A few days ago, one of my daily prompts was: “What year would you relive?”
And believe it or not, I didn’t say 2022.
I said 2015.
2015 was the beginning of my senior year of high school, and then I turned 18. I had energy. I had basically no responsibilities. My biggest problems felt so ridiculously small compared to the things I worry about now.
I was taking yoga classes and photography classes. I was taking a few community college classes, but nothing too serious. I was figuring myself out and just… existing.
I was 18.
Of course I would relive that year.
2022 was actually a very close second.
And I think that’s what got me thinking about it.
Because 2022 wasn’t that long ago, but when I started looking through my old Instagram and camera roll, it felt like I was looking at a completely different version of myself.
I didn’t originally sit down thinking, Let me compare 2022 SomePunnyBunny to 2026 SomePunnyBunny.
It started because I was trying to remember why I picked 2022 as my second choice.
Then I found an old SomePunnyBunny Reel from November 2022.
Which led me to more old Reels.
Which led me to TikTok.
Which led me to Instagram.
Which led me to my camera roll.
And suddenly I was looking at 2022 me.
And what surprised me wasn’t necessarily how different I looked.
It was how happy I looked.
And the funny thing is, when I look at myself now, I think I look happy too.
Just differently.
I Was Doing A Lot to Make Myself Happy
In 2022, I was doing a lot to make myself happy.
I had restarted my weight-loss journey. I was posting recipes constantly. I was keeping up with a mostly consistent book club on the blog. I had started getting more into Reels and TikTok, and I was actually posting on both.
I was creating.
I was experimenting.
I was trying things.
I was figuring out what I wanted SomePunnyBunny to be.
And I was also taking care of myself in ways that, looking back, I realize I’ve slowly let slip through the cracks.
My skincare routine.
Doing my hair.
Doing my makeup.
Putting together an outfit just because I wanted to feel cute.
Taking pictures of myself.
There was something about 2022 me that was very intentional about making herself feel good.
And honestly, I think I was mentally in a pretty good place, too.
Not perfect. Definitely not perfect.
But happy.
Then I look at 2026 me.
And I’m happy too.
Just in a completely different way.
2026 Is a Different Kind of Happy
This year has been chaotic.
I’ve been stressed. I’ve cried. I’ve had emotions that seem to change by the hour. I’ve spent basically the entire year pregnant, so I’m willing to blame at least some of that emotional whiplash on the hormones.
But underneath all of that, I’ve actually been pretty okay.
And at the end of this year, I’m going to welcome my child into the world.
I would never trade that.
There isn’t a part of me looking back at 2022 thinking, I wish I could have that life instead.
I don’t.
I want this year.
I want my baby.
I want the life I’m building now.
But looking through those old pictures did make me realize something:
I miss some of the ways I used to love myself.
Somewhere along the way, the little things I used to do for myself started falling through the cracks.
The skincare routine became something I did when I remembered.
Doing my hair became something I did when I absolutely had to.
Makeup became an occasional event.
My weight-loss journey stopped being a priority.
Taking pictures just because I felt cute became less common.
And I don’t think any of those things are inherently important.
I don’t think a woman needs to wear makeup, lose weight, have perfect hair, or follow a ten-step skincare routine to be happy or beautiful.
That’s not what I’m saying.
What I miss is the intention behind it.
2022 me was making an effort to make herself happy.
And I want that part of her back.
I Don’t Want to Go Back. I Just Want to Bring Some of Her With Me.
Obviously, it’s going to look different now.
I’m about to have a baby.
I know there are going to be days when showering is an accomplishment. There will probably be days when the skincare routine is absolutely not happening. There will be days when my hair is in a messy bun for the third day in a row and I haven’t put on makeup in weeks.
And that’s okay.
I’m not going into motherhood expecting myself to immediately bounce back and become some perfectly put-together version of myself.
That sounds exhausting just thinking about it.
But I also don’t want to completely disappear into motherhood.
I want to remember that I’m still a person, too.
I still deserve to do things that make me feel good.
I still deserve to take care of myself.
I still deserve to feel pretty.
I still deserve hobbies.
I still deserve to create.
I still deserve to have goals that have nothing to do with being someone’s mom.
And yes, I’m probably going to have to figure out how to do all of that around a baby.
That will be a whole new adventure.
Because if 2022 taught me anything, it’s that taking care of yourself isn’t always about the big things.
Sometimes it’s washing your face before bed.
Sometimes it’s doing your hair because you feel like it.
Sometimes it’s putting on lipstick just to go to Target.
Sometimes it’s making a recipe you’ve been wanting to try.
Sometimes it’s sitting down with a book.
Sometimes it’s taking a ridiculous amount of pictures because you feel cute that day.
Sometimes it’s making a TikTok for absolutely no reason.
Sometimes it’s just doing something because you want to, not because somebody else needs you to.
I’m Still Becoming Her
I think that’s what this little trip down memory lane was really about.
It wasn’t me wishing I could go back to 2022.
It was me remembering a version of myself who knew how to make herself happy.
And I want to learn how to do that again.
Not exactly the same way.
Not with the same goals.
Not with the same body, schedule, responsibilities, or life.
But with the same self-love.
Because I was happy in 2022.
I’m happy in 2026.
And I don’t think one version of me has to win.
I can miss the girl who spent more time doing her hair and makeup while still being incredibly grateful for the woman who is about to become a mother.
I can want to bring back my skincare routine without wanting my old life back.
I can want to feel confident in my body without making my body something I have to constantly fix.
I can have a baby and still have hobbies.
I can be a mom and still be SomePunnyBunny.
I can take care of everyone else and remember to take care of myself, too.
And hopefully, when I look back at 2026 years from now, I won’t just remember that this was the year I became a mother.
I’ll remember that this was also the year I started learning how to take care of myself again.
Maybe not perfectly.
Maybe not consistently.
Maybe sometimes the skincare routine will consist of washing my face at 2 a.m. while holding a baby.
But I’ll try.
Because I don’t want to become the version of myself who only takes care of herself when she has time.
I want to become the version of myself who understands that she deserves some of that time, too.
And if 2022 me can teach 2026 me anything, maybe that’s it.
Take care of yourself.
Make yourself happy.
Take the damn picture.
Do your hair.
Put on the lipstick.
Read the book.
Make the recipe.
Post the TikTok.
And don’t wait until you have your whole life figured out to enjoy the person you’re becoming.
Because apparently, I’m still becoming her.
Just in a completely different way.
And that’s okay.
I’m happy then. I’m happy now. It just looks different.
