January '26: The Weekend Edit

Kicking off the new year in a new way has eased my nervous system a bit.

Feb 01, 2026

Happy New Year! Is it too late to be saying that? I don’t think so because we all know the real new year starts on February 1st (especially if you’ve been locked up during the Dallaska ice storm), and January is just the 31-day trial before you actually subscribe.

I know I left you hanging at the end of the year without a December wrapped, which I had every intention to do…but the holiday blues got to me. We will go over the past 2 months, I promise.

Welcome to The Weekend Edit: my new and improved monthly magazine entry, a collection of all of my obsessions. Think of this as a digital dump of what I’m loving, what I’m becoming, and what I learned. You can also expect basically a zip file filled with journal prompts, thoughts, reviews, trends, and internet crumbs that I feel must be shared.

Bringing In The New Year With Ease

It’s a new year, I’ve had a birthday, and my age is getting serious af. To be honest, I be forgetting I’m 31 now. If you’ve read my birthday post, then you know this was the first year I had the “birthday blues”, I guess? I’m not sure…I just wasn’t feeling it, but it turned out to be a great one. I did all of my favorite things: tried a new restaurant, had drinks, went to a workout class, and got a massage. It was a very chill, quiet birthday. I’m guessing that comes with age? It was a very different birthday from last year, and even from 2016, lord.

I can’t complain, though, I’m feeling like this year is off to a promising start. Unlike many people, I do believe in “new year, new me.” Something about starting a new year just feels refreshing…like a big inhale…and exhale. Plus, since my birthday is so close, it feels like a natural new beginning to me.

One thing I did differently this year was go into it with ease. I didn’t rush to make a vision board or write down a bunch of goals before the clock struck 12. Still haven’t made a vision board, honestly. I did go through Pinterest and pin things, but still trying to figure out how I want to create my vision board. I’m really just in a phase where I feel very different. It feels like I’m ready for a different storyline yet again.

Being snowed in for a week in Dallas also gave me time to think. Thankfully, I didn’t lose heat or power, and I had the opportunity to pause. In the house, without the pressure to leave, and everybody in the city being forced to sit down, gave me peace. It felt like the whole world was on pause. I took a mini social media break, meaning I turned on my app limits and cut my doom scrolling to 50%. In my time, I was able to sit in true silence, like, for real. No music. No hootin’ and hollerin’. No talking on the phone. No nothing. I cracked open my new Midori journal and started to write. I made my 2026 bingo card, I did some prompts, and really sat with myself to truly think. Thinking out loud, I don’t think I’ve done that at all recently, and it was needed because it allowed me time to try to really figure out what I want next in life. This just made me feel at peace as I’m skiing into the new year.

What I’m becoming…

Something about me is that when I get the itch, I feel like I need to uproot everything and change my entire life…like make some grand restructuring. That can be as small as a piercing or changing my hair color, as permanent as getting a tattoo, or major like moving cities. I’m kind of…bored? But I’m also learning that I’m at peace, and peace is boring, and I need to be grateful for that and sit in it. I’m just so used to being and operating in chaos, rushing, and also on the go, but I’ve been intentional about slowing down, and it’s working. As far as life, I feel like I need a career pivot, thinking about getting a master's… so you can kind of understand where I’m at with it. Yea…that vibe. Very much…what’s next energy. I’m ready to become something better, elevated, just a little more umph.

What I’m loving…

I was influenced, and I’m hopping on the travelers journal trend. I want to make my own Louis Carmen dupe, and since I’ve been on this side of social media, I’ve dived so deep into it that I feel like I’ve truly found my community. So much so, when I went home to Indiana to visit my family, I made my daddy take me to two different stationery stores in Chicago. Like, I feel so passionate about it. It’s awakened something inside of me, just like visiting family. In the past three years, going to Indiana was reserved for funerals only. It became something I didn’t look forward to at all, which is usually the exact opposite. Even though Gary may not have much, it has love. This time I went to celebrate my granny’s 70th birthday, so it just felt really emotional to come back and be filled with happier days. I love that going back home brought those feelings back.

Visiting Chicago made me feel different. I have been there a bunch of times because of the proximity to my hometown, but this time it felt different. From the sounds of the train, the overly tall buildings, and the real city vibes…I felt alive. It felt like big things could happen here. I got that typical millennial “omg I could move to this city” vibes. Lowkey…Chicago has always been on my list to do since I was younger. The wheels are turning…

What I’m leaving behind…

In 2026, I decided (with my therapist's help) to choose words to get me through the year. One of them is execute, because I really want to leave overthinking behind. I’ve realized I’m a planner…I mean go figure I am a full time stratgist…but the executing part has slowly become not my favorite part.

I know that with age, we lose our naivety, life gets to us, and somewhere along the way, we fall into a routine of being an adult. I want something out of the ordinary. I want to find my free spirit again, but with structure. I need to leave the extra planning behind and put some action behind it. Basically, shit needs to get done. These past couple of years, I’ve been cruising in life, and it’s time to add some side quests to the story. Ultimately, I am yearning for more success in my creativity. From Substack to YouTube, social media, and other endeavors. I’m looking to elevate my life and establish myself as a multi-hypenate creative, getting paid for it as a whole.

Let’s hop into my 2026 so far…

Obsessions.zip

🤳🏾 that damn phone

a series of articles or books I’ve read this month in an attempt not to doom scroll.

The 19th Hole- When I tell you…this is now my new favorite book. My friend recommended this to me, and it felt like the black romance story I’ve been craving. If you read…please read this and report back.

📺 on screen

Bone Lake on Netflix: 7/10
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart on Netflix: 7/10
Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food on Netflix: 7/10
Now this pissed me off because it show messed up our food system is. It made me feel like living in America, there’s no way out…we’re in a fucked up system.
His & Hers on Netflix: 8/10…I didn’t read the book. I feel like it started slow, but it ended up being good and worth watching. I agree, though, that it ended very Tyler Perry-ish.

🛒 add to cart

EADEM lip balm- 1000% worth the price. Best lip balm I’ver ever had.

🎧 currently listening

Ari Lennox dropped Vacancy, and on first listen, it’s a vibe. I’ve been returning to it. I need to spend more time with it, but I like it.
Since the world was on a nostalgic kick, it took me back to when music was good. J. Cole is dropping soon, so it was only right that I revisited Friday Night Lights. It all started when someone said we don’t have dream-chasing music no more, and when I looked around…I said damn, yall right. It’s something about that mixtape that makes me feel alive. It just reminds me of a time when life felt…real. A feeling I fear we’ll never get back.

🤠 local favs

Now when it comes to me…I’m a hard critic because I expect good service, food, and vibes every time I pay for food outside of my house. I’ve had Breakfast Brothers a couple of times in a short amount of time, and every single time I’ve been. It’s been a 10/10, from the service to the food. It’s a black-owned business that’s run so well! Literally obsessed.
Evelyn Dallas opened not long ago, modeled as an old Hollywood steakhouse. This resturant was all over my timeline and I was so thirsty to go. I ended up going for my birthday, and I’m glad I went. I will give it a 10/10 for vibes and aesthetics, but a 7/10 for food. I would go ahead for happy hour, but Dallas has so many great steakhouses that can compete.

Journal Prompts:

Now that January is over, how do you feel about the new year?
Make a list of activities that make you feel alive and schedule time to do at least one this month.
How are societal or cultural influences shaping my view of vulnerability?
What is something you learned about love in a difficult situation?
How do you know you love someone?
What are 5 things that make your heart melt and why?
If I trusted myself fully, what would I do next?