Standing Into Danger: 2026

Friday, January 23, 2026

Seven Questions

My friend Jeanie, at The Marmalade Gypsy, shared an interesting post on January 8th:

Seven Reflection Questions that Made Me Think!

Jeanie is a bubbly, optimistic person whose blog lifts my spirits. She writes about her creativity, travel, art, food, wine, and the people and animals she loves. Despite a challenging 2025, she is moving into 2026 with hope, purpose, and fun. Her reflections were insightful and inspiring, so I thought I would tackle them myself.

Jeanie found the questions in an article “7 Reflection Questions

to Ask Yourself for a Happier New Year,"

in The New York Times, December 26, 2025 issue (Well Section).

So here go my answers:

1. When did you feel the most joyful and carefree?

Definitely it was during our stay in Waikiki last year. Friendship. beauty, flowers, and cultural experiences made it a time of healing and rest.

Taylor, Me, Terry, Daniel, and Jeremy ~ at our Favorite Hideout at the Laylow

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 25, 2025

Waikiki from the Top of Diamond Head

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 19 2025

I Particularly Love Yellow Hibiscus Flowers

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 24, 2025

I Really Love Hula

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 12, 2025

2. What gave you energy — and what drained it?

Music gave me energy and stress drained it. This was a highly stressful year for me. One song I played many, many times was Jellyroll's "I am not okay." It was always comforting, and when I think of how Jellyroll transformed his life, I'm blown away. Besides turning around his early life that included a stint in prison, he has recently lost almost 250 pounds.

"I Am Not Okay" by Jellyroll

YouTube

Facebook

3. What seemed impossible — but you did it anyway?

I climbed Diamond Head the day after my 75th birthday ~ alone. Terry went with me to the start of the trail. It's not the trail, it's the stairs that include a set of 99 steep steps where people much younger than I am turn around. There's another 74-step stairway, a 54-step metal staircase, and after a 225-foot tunnel, a spiral stairway that emerges into a WWII bunker. Just watch me go this year!

The 99-Step Steep Staircase ~ Diamond Head Trail

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 19, 2025

Hikers Greet Me as I emerge into the Bunker

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

May 19, 2025

At the Summit

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 19, 2025

4. What habit, if you did it more consistently, would have a positive effect on your life?

Stretching daily. Groan. I hate the time it takes, but it makes everything else better.

😂😱😂

5. What did you try to control that was actually outside your control?

I tried to control my life during our renovation. Silly me! No matter how great the craftsmen are, something will go awry. We had some of the best in the industry, and unexpected things delayed the finish. Our renovation was the source of so much stress for Terry and me this year.

Steven Works on Our Stairwell Railing

Aurora, Colorado, USA

May 23, 2025

6. Is there anyone you need to forgive in 2026?

Me ~ I was so harsh with myself for not meeting my expectations for myself last year. I need to forgive myself and to be kinder and more compassionate toward myself.

Yours Truly at The Butcher Bar

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

January 20, 2025

7. What will you carry forward into the new year? (implied question)

Being alive is an incredible gift. It's amazing to know that we are stardust ~ literally. The atoms that make up our bodies, like carbon, oxygen, and iron, were forged in ancient stars and scattered across the universe by supernova explosions. If even one event from the beginning of time was different, I wouldn't exist. And perplexingly, all the cells that make up my body have changed at least once, maybe more, during my life, but I persist as a conscious being. I'm a river that flows continually. Terry, me, each of you, humans, are walking miracles. I will carry this, buoyed by gratitude, into 2026.

Photo by Andrea Stöckel

PublicDomainPictures.net

I'm linking to Gillena's Lunch Break, Nicole's Friday Face Off, and Tom's Aloha Friday.

For Gillena ~ A Great Meal ~ bone marrow burger with a side of fries at The Butcher Bar. We always split orders.

The Butcher Bar ~ Bone Marrow Burger Special

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

January 20, 2025

My Half ~ YUMMY!

