In January I wrote a piece called “Resolutions I‘m pretty sure I can achieve this year.” It strikes me as I re-read it now, as it no doubt did you, when you first read it five months ago, CRUSHes, that I wasn’t feeling particularly ambitious at the start of the year. I mean, hell, I didn’t even have the guts to title it in initial caps, which is how I title nearly everything. Sure, I was exhausted from my father’s intense care, then death and the immediate aftermath. And I was facing handling all the legal and financial clean-up with and for my mother, who had had a stroke the previous year, along with what turned out to be they physically and emotionally draining project of getting the house that I had bought with my late husband in 2005 on the market.
I guess I figured I’d already have a full, stressful plate.
So right, as it turns out!
And while I want to be easy on myself, I also thought it beneficial to check in on my “achievable resolutions,” given that we are close to the half-way point in 2026.
As you can see from the photo above, I did get my 20+ year old red dress to the tailor with some pink magenta ostrich feathers, and he did add them to the hem and sleeves. I wore it to lunch with a girlfriend in an elegant Upper East Side court and felt fabulous in it! That was the whole point of that particular exercise, so that was a win.
But here’s my full list, and where I stand on it.
To add pink ostrich feathers to the red dress I just rediscovered in my ridiculously, haphazardly organized storage unit. Done, and it’s fab!
To be open to finding a new close friend, or letting one find me. Oh wow, I pretty much did this. Nice! Friendships take a while to develop and we’ll see where this goes, but I’m counting it as a second done thing.
To finish creating my list of favorite shops in Paris. A third done thing. CRUSHes, I shared it with you here.
To master sheet pan pizza topped with mushrooms and pepperoni. One like my sister’s, where the crust is crusty and done, but not too done. TBH, CRUSHes, I tried three times and failed three times. Each try was a different form of failure. I need to ask my sister to show me how she does it again, but she is trying to eat more healthfully and do I really want to take her out of her zone?
To teach Koko how to tell me when she needs to go outside before she starts circling for a spot inside. Making progress.
To say “I’m listening” a lot. Yelp. I forgot about this. Never too late!
To read a book about the history of each of Iran, Russia, India and China. Not even started. Shit.
To organize either my inbox or my storage unit (but not both). Neither. Never even considered.
To generously interpret other people’s otherwise ambiguous actions. Especially my brother’s. I’m wondering whether I can just delete this as a resolution because it’s not happening. Not in 2026. I’m not in the mood for it.
To be more patient with my mother. Hmmmm. In what state of the world did I actually think this was “achievable?”
To approach every date with optimism, an open heart and curiosity. Whose fucking idea was this stupid list, anyway?
And in the full story, below, you shared some of your resolutions with us. How are you doing on yours, CRUSHes?
Dish Stanley
The Crush Letter
The Crush Letter is a weekly newsletter from Dish Stanley curating articles & intelligence on everything love & connection - friendship, romance, self-love, sex. If you’d like to take a look at some of our best stories go to Read Us. Want the Dish?
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