Living Left

Free And Grateful In 2026

• Ann-Marie Burton, Tanya Garcia • Season 2 • Episode 1

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We trade resolutions for a single guiding word and use reflection to turn a turbulent 2025 into clarity for 2026. One of us chooses Free after a year of shedding and change; the other chooses Gratitude while stepping into fifty with travel, health, and softer expectations.

• Swapping resolutions for a year theme that guides decisions
• A rapid review of 2025 promises kept and lessons learned
• Glamour versus grit of big life change and long-distance love
• Choosing Free for 2026 and creating space to be
• Choosing Gratitude at fifty with travel and health in focus
• Expectation, acceptance, and how to lower daily friction
• Audio journaling for family stories and legacy
• Small moments overtaking big milestones as markers of joy
• Practical reflection: camera roll audits and simple prompts
• Preview of next topic on menopause

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SPEAKER_00:

This is Living Left, the raw space where we redefine success, purpose, and identity through honest, unfiltered conversation. We're navigating business, family, change, chaos, one left turn at a time. It's not about finding what's next. It's about owning what's left. Join us and let's go there. New Year, Tanya.

SPEAKER_01:

Happy New Year, Anne Marie. We're back. We're back. First day back in the office. January 6 something.

SPEAKER_00:

2026. Crazy. I was thinking about that year the other day, thinking about how like 2030 is not that far away. Stop it. What I know, but I I was thinking about those numbers felt like kind of like Jetson level numbers. Like what kind of like futuristic numbers were these? Like when I think of 2040, I'm like, oh my god, that's so far away. 2040. But it's like I remember 2010. 2000 was five seconds ago. Five seconds ago. You know what we played over the holidays? You will like this, thinking of years, and then it makes you really realize the years and the decades of how they've gone gone by. Okay. We played this game called Hitster. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And and you so for those who have not played Hitster, it's you play against a team and you play a song, and then you have to put it onto the chronological time frame of where it is. And so, you know, music brings you right back. So my kids were making fun of me because every time I started to really dance, they're like, Oh, she was in university. Or 90s. So then you had to figure out, and then, but in the 90s, a lot of songs came back from like the 70s. So, like, so then you're like, Well, what version of this? And because you have to plot all these songs, it's a really fun game. But it to your point, like, I was like, when there's songs and it's like 2001 and I'll, or or whatever, like I place it to oh, I played maybe that played at our wedding, or oh, I remember that in the car and the school run.

SPEAKER_01:

Like, it's it's my memory is not good enough for that. Um, but I do have feelings, like there's certain also because we also listen to old music, new to your point. So I I'm not very I would not be very good at that game.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I don't come over because I am well known in this family for never knowing any song name or any song words. I know them. But you know the year. I was killing at the game. That's I was killing, which was unexpected because I never know music. Like I never that's amazing. You can be cool for that one time in your family. Like one time once a hundred years ago, I said something was Phil Collins when it totally wasn't, and so now everyone says, Oh, this is a Phil Collins song. Oh, yeah, I love Phil Callings. I made like 25 years ago. It was not a Phil Collins song, but all a separate thing. Phil Collins has his. Do you watch Emily in Paris? I watched it. Yes, I do.

SPEAKER_01:

I actually have to catch up. I should actually go back. I got halfway through the last season. I know this or the second to last season, I don't know how many seasons.

SPEAKER_00:

I only just started watching it. So I it's lovely. That's his daughter. That's Phil Collins. Oh, I knew that. Oh, yeah, sorry, I should have told you that. I totally knew that. Well, I didn't. My reference to Phil Collins is just the one and only bad joke. That's it. I didn't know he had a daughter. I didn't know. Yes, he has a son too. Who tour has no idea? Anyway, so the so the point is it's 2026, and so yes, 2000 can feel like not that long ago. Like it like the turn of the century. That was a big deal. Like Y2K. That was a big deal. So here we are in 2026, and uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

I love a good start of a new year. I don't know. I love this restart. Like for some reason, I like September and January are like my two favorite times because they feel like restarts can happen in that time. So not think a restart can happen in October. No, it doesn't feel like that for me. I mean, a restart can happen any day. So point well taken. But for me, I have always been like back to school. Yeah, the fall feels like a really nice time. And also you have like three more months before you can get your shit together to end the year on a high note. And then I love a good, you know me, I love a good restart. We're gonna talk about it. I love a good reflection into the year, capturing that in some way, talking about it, and then coming up with, you know, not a resolution, but like a word or a north star as I call it to guide all this all decisions for I like a theme. It's the only thing. I hate a theme, like I hate to plan themed parties and stuff like that, but I love a year theme.

SPEAKER_00:

I do love that. Did you ever do resolutions or you the resolution for your north for your north star as you call it?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I was always, you know, me disciplined, do the things. Like I always try and like, okay, this year, but it was usually resolution based. Like, I'm gonna go to the gym more, I'm gonna eat better, I'm going to, but in the last, I'd say seven to eight years, you know, when all things turned left, yeah. Um, I got it. I read it. It's like it's not an original idea. Um, and because I like to be simple in my use of finding new words, um, the idea of a word, a like an idea felt um perfect for me. So I have had them for the last five years. Do you know them?

SPEAKER_00:

So that well, now because I don't have my phone, I can't go into my Instagram, but if I'm only tracked in your Instagram, it's only tracked, like you don't have a little notebook or something that you put it down.

SPEAKER_01:

No, that's where my Instagram, the one page I started is my I go through that all of the time. It's like my my journal. My journal is in the form of that. So I have tracked everything. So themes in the past, like last year as an example, was all about promises. The year before, or promised the theme? Yeah. So here, I'll take you through it. So, you know, if it started with, you know, it could be like a a word like trust. In in the past, it's been, um, I think for me, like just be, be yourself. Wild was one, like coming back to who I am as a human. So because I've been through such a degree of change over the last several years, every year, like one was I think believe, and one was, and it's just a word that captures so promises as an example, and I just did this exercise so I can talk about it. I think it's really important for anyone to kind of go back through your year in whichever means people have ways of doing it. They're like, go through your calendar and start a new calendar. Um, you know, I do it through pictures. So I go basically to January 1st of my calendar, my picture frame or my picture stuff on my phone.

SPEAKER_00:

On your phone.

SPEAKER_01:

And this is the first year I actually put a reel together, which I botched entirely because I had so many flipping pictures. But it 2025 has felt like such a big year, like the longest year of my life. Um, and until I went through those pictures, did I not realize how much was jam-packed in a year?

