Dearest Diary - January 13, 2026

It seems this year came in hot. Like why did it come out swinging? Why does it feel like it's been a year and it hasn't even been two weeks? It’s the current state of the world, isn’t it?

I feel like I keep repeating the same things on my instagram stories and felt the need to share it here, but invest in your community. Learn a new skill that'll prove useful. Donate to legal funds. Do something that actively combats fascism. Even if it's envisioning a better future and sharing that vision with others online. When we have an idea of what a better future looks like, it's easier to bring it into existence. We can't focus on doom and gloom and "we're cooked." Do something. Everything helps.

As I am writing this, I just decided on my next photo for A Photo and a Line. If you have no idea what that is, I've been posting a photo and a line on Instagram. It's a way to combine my love for photography and writing. This week's photo is one I took years ago. I was driving through Blythewood and saw someone's flag was upside down. I remember thinking, what distress could they possibly think we're under? I wonder if they still have their flag upside down or if they've turned it right side up. This was during Biden's second year and on the surface things were still "normal." I was going to go off on a tangent about "normal," but I don't want to lose the thread.

My photo choice this week was inspired by the protests against ICE and the current administration. I've been sharing resources and information and doing what I can while telling myself that "ice melts." In the first few days of January,I found myself unable to gather the will to create and write (revise), but remembered that's what a fascist regime wants. They want you sad and scared and unable to do anything, but worry.

I picked myself up and wrote what I wanted this year to hold for me. I even wrote ten wishes. It felt...childish, but I made ten wishes. Two of them were for the betterment of the world for all, not just some. This was also spurred on by my de-cluttering days where I found old notes I wrote. One was from last July around the new moon in Leo and I cried reading it because I posed the question: what does a better future look like for you in this moment? My answer was very long, but what made me cry was this line...

It looks like having a government that doesn't want me dead. It looks like feeling safe and protected and valued in my own country.

If I could go back in time, I could probably find a very similar line in my old blogs. That's exactly why I keep holding the vision. One day I will feel safe and valued. One day every minority in the United States of America, regardless of their citizenship status, will feel safe and protected and valued in this country. Things will change. Things are already changing. Look for the gold nuggets and silver lining.

Speaking of gold nuggets and silver lining, mine for the week was realizing I want to open my print shop again. It seems someone out there is conspiring to make it happen because every perceived issue I run into is solved within a day. I haven't had a print shop in quite some time and I definitely haven't sold any in person since I participated in a pop-up art show years ago, but it's been nagging me for months. Do I anticipate any sales? Not really. I'd be lucky if I sold one a month.

The other gold nugget? I finally fixed my newsletter. I am unsure if these entries will be automatically sent in them or just added as a link in whatever I choose to send out, but we shall see. Everything just feels so new this week. Like anything is possible. There's still so much to do on my end, but I don't feel defeated and I hope you don't either.

Until next time.