For Nicole ~ My Favorite Face

Terry at The Butcher Bar

For Tom ~ An Iconic Scene ~ The early morning Ala Wai Canal in Waikiki. This 2-mile/3.2-kilometer long, man-made, tidal waterway was constructed between 1921 and 1928 to drain wetlands for the development of Waikiki. Teams of outrigger canoes train on it, and walkers and joggers run on both sides. It looks idyllic, but it is highly polluted, hypereutropic, and poses a flood risk.

The Ala Wai Canal

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 22, 2026

And some Aloha ~. Terry and I share a meal with good friends Emily and Ted at the Cheesecake Factory.

Aloha is Sharing a Good Meal with Good Friends!

Cheesecake Factory, Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 21, 2026

Note: My computer needs some serious repair work, and I may be without it this next week.

Have a great weekend!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Friday, January 30th. 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Friday, January 16, 2026

Aloha!

We made it to Waikiki somehow! 😂

The past week feels like a blur, what with packing up the house, stopping over in Vegas, flying to Honolulu, and getting settled in our rental condo in the Royal Kuhio. Whew!

I've decided that it's okay to be tired.

Here are a few photo highlights:

We're Ready to Get Out of the Cold ~

and the Muleys Were Looking for Grass after the Snowfall

Aurora, Colorado, USA

January 9, 2026

Tenmile Range Near Breckenridge ~ Such a Thin Snowpack

Rocky Mountain Corridor

Colorado UA

January 11, 2026

Canyonlands National Park

Nearest Town, Moab, Utah

January 11, 2026

Vegas Vickie ~ CIRCA Resort and Casino

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada USA

January 11, 2026

The Three Amigos ~ Terry, Jon, and I

8 East Thai Restaurant, CIRCA Resort and Casino

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada USA

January 12, 2026

The Steelers-Texans Wild Card Playoff Game Begins in Acrisure Stadium

From the Sport Book Overhang, CIRCA

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada USA

January 12, 2026

A Bartender Pours Six Cocktails at Once While Blowing a Whistle

Overhang Bar, CIRCA

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada USA

January 12, 2026

Alter Ego: Nick Burbey, Daniel Conway (Drummer), Rich Embry, and Kevin Vecchione

Fremont Street

Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada USA

January 12, 2026

Leaving Las Vegas ~

Flying Past the Keystone Thrust Fault with Mt. Charleston in the Background

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada USA

January 13, 2026

San Pedro Bay Ports Complex

Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach

California, USA

January 13, 2026

Cloud Land: Altocumulus Stratiformis Perlucidus

Somewhere Over the Pacific Ocean

January 13, 2026

‎⁨Land Ho! Hāna Forest Reserve⁩

Maui⁩, ⁨Hāna⁩, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 13, 2026

Offloading Our Luggage

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 13, 2026

‎⁨It's a Hawaii fish, that we should be proud of

by Mia Kam, Kindergarten, Ma'ema'e Elementary School

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Art

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 13, 2026

Home Sweet Hawaiian Home ~ Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 13, 2026

JRoQ and Melanie Performing at the Hideout

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 13, 2026

Bartenders Extraordinaire ~ Taylor and Jeremy

The Hideout at the Layaway

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 13, 2026

Yikes #1! Four Window Washers

Yikes #2! For Perspective

The Ritz Carleton

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 14, 2026

I'm linking to Gillena's Lunch Break, Nicole's Friday Face Off, and Tom's Aloha Friday.

For Gillena ~ A Great Meal

Enjoying Dinner at Marugame Udon

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 14, 2026

For Nicole ~ A Great Face

A Comfortable Kitty at Cat Café MOFF

The International Market Place

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 15, 2026

For Tom ~ An Iconic Scene

Diamond Head

from the Moana Surfrider

Honolulu, ⁨Hawaii⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 15, 2026

Have a great weekend!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Friday, January 23rd. 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

IWSG: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 ~ Writing Plans and a Mental Block Finally Understood

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are

Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray!

