The diary of almost everything

When I started writing, or rather, when I started sharing my writing, it felt both terrifying and oddly liberating.
Putting words into the world does that. Suddenly, people might have opinions. Thoughts. Possibly even… feedback.
The funny thing is, I’m not someone who worries easily about what people think.
In my work, for example: you do your best, you show up, you try to be there for people and at some point you realise that everyone will have an opinion anyway. And that’s fine.
Which is interesting, coming from a girl who, as a child, was painfully insecure.
The kind who preferred hiding behind her mother’s legs rather than being perceived at all.

I still get insecure sometimes. Of course I do.
But when I look at how far I’ve come, I mostly feel proud. Especially because the more tables I’m invited to, the ones I once found intimidating, the more I realise something simple and oddly comforting:
these are just people.
Not better. Not above me. Just… human.
So why wouldn’t I belong here too?

This past year, a lot quietly settled.
Things I used to overthink became internalised. I felt a growing hunger for more…. not flashier, just more true.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m still not the one who will shout the loudest or push herself to the front.
That’s never been my ambition.
I’m more of a silent engine. Paying attention, speaking up when it matters.
Being in the foreground has never been my hobby, and I doubt it ever will be.
But I do feel myself expanding.
Sometimes that meant stepping slightly outside my comfort zone.
And realising, to my own surprise, that something new can feel perfectly normal rather quickly.

Sometimes I wonder if I want to do more with my writing. Whether there’s potential there. I honestly don’t know yet.
And for once, I’m okay with that.
Because I genuinely enjoy doing it and that already feels like a very good reason.

2025 was filled with cozy dinners with friends. With quiet weekends I deeply cherish and with unexpected plans that turned out to be perfectly fine too.

More than once this year, I caught myself thinking how incredibly lucky I am with the people around me. Friends who listen, who show up.
Who let me talk things through, sometimes far more often than strictly necessary.
Friends who feel like chosen family.
And new family I never expected to find.
That, to me, already feels like wealth.

I read good books, after gently forcing myself back into the habit, following a very committed relationship with a few TV series and my phone.
Oh haha and I sold my smartwatch, because a normal watch that just tells time?
Highly recommend. So much peace.
This year i also decided i want to go for a few therapy sessions. Not because everything had fallen apart, but because I wanted to understand myself better.
Turns out: I wasn’t crazy after all.
Honestly, a relief hahaha.
I’m now fully convinced everyone should have a few mandatory therapy sessions somewhere between the ages of 18 and 40.
Imagine the collective progress.

This year, I also broke some long-standing family dynamics. I ended contact with certain people.
Painful? Yes.
Necessary? Also yes.
Some people say, “But it’s family… and with our family we always have so much fun.”
Good for them. Truly. I see it differently.
I have friends who feel far more like family than certain relatives ever did.
Constantly walking on eggshells, never touching the real topics, I’m done with that.

And oh a lot of small joys this year: Birds, lattes, sunlight, good conversations, good food etc…

And every now and then, usually out of nowhere, I still think: wow… I’ve been living on my own for seventeen years. I can do whatever I want. What a ridiculous amount of freedom. I love it!

As for the future?
Maybe I’ll save for a slightly bigger place.
Maybe not. We’ll see.
There’s one more week of holiday left.
Then it’s back to work. Back to rhythm.
New Year’s Eve?
Do I love it? No.
But I do love being on my own.
And I’ve finally stopped thinking that needs explaining.

So here’s to 2026.
No grand plan.
But plenty of curiosity.
And honestly, that feels just right.

-Sophie Quinn

If this resonated, feel free to like ;-).