New Year, Same Great Taste! 🎆
Welcoming 2026 with...not quite a bang. But meaningful celebration and reflection nevertheless.
We made it!
2025 is officially over. Part of me wants to say “good riddance.” 2025 was a challenging year for many of us. It was marked by moments of fear and uncertainty, of upheaval and chaos. It makes sense that many of us, when faced with times like this, are desperate for a clean slate, a fresh start. And New Years seems like the perfect time for so many of us to shed everything anxiety, every insecurity, every disappointment from the previous year. How many times have we thought to ourselves on New Year’s Day “this year’s gonna be different. I’m going to be a new person this year.”
The thing is, that’s rarely how it goes. Rarely do we become new people at the stroke of midnight on 1/1. Sure, some of us may stick with a resolution (but even that is rare too). We are the same people, year after year. The same hopes and fears we had in 2025 will likely follow us into 2026.
And that’s OK.
I decided to take myself to one of my favorite places on Earth this year for NYE: New Orleans! And yet, I didn’t have the stereotypical NYE celebration in the Big Easy. To be completely honest, I felt a little aimless and disconnected at first: wanting to celebrate and yet being overwhelmed by the crowds. I have traveled alone here before and truly love this city with every fiber of my being. And yet, I wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. Should I just call it a night? Should I try to find a party? Should I just drink until I forget that I don’t know what to do with myself?
I eventually found myself just wandering the Vieux Carre, eating a shrimp po’boy (yum), drinking an iced Irish coffee (double yum) and falling asleep by 12:15am to the sound of the fireworks exploding over the Mississippi River. Maybe not the most eventful NYE the Crescent City has ever seen, but certainly memorable regardless.
Before I turned in for the night, I popped into a little spiritual shop. There was a tarot card reader in the back and I decided to see what she had to say about what 2026 has in store for me.
And here’s what the cards revealed. Or actually, here’s what the card didn’t reveal: There is no great, sweeping romance in store for me. There is no huge windfall of cash coming my way. There are no big career changes or big moves.
Instead, apparently 2026 is a year of slow yet steady growth for me. A year of forward momentum punctuated by quiet reflection. A year of genuine connection mixed with intentional solitude. A year of finding some new hobbies, reaching some smaller financial goals, making some new friends, having some fun travels and overall, building upon the foundation I laid in 2025 (and 2024, and 2023, and 2022…)
My 2026 may not sound like the most exciting year. But this prediction has me very excited about 2026 nevertheless. It sounds peaceful. It sounds grounding. It sounds like maybe my biggest dreams won’t come true, but neither will my greatest fears. And whether it’s written in the stars or just the outlook I choose to have entering this year, I’m filled with a calm sense of optimism today. I’m very happy to be here in 2026 today. And I hope each and every one of you feel the same way.
From the bottom of my heart, happy new year and welcome to 2026 ❤️
All My Best,
Gem DeMilo
NYE in New Orleans sounds delightful. May we all share your good fortune in a year of slow yet steady growth!
Finally, a story. Kind of. Still searching for what is likely a treasure trove of writing but for now, this will suffice. Will DM my response... hope your NYD is eventful and happy.