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is:

Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I wish each of you happiness, health, creativity, fulfillment and love!

My writing plans for 2025 flamed out, except for my blog and IWSG admin work.

So, again, my plan is to finish my memoir.

I've been beating myself up over my unfinished memoir.

I thought I'd complete a lot while our renovation was going on,

but I was overwhelmed by the chaos and couldn't manage it.

I kept/keep asking myself What is wrong with me?

Then, when I was laid up with the flu during the week from December 26th to January 4th,

I found myself in the pages of November 2025's National Geographic.

I was stunned.

The issue had a series of articles on adult ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

I've alluded to having ADHD before,

but I didn't really understand the implications of that until now.

Previously I have shared that my no-longer-secret family nickname is "The ADHD One."

(Aren't siblings the best? 😂)

I didn't realize I had ADHD until I was in my early 50s,

when it dawned on me that all the accommodations I was making for my ADHD kiddos

were necessary for me to function too.

Then I asked my siblings if they thought I might have ADHD,

and they all burst out laughing,

especially my youngest sister who was a Special Education teacher.

That's when I learned my secret family nickname.

My brother Roy told me that his biggest worry about one of his children

was that he might have ADHD like me.

Wow! 😱 He didn't, thank goodness!

Now Roy calls me his "beautiful butterfly," because I flit from flower to flower continuously.

Moi ~ A Monarch

Wikimedia

It was Roy who spotted something unusual when we were laughing over old photos

at my Great Aunt Nan's dining room table many years ago.

"Do you realize that in almost every photo of you when you're small

you're wearing a harness and trailing or carrying a rope?"

What? We started looking closely, and there I was.

Me with My Harness and Rope

Harness and Rope Times Three ~ with Roy

You'd think that I, as a teacher with ADHD students, would see what was going on with me as a child.

But I digress.

Back to the National Geographic. (p. 81, Nov. 2025)

I started reading phrases that resonated: "It is not uncommon

to have an inattentive child that is not disruptive in the classroom ..."

My most vivid memory of our ninth grade science class is humiliating. I had been looking out the window at the woods by St. Mary's River, and I made the mistake of asking Mr. McLean if he thought trees could communicate. After my teacher and the class stopped laughing, he flat-out told me no and that I'd be better served if I looked at the blackboard instead of out the window.

My Father (my principal), Mr. Cruickshank, and Mr. McLean (right, my science teacher)

Staff Lunchroom and Home Economics Classroom

St. Mary's Rural High School Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada 1965-66

A candid photo of mine in our yearbook.

"When these children grow up and leave home, they sometimes begin to struggle

or 'notice they have to work two to three times harder

to achieve the same level of success as their peers.' " (p. 81, Nov. 2025)

I couldn't understand why I was always studying, pulling all-nighters, wondering why others went to so many more campus events than me. I couldn't understand how I, who had top grades graduating from high school, who earned a scholarship to Acadia University, failed two of my five yearlong freshman courses, despite studying and working so hard. Nor could my parents understand. More humiliation.

Two of the Four Girls in Geology

Yours Truly and My Friend Lynn Thomas

Geology Department, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, Circa 1970

"ADHD ... comes with tremendous gifts that include creativity, enthusiasm,

curiosity, loyalty, and project-oriented focus when something is of interest..." (p. 81, Nov. 2025)

There I am! That's me! These are the top characteristics that people who know me would likely use to describe me.

Yours Truly Writing

If I'm working on a project I can forget to shower, eat, sleep...

Aurora, Colorado, USA, June 29, 2024

"...you've got these quiet girls making honor roll grades and you think they've got ADHD?...

Girls with ADHD may excel in school...They may get an A on a paper

but stay up the night before writing it after being unable to focus for weeks." (p. 88, Nov. 2025)

I nearly cried when I read this. I can't remember one time in my life that I wasn't pulling all-nighters at the last minute, even when writing my M.Ed. thesis, my stories for IWSG anthology contests, for anything.