SPEAKER_00:

So it's a Yeah, you had a really full year.

SPEAKER_01:

I had a really full year, but every year I kind of do it to say, oh my gosh, because you forget, time is weird. Oh my God, was I just that felt like four years ago, but that was just four months ago. So I'll go back and then I will look at my word, and then I'm like, okay, tracked pretty good. I could that make sense. And then usually through that discussion in my head, I start thinking about what is my word. So last year was believe, and it's so funny that it was that. And it's because I bought a hat with Al about believe, and that was just like, okay, I've made all of these kinds of changes. I knew 2025 was going to be a hard year or a big year. You know, I started last year with a lot more energy than ending it because it was such a big year, but believe felt like just believe in why you're doing this, just trust it. Even if you like hit a wall, which I hit several, like just believe in everything you've done to this point. So it truly was a mantra for me. Um, so you managed to. Believe was 2025.

SPEAKER_00:

Promises was not 2025.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, sorry, sorry. Promises was 2025. Why do I keep saying believe? It was promises.

SPEAKER_00:

Believe it.

SPEAKER_01:

Believe, I think, was previous. So promises was um actually living all of the promises I made myself, like starting a new life and yeah, um, you know, selling the house. And like I promised myself that I would travel more. I promised myself I would find a new home for my family. I promised like all of those things, and just continue to stay true to those promises, which got me through 2025.

SPEAKER_00:

And then while you wound up having the biggest year ever because you followed through on all the promises, it was crazy.

SPEAKER_01:

Like I was on the plane coming back, and we had Wi-Fi. That is like the best invention in the world when you have Wi-Fi on a plane. And I was going through everything and I like I there was a moment I started crying. I was like, oh my God, I can't believe this is. I did this, and then there was this, and then so it's, I believe, a beautiful exercise. Do it in any way you want. You can literally just sit down to your point. I like, you know, notebook and write it out and look at your calendar and just go, like, what happened in January? What happened in February? You have to remember that stuff because life happens so fast you don't appreciate.

SPEAKER_00:

So and for people that don't know you, we should do a very speed recap of your 2025. Maybe I'll do a speed recap of you for 2025. You still have you sold your family home, you moved to a new home. Yep, you continued to uh date someone who lives in Europe, yes, or in the so there was lots of travel, but back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Launched a kid to uni. You launched a kid to university, yeah, which is a big deal in Jeff. No, you graduated a kid from high school, yeah, which was there was a little wobbly there for a while. Yep. Then you launched then that kid went off to school, yep, which was huge. We had an interesting business year. Yeah, it was a hard, hard economy, difficult.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um navigating all the navigation of being a midlife woman, which we all go through.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll go through.

SPEAKER_00:

Family things, family health stuff, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And then it just kind of uh like I feel like I was spit out on the other side, but like it's like if you this is it, if we did it was a dip, no one can see it, only the people who will see it on YouTube. It's like we saw I my first I was in Malta this time last year, which for me feels like eons ago. Um, I was in flipping Malta. What the heck, right? Like Ireland to Malta, let's do that for a week and work from there. And I was like full of like love, this year's easy, it's gonna be great. I sold my house and I just gotta move it. Like, that's me. Just gotta move a house. It's not a big deal. Um, and yeah, I'm gonna be an empty nester and all will be grand. And then it was like I came back in February.

SPEAKER_00:

That's why there's a term of ignorance, is bliss.

SPEAKER_01:

Ignorance is bliss. I was so flipping happy in Melissa.

SPEAKER_00:

Ignorance and you know things, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Best time in Melta. Um, yeah, and then I calculated the number of flights. Oh, how many flights did you go on? So I only I had eight, they weren't actual flights, but eight destinations. So 16 flights. 16 if you not count returns.

SPEAKER_00:

This is sometimes why I and those who are listening, sometimes those of us who are staying in their same bed day after day might be feeling slightly annoyed and proud of her personality. 16. I think that's right, that might be, but eight, so we're all celebrating you for your promises, and we're very happy that you're completing all your promises to yourself. But it and as happy as we are for you, it can be hard for some of us who are like yes, excited for you, and I not hard for us, but you know what I mean. Like you're like, oh man, you're doing the things a lot of us would like to be.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, but I think the lesson in that is while it all feels glamorous, like what I think my reflection was is in that um it's also hard. It was it was my hardest year, like interesting, like hardest year in a while. You know what I mean? So while it feels all glamorous, and these were the things you were doing I was doing, it was it was hard for me too. Like, so it was a weird a we like for me, it was like, oh, that's weird. I wouldn't have expected that with all of the plans I had. I would have expected it been a very positive. It just the ref the I would say you had big highs and big lows. Exactly. And and because you have extremes, yeah, it wasn't neutral at all. Um, and I wasn't anticipating kind of either, really. So I think it's a nervous system likes medium. Oh, and I do everything to continue a medium, right? Like in my daily. Um, so really what it taught me is you can't predict anything. Like you just can't. Like, I think this year showed me that the most, even though I kind of knew it because of all the highs and lows, but that you can get out on the other end. You don't know what the output's gonna be ultimately. Um, and maybe it's an ongoing, but you just have to just keep living life, I guess, is and I think that's what 2025 taught me is that nothing is predictable, even though I knew that it showed me that. Like it's like if I was looking in a mirror, it was like Tanya, like keep doing what you're doing because you don't know what's around the corner at all, right? So you can just sit, you know, sit and and worry about it, or you can just, you know, lean on and it's the people around me too. Like, I think that's what really showed is when you have these years. And I think as we get older, I think you can always have those years. Um, but your mortality, the people around you, like that is really highlighted in your 50s for the quote unquote first time. Like, you know, I'm saying that very loosely, but do you know what I mean? Like, I think you become accustomed to it as you age, but there's a 45 to maybe 52, you know, time frame where you're like, which we don't really know.

SPEAKER_00:

When we say 50s, like again, I'm just gonna remind us like I'm not 50 yet, and you're just on the other side of 50. So we don't know what the 50s are gonna bring. We just we are in the mid-age, we're in the we are we've gone through the 40s.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's why I'm saying it's probably 45 to yeah, 50 something. We don't know. Um, we don't know more to come as we get older, but um I do think that there's a lot of resolution around now what, like every year shows me like holy crap. Well, I didn't know what I don't know. I think you live that you live that ignorance in your 30s and 40s.

