2026 Year of MySELF

Over the duration of this blog, since 2005, I have frequently identified a theme at the start of each new year with a post that states The Year of... That didn't happen in 2025. Now in 2026 I have a theme that brought itself to my attention over the past month. 

Be Yourself

Year of MySELF

This theme came into my awareness when I was invited to attend the play I and You by playwright Lauren Gunderson at CapStage in late December 2025. (Unfortunately, CapStage has removed their landing page for this incredible play that was not part of their regular season and was by far one of the best plays I have seen at this theatre.)

I will not spoil the ending of the play because it is shocking an absolutely worth seeking out if you want a cathartic theater experience. The backbone of the play is Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Within days after seeing the performance I purchased a leather-bound edition of Whitman's book. For several weeks it has been sitting on my nightstand as I open it either before sleep or upon awakening to read a few stanzas. To be honest, I've been "stalled" at Song of Myself, feeling a bit guilty about not plowing through. However, now I know that this poem, and the entire book, is meant to be savored, not rushed - in the spirit of how Whitman wrote, published and continuously rewrote these freeform poems. 

Finding MySELF

This morning I awakened to the beautiful white tule fog that has been embracing central California for months. During the holidays I became fond of calling it the yule fog. This morning I lounged in bed admiring the snowlike scene as trees emerged from the fog. Perfect time to reach over to my nightstand and read one of the books awaiting my return. The small pile currently includes Leaves of Grass and a couple of books by Dr. Richard Schwartz about the concept of Internal Family Systems theory. I picked up You Are The One You've Been Looking For and started to read. The paragraph concluded with a reference to Walt Whitman's Song of Myself. I said out loud, "no freaking way". No, I didn't sanitize this for the Internet, I literally said "freaking" because it was freaking weird that Leaves of Grass has been sitting on top of Dr. Schwartz's book for the past several weeks. 

Be YourSELF

Today I was thinking about my spiritual practice. What is it I believe in, that makes me feel safe, secure, protected? I decided that Nature embraces me and that a walk in the woods would be a wonderful way to get in touch with MySELF. I ventured out on a new trail and when I paused at a lookout I noticed this tea tag nestled into a piece of wood. Pictured above, it says, "The purpose of life is to know yourself, love yourself, trust yourself, and be yourself. OK, I got the message. This is the year of MySELF. Thank you Nature and a generous tea drinker for sharing this direct message (from a Yogi Tea). The depth of the message continues because my very special Grammie was a yogini and although she has passed, I believe she always has my back. Her name is Sylvia originating from the word Sylvan which means living or located in the woods or forest. Yes freaking way.