2024 is coming to an end. I’m guessing that, like me, you’ve been thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions. I like thinking about some of the things I’d like to accomplish in the coming year. In this process of thinking, I was reminded of two things that I want to write about here: a comment my student made to me on the last day of class and what I’m looking forward to in the coming year. Let me tell you about what my student said.

For context: I do a regular check-in with my students, typically on a Friday. Since the semester was coming to a close, I asked my students to reflect on their semester. One student responded and told me that he plans to think about who he wants to be in the coming year. I can say for sure that this student’s response hit deep. What a wise and helpful thing to do; in addition to thinking about what to accomplish, we think about who we want to be. Now, let’s look at what I’m looking forward to in 2025.

I’m looking forward to connection. This Christmas, for a number of reasons, I was reminded of how important it is to invest in important relationships. It’s too easy to get busy with everything that needs to be done or spend too much time on devices/social media to the point that our connection with others is weakened at best and non-existent at worst. I’m looking forward to the connections that will be built in 2025!

What are you looking forwar to in 2025?