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
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Waikiki from the Top of Diamond Head
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
March 19 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
I Particularly Love Yellow Hibiscus Flowers
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
March 24, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
I Really Love Hula
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 12, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
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.
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
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Hikers Greet Me as I emerge into the Bunker
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
May 19, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
At the Summit
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
March 19, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
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
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
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.
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
January 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
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
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
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
My Half ~ YUMMY!
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
For Nicole ~ My Favorite Face
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
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
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
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
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
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
Copyright ©2026 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be
Friday, January 30th. 🤞
On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
