Kimberlee K.

I keep telling myself that it would be okay if I didn’t want to set 17 goals for the new year.

Like, it’s fine if you only want to set five, babe.

But then I start writing things down and I get to ten and then I just can’t help myself.

So here we are again.

With 17 new Goals for 2026:

1) Read the Old Testament

I’ve been on a pretty good kick of reading my Bible and I want to continue that into next year. And while I’ve read a good chunk of the Old Testament through assigned verses and chapters from reading plans, I don’t think I’ve ever read it in its entirety. So I thought it was high time.  

.

2) Make it to level 50 on the Duolingo Spanish course

Does anyone remember when 2019 me set a goal to “learn Spanish” in 2020. Bless her heart for thinking, yeah, I’ll just learn the whole language in one year, easy. Ironically, after what went down in 2020, I probably should have/could have found more time to focus on it, but I was too busy doing yoga and being confused. So alas, here we are, with not much more Spanish under my belt than I had then, but doing better to set realistic goals with it. I’m currently at Level 35 in the Duolingo app, and I’d just like to get to Level 50. Three cheers for growth.

.

3) Go through a watercolor book

I have been seeing books like this pop up on social media constantly, and they look so relaxing and fun—in theory. I took a watercolor class in college and the only thing I remember was listening to a lot of Zac Brown Band on my iPod while I painted. I don’t know what that says about my skill level, but I’m willing to try again.

.

4) Take a cooking class

I had cooking classes bookmarked and in my shopping cart more than once this year but never actually signed up for one. So I’m hoping I can check that off in 2026. Maybe I’ll learn to make croissants, or a random steak entrée that no one would expect in my arsenal, either way, I think it would be fun to learn something new.

.

5) Chat!

An October issue of The Monday Club talked candidly about making friends and I found it so encouraging. I’m in a season of life where making new friends can be hard, and I often put undue pressure on myself to find deep connections with everyone. Somewhere along the way I forgot that you can just chat. That sometimes conversations can be quick and fast and fun, and sometimes those are the most needed pick me ups and best reminders that we’re all in this together.

.

6) Try LA bagels

I love bagels, but I can often get sick of them very fast. So I thought a good way to solve this occasional craving is to try out the fun, creative restaurants that specialize in bagels around LA, rather than buying them in bulk at my grocery store. I’m inspired to try as much as I can on this list.

.

7) Subscribe to a print magazine

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I LOVE MAIL. While bills, ads, and political arguments love to spam my mailbox and try to ruin it for me, nothing could ever shake the sparkle out of real mail. I mean, I can ride the high of a handwritten thank you note for a week. So I figured, why not create that magic for myself with something fun to look at.

.

8) Have more makeup free days

I’ve been trying to up my skincare this year, and in turn have found myself craving a better relationship with my makeup free face. While I don’t wear a lot of makeup, and I don’t mind putting it on, there is something special about being *free.*  So I want to embrace that freedom a little more next year.  

.

9) Be more intentional about a Sunday Sabbath

A recent sermon on the Sanctuary SCV podcast offered an important reminder: “work hard and rest well.” I don’t know about you, but sometimes even when I’m resting I’m going through a list of “I should’s” in my head. But this year, I want Sundays to be a true Sabbath. I want it to be a time when I’m doing things (or not doing them) that help me feel refreshed. Because when I’m fully rested and recharged, my mind is clearer, I feel lighter and more optimistic, and I feel more inspired and strengthened in my faith. It’s a win win win win situtation.

.

10) Check out cookbooks from the library

Raise your hand if you knew you could do this, because I just found out! I am such a sucker for a trendy new cookbook, but I am also so guilty of buying one and then never making anything out of it. Checking one out from the library lets me do what I love most—looking at all the pretty pictures—and invites me to make (or not make) whatever I want, without the stress of knowing I spent money on it.  

.

11) Try 17 new flavors of ice cream

Yes, this one is inspired by Baskin Robbins a.k.a 31 Flavors, but I do not expect all or many to come from that shop alone. I mean, have you seen the ice cream aisle in the freezer section? With all those gorgeous pints? Plus, there are so many artisan ice cream shops near me, with new flavors constantly on rotation, so I think I will have lots of options!

.

12) Try new local restaurants

In the same vein, I made a list of all the restaurants that are local to my area, and I want to do a better job at trying them. I’m such a creature of habit but I’m lucky to live near so many yummy options and I want to support those businesses.

.

13) Find comfort in silence

This is the cousin of goal #5, and something that I think I already do pretty well when I’m alone. But when I’m with people, I sometimes find silence to be the scariest thing in the entire world. Silence (to me) means I’m not keeping the conversation going, it means I’m boring or at the very least uninteresting, it means I need to TALK. And it is often in this panic over silence that I’ll say things that don’t always ring true to what I’m actually thinking, or that I simply regret saying later. So I want to get better at sitting in the silence, at not needing to have something to say. I also want to notice when the silence is comfortable, when it’s just a moment of peace between two people who know each other well.

.

14) Visit a flower field

I know that in recent years flowers fields have become somewhat overrrun by social media influencers wanting that *perfect picture*, but there’s no denying how wondrous they can be. Behind fall, spring is my second favorite season, so I’m hoping to visit a flower field as a way of welcoming in that first bloom.

.

15) Volunteer at every farmer’s market

I’ve mentioned before that I like to volunteer for Food Forward, which is a local food relief agency. I’ve worked with them in a handful of capacities, and most recently have really enjoyed gleaning at the farmer’s markets. I usually stick to the same one or two markets, but I thought it might be fun to try and hit them all next year!

.

16) Read Lily King’s books

This past year I made a goal to read all of Ann Patchett’s fiction and had so much fun going from book to book, hearing her voice throughout. So this year, I thought I’d read Lily King. I read and loved Heart the Lover this past fall, and already own (but have not yet read) Writers and Lovers, so I’m excited to not only have a bit of a head start, but a taste of the wonderful writing ahead!

.

17) Do the ABC picture challenge

And finally, I had so much fun last year taking pictures of different colors, shapes, and textures on the walks around my neighborhood, that I wanted a way to continue it. I saw a post on social media where a photography student shared her “ABC project”, where she found the letters of the alphabet out in the world organically. There was a “b” found in the curved metal of a gate, an “e” found in a shadow—all kinds of fun things! So I’m hopeful I can find the whole alphabet, but we’ll see how I do!

---

Wishing you well on any and all goals you might be setting!

And if no one’s said it to you yet, Happy New Year!