SPEAKER_00:

The more you know, the more you realize what you don't know. That's the theme. Yes, right? Like the more you know, the more you know what you don't know because you become less ignorant, you become more educated. Correct. So, okay, so what is your theme for this year?

SPEAKER_01:

So this year, my word is free. So for me, because I got through 2025, and it feels like, and again, I say this and I'm like, oh my god, the universe is listening to me. Um, so just bear with me, universe. Um, is free in that I am hoping and planning for 2026 to be more about me, the freedom to do things I want to do. So, what is ironic about that is I thought 2025 was gonna be that because there were a lot of selling the like there was a it's year of the snake was 2025. That is so true. I shed everything, like I feel like I am a new snake. I don't know what happens when does that happen when you shed everything? I feel like there isn't really a lot to shed left. Like my life is an entirely different and who I am. My growth has been huge in 2025. And then 2026 is year of the horse, which is transition and change. So for me, it's about finally being free to just focus more on what I want to do. And people will be like, Pa, you have been because you've been traveling and whatever. And sure, I have, but what and it's not a burden, like my life is not a burden, that's the wrong word, but I think you understand what I'm trying to say. I did that in spite of all of the other shit that was happening around me. So now that people are launched and things are cleaned up, and it's it's really I'm I've now created a much smaller home base and everyone's up and running. Knock on wood, that I will have the freedom to really dig into who this version of me is. I still have the idea of it, but like, you know, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

So how are you? Uh I have questions.

SPEAKER_01:

Like maybe a hobby for once in a lifetime. You know, I haven't even scratched the surface of what I do because regardless, it's all been very busy. So I expect it will be less busy this year. So I have to do some dig deeping.

SPEAKER_00:

Dig deeping. So dig deeping free to be free to be me in 2026, but you're not entirely sure who that person is because there, and I think this is common for many people, yeah, is that who you are is often a reflection of who you're around. So and the influences of those people. So I mean you're going to be a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that. I mean more like the responsibility. The responsibility is less. You're not like a turtle, you're not carrying it around. Exactly. And I feel like that just happened.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And the kids are launching, they're not launched, but they're launching. Yeah. And you have less.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, more time. It was what we started talking about. So that's my word. So I'm excited about that. So, you know, what does that mean? I don't know. But for me, I don't know. I never know until I look back a year, but it manifests, it really does. People are gonna think I'm crazy, but every year that I have picked a word, it manifests in some way. Like if you just because it's the idea of Mel Robbins, right? Where you look for hearts. Yeah, it's the same idea. So if you have a word, promises is a word. What was the promise I made to myself? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Free. Okay, I want to be free, free to do what I want to do, you know, you know, empowers you to say no or say yes. Certain things like it manifests. So if at the very least you just try and find a word and you can change your word, that has happened to me too.

SPEAKER_00:

It evolves. So you don't track it, you just you use it as a theme for the year. So when you have to make a decision, you're like, okay, does this align? But you I kind of do that, like really going through and being like, okay, so these are the eight things I want to do to feel free this year. You're just gonna let it respond. You're gonna respond. Yeah, I generally know.

SPEAKER_01:

Like I know travel, shit, that's an easy one, right? Um, always has been explore, find people, connect with people, like that stuff that I've over years just becomes you don't change those things. You just make sure you make time for them. So there was a point in time where I did very little travel and did little connection with my girlfriends and other humans and new people, right? Because you're raising kids, et cetera. Once you do that, it actually becomes part of your fabric. So it's like you're not starting from zero, I guess is the point. You're just I consider it like a level up. So now I go into my years. Okay, how am I leveling up leveling up? So I got to level up my health. We're gonna talk about menopause in another one. There's shit I need to do. I can tell in my body, but I'm not starting from zero. But what is the thing? Um, okay, I have great friends and I do great things, but what are the one or two things? So, like you and I, like who who are having big years this year, right? What can I do to really, you know, be part of that experience and be present with you guys? Like, that's a level up on what I already do, you know? Um, hobby is always one. I always do really shitty in that way. And that's just because I can't. I was just on vacation with 22 people and a lot of them remarked, like, you just don't sit still.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm like, what? I thought I'm pretty chill. What? Oh, I went out for dinner with friends the other day and they were talking about Tanya and how chill she is, and I was like, Bullshit. She is not chill. They're like, Oh, that's not what she sells. I'm like, nope, that's not what she sells.

SPEAKER_01:

I think I'm chill and I'm easy going, but I'm not chill in like I'm like, oh, does every definition of easygoing? Meaning I'll follow the flow. Like, that's what I think. Uh when I say I'm chill, I'm like, whatevs. And so I believe that statement about me. Like, and I get that a lot. Like, I'm I'm not if everybody wants to eat Chinese food, I'm not the one who's gonna be like, well, maybe we should like what's true. I am uh like I don't die on those sorts. Like, I don't give, like, I could, I don't care what we eat. If that will make you happy, friend, we're gonna do what makes you happy. Like, I'm that, that person to a fault, um, in some cases in my very, very children lives and stuff like that. But I'm that. That's what I mean by chill. I'm like, whatever. I don't care. I don't care what movie we watch, I don't really care. But when it comes to like, I don't know, I guess I do have this energy where I'm like, like we're on vacation, and like, do I need to go to the lobby to pick something up for everyone? I'll do it. I'm in. I've been sitting for like literally 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_00:

Do we have a dinner reservation? And why do we not?

