Not Another 2025 Recap
My favorite books, fragrances, and health practices I'm happy to leave behind.
You know when you’re in a group and someone makes an announcement that only applies to you, literally, but they don’t want to single you out, so they include everybody? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me.
We were sitting around the Shabbos table at our family reunion and my father (pretty sure he was speaking for my mother) said, “Let’s keep this reunion just for us. Please no one post on social media…” So here we are :).
I really do understand the sentiment. I respect it, AND it’s really hard for me. I love sharing. I love celebrating the incredible moments I get to experience. I truly believe I was put in this world to share, not to keep things to myself. But this isn’t about me, so I must respect the group. So here’s me not sharing about the incredible family reunion we had….
Palm Springs Winter Break
After the reunion, my kids still had winter break, and I knew that after such a stimulating weekend with family, it would be good for our little, insular family to have some grounded, focused time. So we went to Palm Springs for four days, and we loved it. Honestly, the kids fought a lot, but it was still great.
We went to Moorten Botanical Gardens, Joshua Tree National Park, Indian Canyons, the Living Desert Zoo, got our auras read, spent hours in the pool, and there were still things we didn’t get to do. I think we would definitely go back, and I don’t usually say that. I like to go somewhere different every time.
I couldn’t not share a bit of a review of our travels.
2025: A Year of Courage
I also want to share, acknowledge, and recap 2025, but I always have mixed emotions around that. It’s weird, because I do enjoy watching people’s reels, photo collages, and year-end reviews, but when I think about doing it for myself, it just doesn’t work. I have a hard time showing just the good, flashy highlights, but no one really wants to see all the struggles you had in a recap. Like, what a downer. So it ends up not feeling right for me, but maybe here on Substack there’s room to get a bit more nuanced.
So, 2025… how do we describe you?
If I had to pick one word, I would say this year took a lot of COURAGE.
I tried new things.
I put myself out there in the most undiluted way.
I faced challenging family realities.
I didn’t run or avoid.
I discovered parts of myself that felt very uncomfortable.
I faced disappointment but didn’t quit.
But when you have courage, it’s very REWARDING.
I really stretched this year (I do that every year, but I think this one had an extra dose), and I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished and how I’ve shown up for the messy, beautiful thing we call life.
And you know those highlight reels you see on social media? I think they hold so much more weight when you know the grit, resilience, and miraculous aspects behind those moments.
(Let me know in the comments what you’re most proud of this year.)
Not everything needs to be so deep :). I’m a big believer that we should never take ourselves too seriously :). So I also want to share some things that I loved in 2025.
Books I Loved
I read some excellent books this year. Here are the ones that made the list, the kind you think about long after you’ve finished them. In no particular order:
Life and Death and Giants by Ron Rindo
The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Harnett
The Names by Florence Knapp
Believe it or not, this was hard to narrow down. I read a lot this year, and these were the standouts. I was only going to do my top five, but I couldn’t.
Favorite Skincare
LILFOX The Aromatic Beautysphere – L I L F O X
No one talks about this skincare, and it’s incredible.
Favorite Perfume
Floraïku Paris | Perfume as a poem | Official
This was a splurge I got for an anniversary gift, but it’s worth every penny. A perfume and a piece of art all in one. I have I See the Clouds Go By. I’m already itching for my next one :).
Favorite New Hobby Unlocked
Puzzles
Favorite Health Addition
Bringing Ayurveda into my life.
Ayurveda, meaning “the science of life,” is an ancient Indian holistic healing system that emphasizes balance between mind, body, and spirit through diet, lifestyle, herbs, yoga, and meditation to prevent illness and promote well-being. It centers on three doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) that govern bodily functions, with imbalance leading to disease, and uses natural remedies and practices to restore harmony. If only I could express how much this has changed my life.
Understanding astrology & Human Design a little bit more.
I still have a lot to learn. I’m putting this under health because it’s all connected.
Health Practice I’m Happy to Leave Behind
Cold plunges / cold showers
Favorite Planner
I’m a pen and paper girl all the way! I’ve tried so many planners over the years, this is the one I like best.
Top 3 New Follows of 2025
Ok folks, there you have it!
Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings (just a little scared, but mostly excited).
Love y’all,
Chavie
So much to unpack in your post , all in all it was a wonderful year
Plenty of 'ups' a few 'downs' but your journey was epic , I really liked the vibe and I look forward to seeing much more this year !
By the way , where are your other kids ?