This is indeed a photo of a couple of leeks and they make up part of what I have learned in 2025.

I learned that I really like the music of Jon Batiste , Justin Townes Earl and Brandi Carlile.

I learned that good books are still out there for the reading . Three non fiction books I highly recommend are: “Notes on Grief “ by Chimamanda Ngozi, “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi and “The Power of Story” by Harold R. Johnson .

Three fiction books that brought me pleasure were the: “The Librarianist” by Patrick de Witt, “The Sense of an Ending” by Julian Barnes and “All the Colors of the Dark” by Chris Whitaker.

I discovered the magic of leeks this year. I first used them as a substitute for onions in a recipe and found the dish tasted the best it ever has. Recently, I used leeks instead of onions in my turkey stuffing and my niece proclaimed it the best stuffing yet .

What I really learned this year is that I am still learning and loving the process. With the exception of Julian Barnes all the other authors are new to me and all the musical artists are also new to me . And yes I may have had a leek or two previously in my life but until I made the ingredient substitution I had not realized how versatile a vegetable it is.

Life is humbling in that it is full of things we don’t know but life is also infinitely interesting because it is full of things we don’t know. So as we enter into 2026, I will be on the lookout for new authors, new musicians, new foods and recipes. In short new everything because life, even with everything going on right now, is definitely worth knowing and living in all its depth and diversity.