SPEAKER_01:

You'll laugh. There were women there and they're going through their books, right? And I opened, we're like five days in, four days in. You would not have read a book. And my girlfriend, uh Karen, she's like, Oh, I'm on page 350. I'm like, I'm on page 10. Yes. Yes, you are. Anyway, we're digressing.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, digressing. What's your word? What's my word? So I don't usually do a word. I used to do resolutions a year ago, years ago. Um, I used to make so I actually forgot about this. I used to make massive lists. Like back in the day when we actually had like a full-on agenda with that was a calendar. Remember the calendar thing, Majigs? Like no, I still love those two. Yeah. And I used to always have like at my first job, I remember a VP came by and I had was like checking off a list. I'd make a like a deep like like a hundred things list. Like I probably could find I clean my underwear drawer drawer type list. Yeah, but one thing might be like read 10 books and list them, which really should be 10 items, but it's one item read boys, like and then list them. Like I track the thing, I would track things. So I probably did that for about a decade. Like it might be some crazy, silly things like something you haven't done before, like climb up onto the roof or learn how to make a cheesecake, or I don't know, something like that. But it might also be go to Italy, like which is a big that's a big bullet point. But right, I and then once I had kids, I kind of stopped doing I'll put a couple of things like directionally on there. Yeah. Um, but I've never done a uh a word, but I know we were talking about this uh with our team, and so I said, Okay, I feel like my word will be gratitude. Because that for me, it's a it's a big I'm turning 50 this year, so I want to honor and celebrate that. But I also have easygoing moments, but I'm not I would don't think I would define myself as easygoing. Um and so I can be like self-critical, very self-critical, right? And and over focus sometimes on things that are perfectly fine. But if I'm gonna I really want to try very hard to honor and celebrate the 50 years in a way, and celebrate and honor those people and experiences around me versus because you know, not everything is perfect. I don't even know what really perfect is. There is no perfect, I think that's the reality. But there's what is it and what in and I anyway, so I'm I'm doing some big travel, as you know, and you're gonna be part of it. I'm doing a big my I turned 50 in April, so on my 50th birthday, I'm getting on a plane. I'm not coming back for three weeks. I'm not coming back, maybe ever.

SPEAKER_01:

No, for three weeks. And I think I'm proud of you, like for those of those who don't know Anne Marie, um, because you've traveled, you are more traveled than even I am. But for the last several years, you've talked about it, you've tried, you've wanted to do it. It's a big part of who you are. Um I didn't know if you were gonna actually pull the trigger on that. And I'm so so happy and proud of you for doing that.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, and I think a lot of people will relate to this. We have wants and wishes, yeah, and we also live lives that are expensive. Everybody growing to the grocery store is expensive. That's ridiculous. So trying to prioritize that I have this let's I'm gonna, this privileged need to see the world is very hard to prioritize in an expensive time when you know it was a tough business year, when we've got kids in university, when you know, just this economic reality that we're all in. Um, but I have not traveled a lot in the last decade. Like I'd celebrated our my 40th birthday, we went on trip. But I'm like many sport parents where my trips are to like the holiday in the Whitby, yeah, or I'm going, I'm going to whatever team tells me I have to go wherever. And I have three sporty kids who those and you know it, those are not vacations, but they take the eat up the eat up the vacation budget. So, but I really do enjoy seeing new things. I really love I actually love the lead up to a vacation or a trip or an adventure almost as much, if not more, than the actual thing. Like I love the thinking about it. So like I know that I'm gonna go to various countries in Europe and I'm like, for example, like I'm reading, I have two books on the go about Paris right now because I want to know all the streets, all the things. Oh my god, you're hilarious.

SPEAKER_01:

Whereas I just landed in Paris and was like, mmm Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So no Where's the Eiffel Dia? So like no, I can tell exactly where everything like I like to research like last year we went to Cape Breton after we dropped off Andrew at school. I read three books about Cape Breton while I was there. Like I like to, or in advance, like I love that. You can if anyone is following me on Goodreads, you can tell where I'm going anywhere because I'm always reading that. Reading. So I just want to take the time to be grateful for all of this. I also want to be grateful because I think we're 50 and not everybody gets the luxury of that, and as everyone keeps talking about your health, so important, and like to actually be so grateful that I can actually I'm gonna be strong enough to do all the walking that I'm planning to do. I'm gonna I'm gonna be able to carry my own bag, I'm gonna be able I wanna bike all over the place. Like I want to do those things in a fulsome way, so I need to focus on and sometimes my body doesn't do what I want it to do, and sometimes I'm cheesed off, like like I hurt my rib over the holidays, which we talked about, and that's been impacting me a little bit. So I can't do the yoga and the I was gonna join that new speed the bike thing around the corner, like the soul cycle. I can't lean over right now, so that's annoying because a month ago I could have done that, and now I can't do that, and so I'm annoyed. I'm like, no, just be grateful for what you can do, be grateful for so just reminding myself like I was out stomping around in the snow this morning, be grateful that I could do that. So you're not at the you're not doing the bike thing, fine, but you're able to move, but you're not stuck, you're not totally stuck.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a really good point. I like how you said not everyone gets the luxury of this decade, and that is of achieve like getting to this and then fully living in this, and and I think that's just a really wise way of looking at it. I think that's kind of what I manifest, but that was just a really well stated that's exactly it.

SPEAKER_00:

We're gonna get to get here, but like knock on wood, but hopefully we're gonna get a nice healthy decade, right? And so that's what you hope for, right? The whole thing. So you don't know, I remember my dad saying years ago, and I don't know if this is true, but um the people have difficulties between 45 and 60. And if you can get past 60, then usually you can level like with no issues, yeah. Then usually you're gonna have a healthy aft after 60. But between 45 and 60, stuff starts to pop up, which makes sense because I would say stress is really high and stress is really high at this time, this this period of time, weight for a lot of people start to be a problem, and of course, weight impacts cardiovascular and all the other things. So anyway, so my goal is to I like gratitude for you, and I also think gratitude fits even when I'm cheesed off about something, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Like, which happens uh often for all of us it does, but it's perspective, right? It's I do think it's easier to be grateful now than maybe in my younger years. I don't maybe, you know, maybe the younger generations will be better at it. Um, but I find myself while t while time speeds up, like goes so fast, it also I find in moments are slowed down. Yeah, like I'm I'm watching it in a different way than I did in my 30s.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and so you know what I'm also doing this year? I bought my mom the same present. I bought one for her for Christmas, she's 81, and one for me. I might have mentioned this to you, I don't know if I did. You might have. It is essentially a journal, but instead of writing everything down, it prompts you. You can if you want to, but but like my mom, I keep saying, put your stories down, put your stories down because it's nice. And we have the I guess not the privilege is the wrong term, but we have the awareness of I've lost my dad. So I know what it's like to not have him there to ask the things you want to know about his life or about whatever. And so I'm like, oh man, I would like to know some things. And if my mom wasn't here, I wouldn't know. So I'm like, write it down. She doesn't want to write. So this is can it's called story, story book or story.

