Nice & Naughty

(First published December of 2012)

As December is around the corner, it's time to do a quick check-in on 2025. I’ve been pretty much on auto-pilot this year... flitting from one thing to the next, grinding & gliding, rushing & resting ... always moving through life busy-busy, but blessed. I’ve become a certified pro at making checklists, smashing through them, and moving on faster than you can say “Double-D!” (Done & Dusted).

Have I been nice?

I mean, mostly. I’ve tried to be kind & thoughtful (not the "let's pretend" kind) and even though it can be hard with some people, we dig deep don't we?

Have I been naughty?
Honestly, I haven’t stopped long enough to check in with myself on my pleasure-o-meter, lol. 

That is until now.

The answers are blurry in the haze of a year that came in hot and refused to cool down. 2025 has left all of us a little wary, a bit wobbly, a lot of  “what the actual…?”

So, I’m taking a page out of Santa’s playbook: making a list, checking it twice, trying to figure out whether I’ve been naughty or nice. Fingers crossed, I didn’t leave anyone reeling who is along with me on this rollercoaster ride...

“Naughty” is a loaded word. It hints at a dalliance with danger and play. It suggests more fun than trouble.

Have I been naughty?

Oh, I can absolutely do naughty - the full toolkit: the cheeky grin, the eye roll, the uncensored quip delivered at the exact right moment. It’s deliberate, intentional mischief. Saved for the right people, the right nights, for the right delicious reasons. 

Naughty, for me, comes from a good place, the desire to entertain, to tease, to delight, to spark laughter, to lighten the heaviness, and to remind us all that we can lift the mood without feelings of guilt.

So yes… nice and naughty. But the very, very good kind of naughty.

Honestly, this is hard.  I should probably call my little elves for backup... (GingeredZ and Fiz where you at?)

Now, about “nice.”

Nice is… pleasant. Nice is... palatable. Soft. A bit beige, isn't it.

And women (even on a bad day) are anything but beige.

Yet “nice” women get boxed into the dull end of the spectrum: less bold, less daring, less fun. Look at the expressions we throw around:

• Nice girls finish last.
• Nice girls don’t get the corner office.

None of these exactly inspire saintly behaviour.

But I like "nice'. The real test of “nice” this year lies in the relationships I’ve held together (or that held me together). It took a whole team to get through 2025: family, friends, colleagues, and the occasional stranger who stepped in at exactly the right time.

Could I list all those moments? No, but I do smile when one pops in my overcrowded memories. Kindness doesn’t really fit on a checklist anyway.

What I can say is this: no matter how brutal this year has been (I’ve lost a few..) I’m walking out of it braver, more hopeful, more optimistic… definitely nicer and more appreciative of the ones that stayed, and just a smidge naughtier and funnier than before.

All because I crossed paths with people who are exceptionally, beautifully good at being nice.

 I see you,........! 

Insert name here😊