This month marks year 15 for Nine Cent Girl. Nearly 700 posts being blasted out since my very first with many of you loyally reading along from the start. I am grateful to all who have reached out and let me know what my words mean to you. Writing is done in solitary fashion, with only one’s own thoughts and opinions and reactions and research to guide you. By hearing from friends and family, from other writers, and all the strangers who are now within my circle of correspondence, has made me so thankful for your messages. I remain buoyed by your support and am indebted by your continued readership. I did not enter this role knowing how wonderful it would be, but I am indeed beholden.

2025 wasn’t an easy year for many Americans. A felon in the White House who has brought continued shame to American history and sociality decorum is just one injustice we live through thanks to his rule.  The MAGA controlled government shut-down with no end in sight is yet another disgrace, leading to more misery than could have been predicted. Yes, the year brought joys, but there were times when I needed to look for the tiny ones. Transitions in my own life felt rocky. Left me unsteady. Thankfully, blogging remained an anchor for me. A Thursday tradition which I did not neglect. Funny how routine can feel so comforting when all around is striking and new.

I think I have finally learned that I can’t predict the future. Sure, you’re thinking, everyone knows that, but do you, really? Isn’t all your worry because you are trying to set in motion what you think should be in motion? This year more than any has shown me that what ends up happening is far better than what I wanted or thought I wanted, and with that comes a certain excitement about the future rather than a desire to control it. New decade, new perspective, endless possibilities.

This year I also found my way in this new world I find myself in. Vastly peopled, tightly packed into this sought after space on the edge of the ocean. The contours of the land are starting to enter me now. I walk along ridges and down ravines, cresting hills and across a random field, with far more surety than I did a year ago. The occasional rattlesnake, coyote, or bobcat, simply neighbors, along with the plethora of shy cottontails and desert squirrels who scurry along side of me, are familiars now. Of course the ocean draws most of my attention, with endless salty and sandy encounters, but I have discovered a certain delight in the dusty trails too. Learning to take it all is yet another gift of 2025 which has occupied countless blog posts.

Of course the best teacher is this little guy who is overflowing with joy throughout multiple moments every day, and only asks that you run along side in the fading light, as he calls out his happiness with utter abandon. There is little to rival time with him, and therefore his presence has certainly dominated many of this past year’s posts.

I am amazed that we are still blogger and reader. Thank you for reading my words, listening to my rambles and rants and still return for more. There is nothing more powerful than that gift. I am humbled by your trust,

xxoo,

9¢girl