SPEAKER_01:

I think I've seen it. I've seen it on Instagram. I got it totally served on yeah, I've seen it on Instagram, and now it definitely will see it again.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I now that we're talking about it. You can you can do an audiobook of it, like or an audio recording. And so I gotta set it up and I'm gonna set aside one day every week, and I'm gonna just hammer through because I thought, well, why would I wait till I was 80? Like the first 50 years of BIM 30 is full, and I'm gonna forget things. Yes, like you forget the the details, and I often remember them like if there's a photo, but well, I that's exactly what I'm saying. What was your first car? My mom starts talking about her first car, and then she couldn't remember the details, and then she's calling me to tell me, Oh, I thought about it late at night, and this is how much I paid, and this is where I bought it. Like she couldn't remember all the details, and they're they're coming to her, and you start to think, Yeah, what was what was your first car? And then what's the story of that first car? And what are the little bits and bobs around that? And do you remember? And and so anyway, so once a week, that's part of my gratitude. Is I love that journaling, but audio, it's journaling, but but here's the thing, and then you dump it all in, and then the AI puts it all together into one big story for you. Oh, I should do that too.

SPEAKER_01:

So that then it's like that's kind of my jam because I don't like to write stuff either.

SPEAKER_00:

I love to write stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

I know you do, but I'm more like your mom with June, where I'm just like I don't want to write this.

SPEAKER_00:

And you can add in pictures. So, and then I was thinking, wow, when to do that, maybe that would be a really cool thing in the future to just do that about your whole year. Yeah, that's true. And then, like, what was my 2025? Like, recap it. Yeah, that's cool. Because you don't remember, you don't remember.

SPEAKER_01:

Like, I'm just looking on my well, if I get served up online, then maybe I'll just click buy. I like that idea. I think that I do think it all comes down to, and yeah, with AI, you're absolutely right. There's so many ways in which you can capture things, but I still want it to be in my voice, but AI can make sure that that happens.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. And it and then it prints out into a nice hardcover book for you. I think it's lovely. Guess what? None of your friends and family are actually gonna read it, but if they wanted to.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, but maybe your grandchildren will.

SPEAKER_00:

Like if you're okay, it's your legacy. Okay, so here's a question because I was thinking about this. How honest are you gonna be in the book? Oh, I'm gonna be totally honest. You know I will. No, I would be truthfully honest. Like, would you write in like about your book?

SPEAKER_01:

When I was 16 someone, uh, you know what, behind the bleachers. Would you do it?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, that's a good idea. That was my debate. I was like, how honest are we gonna be here? Well, you don't want your life to be boring. I know, but like it's not not gonna be boring because you leave out what you do behind.

SPEAKER_01:

You I think you would be a little more vanilla than me for sure. Because you would think about no, your life is very nice. No, let me add context. It is very nice. I mean your life is not vanilla, but I think that you would think too much about it. Whereas I would like, you know, me, I'd just be like, this is what happened, like, and not think about any ramifications or any context. It's just like if I this is the goal, tell your story, I would just tell the story in all the sort of details.

SPEAKER_00:

Why not? So, like on my wall there, I found old journals I've told, I think Yeah, I know you do. And I dug them out and I was like, and and for anyone listening, like so it's interesting because I found high school journals, high school and university, and details in there that you forget, you just forget. But I've read them and now I'm I'm a better parent because I have kids of the same age, and I'm like, oh man, you forget how raw and how much you're learning, and how you don't understand how to process and understand things. Because you we all think that we're like we were as evolved as we are now, but in those 18-year-old bodies. No, we weren't. Oh, I know I don't. I don't know. No, but I forgot, I forgot until I read over the things and realized, you know, I'm complaining about my mother and what I don't like what she's doing. I'm like, oh man, I'm doing the same thing. Yeah. So yeah, okay. And I wonder if I can take photos of those journals and then like dump it into the system. Be like, just translate this, like, just take it. I don't know. I'm sure you probably anyway. So that's gonna be I have two big things. I'm gonna I'm gonna travel in my 2026, I'm gonna get this story done. Not for mass pop pop publication, just for me. But it's gonna help feed your gratitude. Like it is. And then I think I'll go through the gratitude as I review and think about how lucky I I've been. Like how lucky even in the moments of frustration in the last 50 years, there's been learning, there's been growth, like even in transition, like all the and and and honestly, honestly, what has really been all that tough? Like I've been very lucky, like very lucky.

SPEAKER_01:

We well, it's a mindset shift, right? Like they do say, I can't remember, I thought there was a meme or something or a video, or someone was saying, like the idea of negative versus positive thinking, right? Or gratefulness versus kind of all of the challenges that like what you're manifesting for this year with your theme being gratitude, or what are all the things I can do to really you're reprogramming your brain to look for like gratitude will come more naturally, likely after this year. Because I know that I was never my mindset has shifted, but that's taken like several years, and I don't have it figured out, certainly. Um, but I do know the difference between how I looked at something versus how I look at something now. And um, and I think that's that that's what you're doing. I mean, it's just like like a gratitude journal, but in a different, in a more evolved way.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and I think it's like in my mind, like I think I'm a naturally optimistic person. Yes. And I and I think gratitude sits like adjacent to optimism, like it's there.

SPEAKER_01:

I agree. But sometimes circumstances well, because you're generally well, no, but I think it's so there's a difference. So let's have this conversation. I do think you're a naturally curious, like you wait, do you you wake up every day excited, generally, right? About your day? Yeah, I'm not frustrated. I maybe I'm tired. Sure, we're all tired, but no, but I do think that this is a thing because I've had a lot of conversations. The idea of now negativity and positivity, I agree, are like two two very like big things. Sure, but I think I know you now enough to know that you have a lot of energy. So I believe, I don't think you jump out of bed anymore, certainly after your, but I do think that you approach each day with a level of curiosity and excitement and energy, right? And then you get slowed down as you are reminded that within the world that people just piss you off. Like I get that, right? Like I totally get that. So I think for you, it's and I think you're not alone. Like that's like most women, basically. Oh, you know what show I'm watching now? Because my girlfriend told me to watch it, and you've probably watched it The Big C with Laura Linney. Oh, I haven't. Watch the. Oh my gosh, all women must watch that because it's flipping hilarious. But anyway, but the idea is like you're generally positive, whatever, but you get way down. And what I think the idea of mindset is you get hit with mud throughout the day. Yeah, you're slowing down as your day, and then you're exhausted and you just fall asleep. But you and I, I believe, are the same person. Why we're is we wake up like we're reset and we forget a little bit, like kind of forget what happened the day before. Or I'm like a golden. Yeah, I'm a golden receiver.

