Journeys With Jani

Let’s Talk About It…

If 2025 had a soundtrack, it would be a mix of Rebel Yell (I’ve got something to say) & Don’t You Forget About Me (…while my brain is buffering). That pretty much sums up my year of writing.

Some days the words showed up like they owned the page. I had something to say & I said it. Other days I sat there staring at a blank screen like it was a personal attack. Writer’s block is such a cute little phrase for something that can feel so frustrating. It’s not that I had nothing in me. It’s that I had too much… it all got tangled up somewhere between my heart & my hands.

That’s when I have to talk about my mental library… because that’s exactly what it feels like up in there. Some parts of my mental library are beautifully organized. Label makers, color-coded tabs, a whisper-quiet reading room. You could eat off the floors. Other rooms are… not that. Other rooms are like a blind chia pet is the librarian & everything is just flinging itself off shelves for sport.

Then there’s the vault.

The vault is the mysterious part of my library that stays locked down so tight that even I only have limited access. I truly believe it’s my soul’s protection mechanism. It’s the place where certain memories, certain truths & certain stories stay tucked away until my mind & heart decide I’m ready.

Here’s what I’ve learned this year though. The more I write, the more often things get released from that vault. Not all at once & not always when I expect it. But piece by piece, the pages start sliding out like, “Okay… you can handle this now.”

That’s why I kept coming back.

Because this blog was never just a blog. It was the beginning of something bigger. The book is the reason I started all of this in the first place. The blog became my practice ground… where I could find my rhythm, test my voice, tell the truth in smaller pieces & remember that I’m allowed to take up space on a page.

This year I wrote about travel, about life, about people, about kindness, about the things that make me laugh & the things that make me stop & think. I wrote through the busy seasons & the tired seasons. I wrote when I felt inspired & I wrote when I felt stuck. Sometimes I published with confidence. Sometimes I hit post & walked away like I’d just jumped off a cliff.

And somehow, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

Now let’s talk about 2026.

I’ve got a notebook full of ideas already. Not a vague -oh I should write more- kind of notebook. I mean a real deal, filled up with titles, notes, half-formed thoughts & little sparks that I refuse to ignore. Travel stories I can’t wait to share, reflections that need room to breathe & topics I’ve been circling for a while, waiting until the timing felt right.

And yes… I’ve got a few little surprises up my sleeve too.

I’m not ready to spill every detail yet, but I will say this: 2026 is going to have more intention. More follow-through. More depth. More humor. More honesty. And more of me showing up on purpose instead of only when everything feels perfectly lined up.

If you’ve been reading along, sharing posts, commenting, messaging me, cheering me on quietly from the sidelines… THANK YOU. You’ve made this feel like more than me talking into the void. You’ve made it feel like community.

So here we are. End of 2025. Page turning. Deep breath.

I’m walking into 2026 with a notebook full of ideas, a heart full of stories & a promise to keep writing… even when it’s messy, even when it’s hard, even when it’s not perfect.

Because I’m not done.

XOXO, Jani Aylsworth-Gunter