Halfway Through 2026

Every year as the final days of the calendar creep closer, I find myself, like 95% of the population, throwing out careless “where did the year go!” and “I can’t believe it’s almost a new year” in work meetings and holiday parties. I want to be intentional with my time but Smash Mouth said it best, “the years start comin’ and they don’t stop comin’...”

In January, I made two bingo cards. One was for The Smile Project and one was for me in my personal life and world. They’re complete bingo cards, 25 squares, no free space. All things I want to do in 2026. 

On my personal card, I came out swinging, highlighting a square in the bottom right corner in the first week of the year. Two more were highlighted back to back in March and April. Then things started to stall. Admittedly, some of my squares are designed to take all year to complete (book goals; movie goals; travel goals). Those have little tally marks in them. Half highlights showing progress to goal. But there’s still a lot of blank space. 

I know the board looks worse than it is. I know I’m making progress in private. 

Today is July 1 and I took some time this morning to review the cards. To see if I’m on track. To see what feels still plausible. To see what I could do maybe even this weekend. It was a nice reminder of the energy and ambition I felt in January. My response to Mary Oliver’s query on my “one wild and precious life.” 

Just as I was starting to feel proud of my first 6 months, I flipped my page protector to the other side, the side with Smile Project goals. This side was… well, rough. 

The Smile Project card had always been ambitious. I mean really ambitious. I gave myself a couple guarantees. Birthday Giveback? Check. Joy Day? Upcoming in November. But golly who was this January girl?

I let myself feel bad for a moment. But then I asked the question again. Who was this January girl? And I made myself answer.

This January girl was filled with the energy of a new year, of her favorite holiday, of a chance to begin again. She was tickled by this bingo card concept that her colleague had told her about and she loved the way she put a different quote on the bottom of the personal and Smile side. She loved that the Smile side had the logo plastered in the top right corner.

This is the girl who imagined posting up in her favorite coffee shop on a lumbering Sunday morning and taking it one square at a time. Getting organized. Getting serious. Thinking critically. Dreaming big. 

It seems impossible, really, to look at the 22 or so squares and imagine them all glowing yellow at year’s end. But maybe I don’t need to be there yet. Maybe, I just need to pick a square and start. Maybe, that’s how the best things happen. 

I had a brief moment, as I sat down to write this, where I decided I’d announce The Smile Project bingo card a bust. But are there not six months left? Have I not made crazier things happen in half the time? 

This January girl knew who she was. 

May this mid-year point serve as an opportunity for you to remind yourself exactly who you are. And may we dive into this next season, dreams in heart and yellow highlighter in hand.