SPEAKER_00:

Stupid enough to think I can do it.

SPEAKER_01:

It's not gonna be like that today. Yeah, I wake up every day like I'm a a golden, I imagine that's how golden reviewers are. I'm just like, I'm just excited. Like, and then you get jaded. And I think the exercise, though, is but there's some people who don't. So you start at a different level, right? Like it's it's not a worse thing, but your mindset shift is just letting the mud not hit you or slide off of you.

SPEAKER_00:

Get out of the way, hit somebody else.

SPEAKER_01:

Which is what gratitude to your point does. If things don't go your way, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Like slidey, it's like you put on sunscreen before the mud. Yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's expectation. Yeah, I think it's expectation. I think that's why as people age, they're more wise and happier because their expectations have changed. Like, I my goal in life is to get to a point, and I am nowhere close to this, but I have this conversation in my head all the time. I can't remember it was a quote from something, but the idea is that if someone says the sky is green, then I'm like, yep, you do you. Like, if I can get to a point where I don't feel the need to really correct the insignificant things, right? Like, and I am that at ease, like that's like the Dalai Lama to me, probably, is if someone just came up to them and said the most ridiculous thing, that you know, you'd be like, and and with you, child, like whatever you want to think, you go. I'm not gonna expend an ounce of energy trying to create your non like change your to do in that area. Oh, so do I, and Marie. I am nowhere close to that. Like, I but I see it way more than I did. I see that I have the Garcia trait that I have to say something about everything. I do. I just it's really hard for me not to just go, you know, I'm much better with my children, so I know it's possible because they've taught me. Just listen. So now I have to be that way with more and just or I try to ask a question.

SPEAKER_00:

So tell me more about why you think that's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But that you would be better at that because you know me. I like have a level of curiosity, but other times I'm just like, whatever. Let's have the sky green today. Sure. But that I think is the goal. So your idea of the gratitude is is being able to just be grateful that there's a sky and you know what the color is.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you know what I think comes with gratitude too is forgiveness. Yes, which is, I mean, not that I have a lot of forgiveness to grant anyone, like whatever.

SPEAKER_01:

Like Okay, so forgiveness or accept more. No, no, it's forgiveness. Keep going. You should finish, sorry. Well, good question. I was trying to predict where you were going, and now I feel badly because maybe that wasn't it, but I had a feeling that maybe it was accepted.

SPEAKER_00:

Forgiveness or acceptance. I mean, it's I could say both, actually. Like acceptance to me is like under like what am I accepting? Like accepting people for who they are, and like like this is that everyone is leveling up at their best capability, and that's just what that is. I guess that would be acceptance. Forgiveness in my head is more um forgiveness for things I cannot change, or um situations I cannot change, and just be fine with like to be fine with that. Like to be like like I have one example. I don't really want to use it, but I'm like, um like I don't really have any like forgiveness. That's why I jumped in is what it is. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

So that's why like good to I think it might be because forgiveness is someone did something wrong, whereas acceptance, it's no one did anything wrong, because I get it, you and I come at this the very same way, right? So why I interjected probably too quickly with the idea of acceptance, because I've gone through this, is I need it's actually not forgiving. That person there's probably right, it's more acceptance because there's nothing to forgive, they're not doing anything wrong, it's just not what I would do, and that's our issue, is I think, you know, females and women who control there's nothing wrong, it's just the way it is. So I need to lean into the idea, and it doesn't mean it doesn't frustrate me, it doesn't mean I don't want to, you know, throw something against the wall or punch someone in the head, but I am a lot less, it bothers me a lot less because I am learning to just accept that they're gonna do things different than me, and that's okay. Because forgiveness leans on that they're doing something wrong, they're not. I think you're right. I acceptance is the better term, and even Which is hard.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's a let them theory. Yes, it is a let them, which is flipping hard. So also, here's this is not what I was gonna use as my example, but you're making me think with acceptance. So again, I'm gonna come back to like the left turn of this moment of our lives. So 40s, 50s, where at one point we were the center of our family, the center of the universe, right? Yes, and no longer are we really the center of the universe, yes, but we are responsible for the universe, but we're not the center of the universe, correct? Which I find like it's hard to be responsible for the universe, but you're not the center of the universe. So you don't have any control anywhere, you have no control of the universe, yet everyone expects you to run the universe, and if something goes wrong in the universe, it's perceived as your fault. Difficult. This is a difficult situation. 100%. So then so let's like go to Christmas break, which we have just completed, and I had two big kids home, and I don't really know who's home, when they're gonna be home. I can't really tell these adults around quotes. Like, I can in it if I give you advanced warning, I'd like you home for dinner, I'd like you to do this. They were very good about as long as it was like advanced communication. Yeah, but in the past, I might I would have gotten my feelings hurt because I wouldn't have been clear about what I wanted, and I would not have given enough advanced warning, and I would have waited to see what would happen. And of course, if you wait to see what happens, so if if you're not trying to control, the opposite is well, do then do nothing and wait and see what happens. But that doesn't really work either because you didn't get rid of your own expectations, you didn't get I didn't get rid of my own I wasn't accepting of what what was happening. And then last Christmas I wanted to travel and we didn't travel, which is partially why next year is gonna be a travel year. So I was really really, really grouchy about last Christmas season. This year, I was so I was chill. I I sat on that couch for three days, and I'm like, if people are here, great. If they're not here, they're great. I'm sitting here, I've got the remote, I'm picking what I'm watching. I made a list, because of course I made a list, and literally made all the things I wanted to watch, and I checked them off on my little notes every time I did it. Like literally, you like the little, you know, the bullets you can do, the notes, and you can fill them in. It's so satisfying to just figure it out. I had a very relaxing break because I was like you released everyone, including yourself, and I of expectation.

SPEAKER_01:

Good for you.

SPEAKER_00:

I think that's an important lesson for everyone. Gratitude, it's gonna be what it's gonna be, but it isn't gonna be what it's gonna be because I had to control the environment for me.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but I think part of control is the release. So I do think that there's important words. Gratitude is a good word, but two super important words that you just did was about expectation and acceptance. So you are releasing yourself and those around you of these false expectations. There's like amazing quotes and things about how expectation is a very dangerous point.

