Welcome to EJ RANTS

Letting Sh*t go.

Is it possible to start over?

What does that even mean? Starting over….

For some, it may mean leaving a job, finding new friends, setting boundaries, or stepping out of their comfort zone.

But what is starting fresh? Can you really be “fresh,” or “clean,” or “new?”

You’re always going to be carrying your own baggage along with all the baggage and the narratives that everyone around you has created. So, what does it mean then to really let something go and start fresh?

With the New Year right around the corner, what better time to talk about this than a few days before everyone starts saying “New Year, New Me.” Yeah, we’ve all been there, waking up on the first day ready to take on the world, making lists, waking up early, eating healthy…the list goes on and on. I congratulate you if you stick to your resolutions, but let’s be honest, mine only last three days.

New Year, New Me… But what changed?

So, this year (2025) I decided to try to enter the New Year (2026) with a “cleanish” slate… whatever that means. I guess I’m trying to start the year off without carrying unnecessary baggage that doesn’t serve me anymore. So instead of “New year, New me”, it’s more like “New Year, Less BS!”

That may sound harsh, but this year was eye-opening, and I was frankly sick of always taking one for the team. For context, a few years ago, someone called me a “doormat.” It was a joke, but we all know that there’s a half-truth to every joke… so thanks!

Maybe I was a doormat. I would like to think that’s not the case, but I guess we will never know. I like to help people, I listen and I like to keep the peace. Some may call this people pleasing, which isn’t a bad thing, but at what point are you going to start putting yourself first?

For me, 2025 was that switch. I realized that I had goals and dreams, and to even give myself a shot, I had to be a little selfish. It’s hard to do, and yes, it can make you feel guilty and bad, but it’s human…. everyone does it!

So, as we approach 2026, I continue to remind myself that it’s okay to choose myself and say no. NO is a full sentence!

This is coming up because about a week ago, I made a tough decision to leave my home running club after 15 years. 15 years… that’s a lot. A lot of memories, friends, stories and people who helped shape who I am today. It really did become my second home. But something felt off, a sport that I loved started to feel like a chore. Not because I didn’t love running, but because I wasn’t doing it for myself. I was showing up to practices, going through the motions, but didn’t have goals, and my head was somewhere else most of the time.

In my last few years with the club, I was struggling with the idea of staying in something that felt safe and comfortable or pushing myself out of my comfort zone. This was the internal struggle that made running feel more exhausting than it should have.

I constantly fought with myself with the internal dialogue: “Just stay EJ because you know the program worked for you last year, your twin is here, this is your second home, this is comfortable.” All these thoughts flooded my mind every time I showed up to a practice and a race.

It was clear. I was not happy, and that reflected in racing and training. I had a pit in my stomach for months because I knew something was wrong, and I’m no expert, but the body tells you when things are not working if you listen.

There was my sign. It was time to move on and put myself first. I had to stop thinking about how the decision would affect others or how the shift would impact my family. The people who truly care about you will support you no matter what. So, after 15 years, I finally stepped away from the club, not because of them, but because it was a change that I had to make to grow and continue developing as an athlete.

AND TRUST ME WHEN I SAY, this was a tough decision to make. But I wasted so much time and energy trying to figure out what I wanted to do because I wanted to keep the peace, stay with my friends, and run with my siblings. I realized if I kept doing that, I wasn’t going to be happy.

It was scary. I was scared. I am scared. That’s not going to change. But when I tell you the deep breath I took after it was done. I had been holding on to something that was causing me so much pain for so long, and I only realized how tense I was until I finally let it go.

Will I ever forget the club… no. It’s a part of my life that I’ll never forget. So, I guess there’s your answer… can you ever really let something go? No, but you can acknowledge it and try to move on.

Cheers to 2026.

That’s all from me, chat soon!

New Years Resolutions

Time to talk about some New Years Resolutions.

I talked about what I learned in 2025 and what I’m hoping to bring into 2026, but it might be time to set some actual goals for this upcoming year.

So I’ll keep it short and sweet today and share my top 4 resolutions/goals:

1.        Maintain connections and relationships with friends regardless of distance.

That may seem oddly specific, but I struggle to stay in contact with friends when distance is involved. I don’t think this is a unique experience, but we all go to school, meet people from all over and then leave, and we don’t always reconnect once it’s over.

So this year, I’m making it a conscious effort to reach out to my peers, ask them to hang out and try to keep lines of communication open.

2.        Don’t force connections.

This phrase is so overused, but “if they wanted to, they would,” and maybe this isn’t always true. People get busy, and we all have things going on, but you will make time for people that you care about.

So, I think this year I just want to be okay with things fading out and connections shifting. I want to remind myself that it’s not personal, but the universe’s way of making room for people and connections that really matter.

3.        Stop taking things personally; It’s not always about you.

This is sort of in line with the point above, but you are not that important. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but everyone has their own life, their own issues, and you are a very small part of theirs.

So, stop taking everything so personally. Got a dry email, text or message? It’s probably not about you and has nothing to do with you, so stop stressing.

4.        Trust your intuition and gut.

I’m not even kidding when I say that my grade 10 math teacher said, “EJ, whatever your gut says, do the opposite.” Huh? What an odd thing to tell someone.

This year, I want to be more intuitive and continue to listen to my gut. If it’s urging me to reach out to someone, say something, post something… whatever it may be, just do it!

I’m not perfect, and I still have a lot to learn, and most of the time I don’t practice what I preach. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

That’s all from me, chat soon!