WHAT THE LIGHT SHOWED ME

The final days of December ask for a different kind of attention.

Not urgency. Not pressure. Just a soft turning inward — the way you might pause beside a window at dusk and watch the light settle across the room.

This isn’t a moment for resolutions or reinventions. It’s a moment for noticing. A moment for telling yourself the truth gently. A moment for acknowledging what the year held, without judgment, without rewriting anything, without rushing past the parts that shaped you.

So instead of long lists or big declarations, I return to three simple questions. They are small enough to hold without overwhelm, honest enough to matter, and spacious enough to meet you exactly where you are.

1. What actually mattered?

Not the things you thought should matter. Not the things you meant to do. What moments stayed with you? What softened you, steadied you, surprised you? What did you show up for even when you were tired? What helped you feel like yourself again?

This question calls the year into focus. It shows you the through-lines — the real ones — not the noisy ones.

2. What am I releasing?

Think of this as letting down the things that asked too much of you. Responsibilities you carried alone. Stories that were never yours. Pressure that slowly tightened until you forgot it was there.

Release doesn’t have to be dramatic. It can be as simple as saying: I don’t need to hold this anymore. Not out of avoidance, but out of honesty. Not because you failed, but because you’ve outgrown something that once fit.

3. What am I carrying forward?

This is where intention begins. Not with goals — with direction. What values felt true this year? What habits made your days kinder? What relationships felt like a place to breathe?

What you carry forward becomes the shape of your next season. Let it be something that steadies you.

A Gentle Ritual for Closing the Year

You don’t need much — just a quiet moment and one lit candle.

Step 1: Light the candle.

Let it mark the shift from the noise of the month into a slower rhythm.

Step 2: Read the three questions aloud.

Let each one land before you reach for the next.

Step 3: Write for five minutes per question.

Not perfectly. Not poetically. Just honestly.

Step 4: Sit with the candle for one last breath.

Let the small flame be a reminder: clarity doesn’t have to be loud.

Then blow it out gently — as a way of closing the year with intention.