SPEAKER_00:

That's it. That's it. Thank you. Comparison is a thief of joy, but I'd say expectation is also the thief of joy.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so comparison is, yeah, but there's something similar with it. This is why you and I are good friends because you remember the smart stuff, and I just remember the essence. But um, yes, so I think that's it. First is releasing any form of expectation because you're just putting that on everybody and then you end up being miserable. And then the acceptance of how it is and how other people show up and that everything is okay. Those are two huge things that I believe is a lifetime of achievement. Like it ebbs and flows. But if you can harness that, or at least let's say we're working towards this.

SPEAKER_00:

I would say I harnessed it for three days. Let's not go crazy to say achieved this.

SPEAKER_01:

But the I am a big fan that, but if you can, what does Maya Angelou say? If you know better, you do better. Yeah. So the point is, is we weren't this smart a few years ago. We were like, fuck it. Oh, I'm not supposed to swear on these podcasts because to do something, but forget everybody. Um this is my expectation, and you're gonna do as I say because I know better. Like we've evolved, right? And I think most women will go through. It's what you said about our need to control because, and then the more you can't control, you you you do that more. So I think that we are aware enough to have this conversation that we are aware enough to say, okay, this is not everyone's fault, but actually something I own and I'm responsible for. I have to release expectation and now and accept how everyone wants to live and be. And it may not be what I want, but that's okay too. Look how much happier we are. So that's three days is a big deal. So then you turn three days into six days, into nine days. Yeah. And they say, what is it, 30 days to change a habit or mindset? I don't know. Is it so? I don't know. I could never even write a book because I'd get all the facts wrong, but it's the idea. You just do that. That's why gratitude journaling is so important, is it's you're just actually changing your mind, which is oh, I can't speak today. Malleable? That's not the right word. Yeah, malleable is correct. Malleable. So you can literally change what you look for. So there you go, everybody. We've seen so gratitude, is it? But you have two other interesting words in there.

SPEAKER_00:

Acceptance. And what do we have?

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe that was your 2025.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh no, I don't think I got there. What was your 2025? Oh, I didn't make I don't make these words. But what do you think it was? Like we can reflect. It was literally two four. Yeah, it was 2025 was a surprising year for us. Because so maybe it was release. I would say I was gonna say transition, but it probably was release because I had because again, I to be honest, I didn't have a lot of personal things like personal goals, it was a lot geared around my contribution to people in this house and my family, and so one person's journey made a big shift in 2025, so I kind of wound up being the sidekick to help her navigate that and like help turn that into a really positive circumstance, which it could have possibly not been. And so that took a lot of the first half of 2025, and then the second half of 2025 was a lot about releasing and saying and getting that kid number two off to school far away, which felt like and that might like my like it just changed everything, it changed just the way our family lives, like we go from five, five down to four, down back to five, then down to three. And so, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So I think I just because I like to wrap things in bow and summarize, if I were to say, if you could go back in time, like it feels like when you use three words, um, expectation, acceptance, and now gratitude, right? It feels like 2025 was a lot about maybe even 2024, you inched there. If you actually went back and thought about it, that this idea of expectations started to, as your first kid goes to university and you realize you have less control, you start to become aware that your expectations are you can't set the same expectations. So you learn to accept that you have less control, which leads you to then being grateful for the situation you're in. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

In a bow, those were your words. Probably they were, and you know what else? I mean, I know. So my husband is now listening to this podcast. He's never listened to podcasts in his entire life, but he's listening to these.

SPEAKER_01:

Michael, do you agree?

SPEAKER_00:

Do I need to be nice to him? I will be nice. But so in this year, we're having turning our 25 years of marriage.

SPEAKER_01:

My god, 50 and 25 in the same you should look up that numerical thing, five. What's five, five, fifty, twenty-five? Is there another five?

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know, but they add up to 75. I have five people in my family. Okay, I don't know, but my my point is that 20. Okay, then they're the theme may, I'm just saying the theme may fit because at 25 years, I've now decided I'm going to be grateful for this. Yeah. And maybe I've had to spend some time releasing expectations. So I think managing my own emotions in order to accept it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So I think what I like about the word, and I think is you keep coming back to it, because you you're you're compartmentalizing, which we all do, right? In like personal versus business versus kids, but it's not, it's like it's everything because actually the word is about you. So like if you work on expectation generally, it's gonna affect every facet of your life. Like, why I like it is I don't have to say, okay, so I am going to manage my expectations around my colleagues who or my husband or my it it removes that, which I feel like you can get distracted. But if you have a general theme, it's like, okay, it's it's more focused on me, like you. The expectation was about work that you have to do. Yeah. And if you do the work, it will affect every single part of your life, which I think you're seeing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Isn't that weird?

SPEAKER_00:

And it actually slides together. Yes. And that's the goal of this midlife is to actually be able to look at your life and say and be proud of your life. Yes. And to be seeing, I'm actually gonna get emotional because I actually am proud and I feel like um like I mean, we should we should be honoring and celebrating every year, not just the big milestone years.

SPEAKER_02:

Of course.

SPEAKER_00:

And we should be honoring and sp and uh celebrating everything, like the Christmas CEOs, like we freaking made it through December. Like it should be and I mean I say that facetiously, but like that's one little moment. The reason we're I don't know why I'm sort of feeling so like I'm crying, but it's like this is these are big things, and I and maybe finally you're turn free. Like, we're at this age and you actually can feel like the person you were when you were nine, without all the barriers and or who you've evolved to be.

SPEAKER_01:

That's a whole other podcast because I have discussions with people. It's that it's not even about going back, you're never gonna be who you were. But to your point, yeah, through this exercise, so I think what you're saying is when you get to this point, whatever point this is, and it typically, I'm sure, to your point, happens midlife because you need a level of experiences and things, I believe. And some people unfortunately go through this younger because they have challenges in their life. Like the reality is if your life is just like every day is the same thing, you're probably gonna take a lot longer to get here.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, yeah, because it's in the resilience, it's in the resilience, it's in the rub that you actually have to look at yourself and say, I don't like this about myself, or I don't like this about the environment, or I don't I have to make a change.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And yeah, or you've already accepted it earlier and just decided I'm not gonna which is fine too.

