Let's Get this New Year Started!

A little motivation, plus thoughts on Dry January, books recs, a phenom recipe, and all my blog links

Hey, friends! Welcome to 2025.

I’ve decided that despite all the ugly out there, this is going to be a beautiful year.

How do I know? Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. And we can all collectively decide to behold a beautiful year, no matter what.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much not just our destiny—but our days—are completely in our own hands. We don’t need to wait until we’re successful or rich or move to a new place or insert-your-aspiration-here to be happy and content (which are pretty much the same thing).

It’s all perspective. If you don’t think you have a good life, all you need do is wander over to Walmart or consider the person who is sleeping on a vent tonight, to realize you’ve got it good.

Or at least better.

But who knows, maybe that person wandering through Walmart, dragging five kids with snotty noses, believes their own life is wonderful. It’s up to them.

Just like it’s up to you.

How’s that for a little ‘go-get-em’ speech to start the year?

But honestly, I have been thinking about what success is and whether I have enough of it. I’ve been reading a book titled, Dear Writer, You Should Quit by Becca Syme. She starts the book by encouraging everyone to ‘question the premise’.

If the premise is ‘I’m successful if I’m selling lots of books and making lots of money,’ the question is—‘Who says?’ (She encourages you to ask this in a high-pitched sing-songy voice.)

I think success is

1) doing the things that make your soul happy

2) believing you have enough

By those standards, most days I am a wild success. My definition of ‘enough’ has changed over the years, but after a year spent getting rid of over 1500 possessions (5 a day!), I still think I have more than enough.

As far as doing the things that make my soul happy. Writing, fostering dogs, helping shelters, hiking in the mountains, walking at sunrise, reading lots of books, spending quality time with good people, my list is pretty endless. I hope yours is too.

As we head into 2025, these might be good questions to ponder:

Do you do the things that make your soul happy?

Do you have enough?

If your answer to both is YES, then you, my friend, are a resounding success.

I didn’t blog often over the holidays, but I’ve got a couple links for you:

In My Life in Paragraphs, I reflected on the last year of lighting my load and lightening my life:

If you’ve wondered what the heck it is we do at Who Will Let the Dogs Out, you can read all about the impact we had in 2024:

And if you’re sober curious or doing Dry January, you can take a peek at my Dry Me Substack, chronicling my month of sobriety (WARNING: this one is unedited, painfully honest, and possibly boring).

And just in case you need a little more New Year’s inspiration, here’s a post from 15 years ago on my oldest blog, Kid-Friendly Organic Life:

My Next Book!

The official publication date is January 28, 2025, but you can get an early copy AND support our effort to give these books to shelters and rescues for free by buying direct from us!

Baked Coconut Chicken Nuggets Recipe

· ⅔ C olive oil

· Pinch of salt & pepper (to taste)

· 1 tsp garlic salt

· 2 TBSP Caribbean Citrus Seasoning blend or whatever seasonings you like

· 1 container of Panko Bread Crumbs

· 1 C unsweetened shredded coconut

· 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix all ingredients together except the chicken, panko bread crumbs, and coconut. Stir to blend.

3. Divide the oil mixture into two cups.

4. Put cut up chicken in a medium size bowl.

5. Pour the one container of the oil mixture over the chicken. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

6. Combine the bread crumbs and coconut together. Toss to blend.

7. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and toss with ½ of the bread crumbs and coconut.

8. Return to refrigerator for 10 minutes.

9. Remove from refrigerator and drizzle for the second time the oil mixture and then toss with the bread crumbs for the second time.

10. Bake at 475 degrees for 15 minutes.

11. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

12. Serve with a variety of dipping sauces.

Wow! That was a lot in my first issue of the year!

Thanks for reading. Hope your 2025 is full of books (and dogs)!

Sending you the very best words & the happiest of days,

Cara