I look forward to the holiday season as a chance to recharge and reflect before tackling another trip around the sun. As the sun sets on 2022, here are my three goals for 2023.

The connection between mood and physical activity is already well documented. And in my case, running not only boosts my mood — it may have saved my life.

I’ll celebrate the new year when the clock strikes midnight. But I’ve never once wished for 2020’s early demise. Because if I’d had the power to make a wish like that come true, I’d have cheated myself out of any weeks, days and months still left in the tank.

While the pandemic hasn’t rocked my world as it has so many others’, it’s given me too much time to think about what I haven’t accomplished. Those things I’ve failed to do or the things I’ve simply not done well. Maybe it’s past time I gave myself a second chance.

Like the leaves of the oak tree, our stories burst into being and unfurl into brilliance. Then, gradually or suddenly, they end: like the weightless autumn leaf riding a gentle breeze all the way down, or the heavy acorn striking hard-packed earth.

This motherhood thing isn’t easy. But more than ever, and maybe even for the first time in my life, I know exactly who I am and what makes me happy. My “things” are important, but they’re still just things. And my heart is full.

I’m a creative and a planner — an odd blend of sketchpads and poetry, Excel spreadsheets and productivity apps. I view life as one long story, and I’m always writing a couple of chapters at a time. I want to be ready for the next milestone, the next first, the next step in the journey. But I also want to live in the now.

When I look back at 2018 years from now, I think I’ll remember it as a rare collision of indescribable pain and immense joy. There won’t be another one like it, yet I’m excited to look forward and make the best of this next trip around the sun. Here’s a quick look at 19 goals I hope to accomplish in 2019.

Tonight, it will be 10 weeks since you told me you were on your way. And for the next 30 hours, you inched forward on your journey into the world, giving me plenty of time to think about how my life would change when you finally arrived.

I’m going to be a mom. Today, I’m in week 22 of what BabyCenter and The Bump and my doctor say should be a 39-week journey, and I’m excited. Okay. Actually, I’m terrified.