High-achieving perfectionist? ✓

Lost in the clouds? ✓

Blurting out? Interrupting others? ✓

Constantly shaking my legs? Twisting my hair? ✓

Impulsivity? Reacting emotionally? ✓

Disorganized, forgetful, trouble staying on task? ✓

Working very hard to hide my problems? ✓

On antidepressants and anxiety meds? ✓

Serious suicidal thoughts? ✓

Classic ADHD symptoms for a girl or a woman.

It was stunning when I read and reread the articles on adult ADHD.

I saw me everywhere, and after long decades of wondering what was wrong with me,

why was I different, why I had to work so hard,

why I knew in my heart that I could never handle being an astronaut or a surgeon,

why I was always getting sick, crashing and burning,

literally bleeding out internally from overworking,

I got it.

What having ADHD truly meant clicked into place.

Sitting on a Favorite Cottonwood Along Piney Creek

Aurora, Colorado, USA November 22, 2025

You may be wondering what this has to do with

accomplishing in writing in 2026

what I didn't accomplish in 2025, 2024, or ... ~ my memoir.

I suddenly understood my life.

While doctors and researchers aren't sure what causes ADHD,

it's thought to be primarily genetics and the biology of what's going on in the brain.

It could also be impacted by the environment. (p. 84, Nov. 2025)

I think the trauma I experienced in the North

exacerbated my genetic predisposition for ADHD.

Understanding me and ADHD is the missing piece in my memoir puzzle.

It helps me understand why I became the Gingerbread Girl.

This gives me hope that maybe this year will be different.

The good news is that with the right job, the right friends, and the right partner

the ADHD brain can soar! (p. 81, Nov. 2025)

Teaching ✓ My personal and Online Friends ✓ Terry ✓

The Right Partner ❤️

‎⁨Panama City Beach⁩, ⁨Florida⁩, USA ⁨April 9, 2025

Have a healthy, happy, and creative January!

Take care!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be Friday, January 16th 🤞

Just so you know, I monitor my comments before publishing them. This means your comment won't appear immediately. I will not publish mean spirited or commercial comments.

Books Read in 2025

'A City on Mars" by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
"6:40 to Montreal" by Eva Jurczyk
"A Fall in Denver" by Sarah Andrews
"A Gambling Man" by David Baldacci
"American Wolf" by Nate Blakeslee
"Cane River" by Lalita Tademy
"Determination: A Mother of Five Conquers College" by Victoria Marie Lees
"Football for Dummies" by Howie Long with John Czarnecki
"Imagine Hatt Season 1" by Patrick Hatt
"Just One Look" by Harlan Coben
"Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
"Meditations for Mortals" by Oliver Burkeman
"Mother Nature" by Sarah Andrews
"Never Too Late" by Danielle Steel
"Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully" by Julie McFadden, RN
"Philosophy Now: Digital Philosophy" Issue 168
"Philosophy Now: The Politics of Freedom" Issue 163
"Philosophy Now: The Thoughts on Thought Issue" Issue 164
"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir
"Shadow of the the Wind" by Carlo Ruiz Zafón
"Tensleep" by Sarah Andrews
"The Cove" by Patrick Hatt
"The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning" by Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD
"The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments" by Hadley Vlahos, RN
"The Light Eaters" by Zoë Schlanger
"The Power of Touch: A Story of Redeeming Love" by Pat Garcia
"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
"The Warlord" by Gena Showalter
"Think Twice" by Harlan Coben
"Unless" by Carol Shields
"We Who Wrestle with God" by Jordan B. Peterson
"What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living" by Diane Button
Imagine Hatt: Season One" by Patrick Hatt

Standing Into Danger

Pages

Friday, January 23, 2026

Seven Questions

Friday, January 16, 2026

Aloha!

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

IWSG: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 ~ Writing Plans and a Mental Block Finally Understood

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