I hope you’re doing well.

Somehow 6 months have passed and it’s early 2026. I don’t know about you, but in some ways, I’d like to cancel my subscription to this year and see what other options we have.

The last few months have been full and chaotic and busy and so many more adjectives for me (and for you, I’m sure). I hope that you have been able to find moments of joy recently. And not the surface-level, fleeting kind, but the “I feel a warmth inside me and know this moment will be a postcard in my mind” kind of joy.

Being anchored back in Seattle this past year has been a gift as I’ve been able to pick up old rituals (big and small) and weave them throughout my weeks. I’m able to walk over to my best friend’s office at a moment’s notice. I’m able to go on bike rides with my dad. Friends drop by for impromptu wine nights. (The latter two of these pictured above.)

I’ve also watched my rituals change.

Work and work travel have taken up more of my time and energy, which means I’ve had less time to take photos. I’ve also been writing a tremendous amount at work, which means I find myself having less to say in other contexts, or at least less likely to sit down and write (my apologies).

My previous photo walks have been replaced by a walking treadmill (thank you Matt for the recommendation), and I find that most of my photography is me capturing a memory I want to look back on with my iPhone.

These aren’t good or bad, they’re just different.

2026 also feels different, or feels like the culmination of a hundred little differences that now squarely amount to a meaningful shift. Last week, I not-that-jokingly asked “If we keep living through unprecedented times, at some point, does that establish a precedent?”

In some ways, I feel like I’m existing in a country I don’t recognize, enabled by people I clearly misunderstood and misjudged. And at the same time, I’ve never felt more close to the people around me. I’ve never been more truly seen or more cared for. It’s a wild juxtaposition, especially as it plays out in parallel to a similar schism in the way that AI is (actually or purportedly) changing everything, while my lived experience in the rest of the world seems largely unchanged.

Living with these break points in view feels new, at least cognitively. The world has never been worse and never been better. Life has never changed this quickly or this slowly. Depending on the moment (and how much food or coffee I’ve had), my thoughts could be on either side of these divides.

I’ve continued to take solace in those close to me, not as a form of escapism, but in full recognition that while we may be born alone and die alone, the only way to survive (and enjoy) the journey is together. I continue to be reminded that I have whatever the equivalent of ”generational wealth” is in terms of friendship and people in my life, and that’s not something I take for granted.

In celebration of this, I’m trying to be better about writing here more regularly. Embracing a place that’s safe from algorithmic control or influence (aside from your gmail filters).

This year may be off to a strange start, but I’m doing my best to remain macro-optimistic. If you’re in the same boat, hopefully these postcards will help.

Sending love and good energy your way.