break on the shore and know its power lies not in its splashy poses (though those are fun to see), but in its determination. It stretches toward the shore, slips away, and tries again. Each effort makes an exponential impact on the land it leaves behind.

We get to do that too.

Human cycles like days and years offer us the miracle of fresh beginnings. We, too, make an impact on the earth we don’t always recognize in the moment. Our strength also lies in our determination, in the hopeful way we approach each fresh segment of life.

Time isn’t a burden that gets heavier as we age. It’s a gift that’s ours to enjoy. We who have experienced a multitude of New Years Days should consider ourselves luckier each year.

The trick is figuring out how to make the most out of that gift and to give ourselves a little grace while we do.

I hope 2026 brings you all kinds of joy and the opportunity to recognize the valuable impact you continue to make on this old world.

Happy New Year!

Let’s Go!