Here we are again. One year's in the books, and a new one is starting up. It's easy to start to enumerate the issues and the fears. There's a long list to worry about for 2024. But try not to. Think about the good that happened this year and what is possible the next.

Amid the resolutions to improve yourself, consider adding a new one: to be kinder. Yes, kindness. That thing we get beaten out of us from a young age as utter weakness. Savagery, hardness, and the ability to take anything you want with zero regard for anyone else are all lauded while being nice is seen as the mark of the weakling.

Yes, you can get damn near anything you want if you're willing to treat everyone as disposable tools and attack at the earliest opportunity. But that results in a world full of sharp edges and iron walls, forcing everyone to be on edge constantly and filling us with stress and rage that ultimately end up pointed within for lack of any better target. It's a small thing but try to not add to it.

Be nice to someone hurting rather than ignoring them. If you see someone having a terrible day, compliment them. It's a small thing but so rare that they'll be stunned out of their own head for a little bit. Help the weakest person in the group instead of pushing them out. It takes next to nothing but means so much. Maybe together we can make things a little less brutal out there.

Have a great year, everyone. ❤

A bit of housekeeping: I will be abroad for a month so messages may not be replied to for quite a while. But they're still welcome.