SPEAKER_01:

Listen, to live that way is fine too. But I think the goal is is you ultimately end up appreciating and recognizing smaller moments. It gets farther away from the bigger moments because the smaller moments matter more, but you can only do that if you've done the work to be able to see that and have calmed down enough to notice them. Well, exactly, and that's in the work. So it starts with the bigger moments, and that's okay. But but and I'm telling you because I actually can tell, like I can tell in the thing how I react to things is different than how I reacted to things three years ago. Like I know that for a fact, and I think that's because you just remind yourself over and over and over. So that's I think what you're experiencing is you went through that subconsciously, but you did it because you do have a growth mindset where you recognize, well, this is not sustainable. And to your point, your kids, what I love about the people around you is often most of my growth has happened as a result of my children. Like, really, they show you a lot, like they are can be difficult, but through that, you know, they test what I mean is they test you as a as a parent, right? As a parent, your kids are a really key driver to change. If if you want to, or you can just be that parent who's like, I don't care what you say, but but most I think people are forced to look at the way they were raised or how they did things or whatever. Our generation is really good at that. We're like repair, holy shit.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and if they are your genetic children, you see yourself, you see yourself so clearly, yeah. And you start to look back at the person that you were at that age and think, oh wow, oh okay. Exactly. I mean, this whole it's a fascinating life, it is and it's worth exploring, it's worth taking the time to know yourself better, I think. And worth the emotions. I know I don't know, I was raised by a wonderful woman, but who does not love her emotions though, so she's unpracticed in her emotions. I think that generation though, it makes sense, right? It's easier to bottle them up, and so I don't know if she went through this kind of metamorphosis. I should ask her. I'll find out in her book when she writes it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Or speaks it. When she speaks the book, when she speaks, I'll find out. I'll be curious what happened when she was fifty. Yeah, just don't have a follow up question for everyone. Every chapter, Emery.

SPEAKER_01:

I will apologize. June will not appreciate that. Maybe why she won't do it. June, I hear you. You'll be like, if I write this down, Amory's gonna have a ton more questions.

SPEAKER_00:

So what I'm planning to do is um, I haven't told mom this yet, but I was thinking about every other Monday. I'm gonna come and we're gonna review her or the work. Oh my god, see what you just take. Sometimes you take the joy out of it. But this is like it's an app. She's struggling. So I'm like, okay, I'll help you. And then it would just be like you inch it like forward, and then in six months, you'll be shocked what you've gotten together.

SPEAKER_01:

Listen, I appreciate that for you. When you said you bought me a journal for our trip, my initial reaction was like, You didn't like it. Stop it. You didn't like it, yeah. No, but then no, well, you know me because I don't love to journal. So I'm like, of course, she's gonna make me do homework on my trip. Of course I'm gonna make you do homework. Of course, but then, but what what I realized, and you know me, oh, this is not me three years ago. Now I'm like, you know what, Tanya? You wouldn't have done this otherwise. You are going to gain from this experience. And I love having someone who's gonna make me do it because I wouldn't do it otherwise. I really wouldn't. I'd just be sipping wine in my head. Like I would go through the same process, but I wouldn't be so I'm excited. It was just the initial reaction was like, really?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm excited. When we get off the phone, I'll go and show you it's actually not a normal journal. Um, I'm sure it's great, but we should probably wrap this up because I feel like we've been talking, which was way too long. But it's our first day back and we miss each other. So, okay, so to recap, apparently it's the year of the horse, which means nothing to me. Um it's about change, transition. I know, but I mean what I'm saying is I don't follow that stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and more I think it's the year of the snake spoke to me, and I think will smoke speak to a lot of people who've had hard 2025s that it's like the shedding.

SPEAKER_00:

So you can shed 2025, we're racing into 2026 with the horse, and I'm excited. I'm actually excited for the new year. I felt like this and for 2021, which was five years ago, but then we got rid of 2020, and I thought, oh my god, we're gonna get into 2019, and that's gonna be great. Of course, as we all know, history did not write itself in that exact way. Um, but I felt like 2026 was the same. I was excited to turn the page. Like, let's get into this new year, but also going into it treading kind of slowly.

SPEAKER_01:

Like I wasn't uh no, I think because we're older, I think we're also older and we know better, so we don't rip into anything anymore. And I also think the other reason why this is just really important, I think we have to say, is that the world for the last few years, you know, since COVID and now, like if you just think of what's going on in the world now and keeps like, you know, there's always something, it just puts things into perspective. It really, and the internet and the ability to have knowledge, you know, figure out what's real and what isn't, really helps us also with the idea of gratitude and appreciation and to live in the moment because my God, you know, even in our small little homes, you know, take that, zoom that out. Yeah, there is you don't know what's gonna happen. I mean, shoot, again, all travel could just stop. Like, we don't know. We don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

And we live in one of the best countries in the whole world, I think. I am grateful for that. And we live in one of the best cities in the best country. Like we are very, very, very lucky. And so when people challenge, well, what like you know, you should have always had a gratitude mindset. The fact that we didn't is kind of nuts, you know?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but that's just reality. You don't you don't know what you like? It's just a given, there's an entitlement to it, right? Yeah, but then it's beat out of you.

SPEAKER_00:

So, okay, so look, this would be the rehab for me. Like free and gratitude.

SPEAKER_01:

Free gratitude, free gratitude. So go back, everyone who's listening, take the 30 minutes to reflect on 2024. I do think that that the reflection is important. See, like even in our discussion with you, just going back a little bit, it really helps you kind of appreciate where you are and how how far you've come and where you're going. I believe that's so I would just say, whatever way that works for you, write it down, look at your pictures, your camera roll, whatever. And then this idea of a theme or an idea, I think we've given enough words and examples that I just think it's just such a brilliant exercise. Um, we're free about being free to be ourselves and to focus on ourselves and being grateful for what we have in our life and where we're going. I think um 2026 will be we'll be a banger. I'm excited. It's gonna be a banger. It's gonna be a banger. I don't know why I use that word.

SPEAKER_00:

It's I don't know, it's it works. It works, Dania. It works. Whatever. Let's be this was try to be low-key. Yeah, okay, chill and low-key. That's us in 2026. Next week we're talking about menopause because that is Louis. Chill or low-key.

SPEAKER_01:

No, but that's okay. Back to reality. Day two that mess coming next.

SPEAKER_00:

Maybe we're gonna have to. We started off this however many episodes ago, saying we're gonna do quick podcast for 15, 20 minutes. They're getting longer. Now it's in an hour. We're really sorry, everybody. Okay, see you later. Otherwise, it's gonna be 2027 by the time we end. Okay, goodbye. Have a great left turn. Bye, Tanya. Bye.

SPEAKER_01:

If you felt this one, share it. Because what's left isn't left, it's everything.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm like, Bye, it's there again.