The end of the year is a good time to take stock and identify what’s working and what’s not. This year such an exercise is especially important as, in my opinion, there is much that is not working. We cannot afford to repeat 2025. Here are some actions to consider as we enter 2026.

Get out the Vote! We need many more Americans to vote in 2026 than voted in 2024. Several initiatives are underway to do just that. Also, a detailed analysis of swing districts on which to focus is important. Get involved in supporting these efforts. Become a poll watcher or join forces with constituents who are taking steps to ensure election integrity. 

On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, hopes are high that the First District will be much more competitive if a Blue Wave occurs. Andy “Handgun” Harris, who pledged to serve no more than six terms in the House and has now served eight, could be defeated once and for all.  

Embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Administration’s efforts to dismantle the progress we have made in these areas undermine democracy and rob America of the contributions made from large swaths of our population. Such divisive efforts promote racism and discrimination. One of the things that makes America great is its diversity–its melting pot roots. Returning to White male supremacy or embracing oligarchy is a huge mistake. Let’s celebrate and embrace our differences and reject efforts to return to a white-bread world order. 

Preserve our environment. The damage this Administration has done to the environment is downright unconscionable. Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. He has rolled back or weakened numerous regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, replacing them with less stringent rules. He has championed coal, oil, and gas production, opening tracts of public lands and ocean waters to new drilling. He has discouraged renewable energy projects. He has rolled back the Clean Water Act and protections for wetlands and streams. He has weakened the Endangered Species Act. He has undermined science and research by cutting critical research funding, firing government scientists, and removing climate change information from federal websites. 

Specifically on the Eastern Shore, because of Trump’s policies, the city of Crisfield has lost $36 million in federal funding from the FEMA program aimed at flood mitigation and managing rising sea levels. The Administration has actively sought to block the development of Maryland’s first offshore wind farm near Ocean City. It has also proposed drastic cuts to the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Program and weakened federal clean water regulations which could eliminate protections for thousands of acres of wetlands and headwater streams vital to the Bay’s health. The Administration’s regulatory rollbacks have weakened limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants and coal ash disposal, posing risks to air and water quality in our region. Plus, the removal of climate and research data is hindering access to information vital to plan for specific impacts of climate change. 

Fighting these environmental rollbacks involves a multi-pronged approach including legal actions, state level initiatives, public advocacy, and civic engagement. Do your research and get involved. It’s important.

Support the Arts. We on the Eastern Shore are the lucky ones to have top-tier music and art at our fingertips. These nonprofit organizations need your support to thrive and continue to bring culture at its best to the public at large. Do what you can to contribute to their funding drives. Also encourage your friends and neighbors to attend concerts and gallery openings. It’s vital to keep the momentum going. 

This year the options are plentiful. Check out Chesapeake Music’s website for information on its many concerts next year, including concerts in February and March, a Competition in April, June Festival concerts, Interlude concerts throughout the year and more; Gabriela Montero’s concert series at the Ebenezer Theater; Mid-Atlantic Symphony performances; the Avalon Theater’s bountiful programming; the Art Academy’s many exhibits; and the numerous galleries and shops open on Easton’s First Friday Gallery Walks. 

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s the importance of community engagement to address issues and promote workable solutions. Freedom is not free. We must work to preserve democracy, civility, empathy, and justice. 

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The future depends on what you do today.”  

Peter Drucker, the revolutionary Austrian American management consultant, educator, and author, once wrote, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

And perhaps most importantly, Plato told us, “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” 

Amen. 

Maria Grant, formerly principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm, now focuses on writing, reading, music, bicycling, and nature.

Let’s face it. This has been a tough year. It seems like almost every week there has been some kind of tragedy—murder, catastrophic weather, shootings, and more. Plus, many of us feel totally alienated by the goings on of the current administration. 

So, what to do? Perhaps it’s time to reflect on the simple pleasures that offer hope and glimmers of joy.in our lives. Here are some pleasures on my list this year. 

The many magnificent local concerts I’ve heard this year including those sponsored by Chesapeake Music, Gabriela Montero, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Avalon, and Oxford Community Center. How lucky are we to have such fabulous sounds at our fingertips!

My wonderful neighbors grow beets in their vegetable garden. They bring me jars of pickled beets that are beyond delicious.

My two book clubs have provided substantive conversations about books and the human condition. This year’s books included Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw; Lily King’s Heart the Lover; Yael Van der Wouden’s The Safekeep, Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered, and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. 

Behind our home in Florida, lives a gopher tortoise that we named Kevin. He brings a smile to my face every time he saunters down the path, basking in sunshine and checking out the neighborhood.

Our community’s Habitat for Humanity campaign raised enough dollars to sponsor yet another house in the area. It warms our hearts to know that another family will have shelter this holiday season. 

Our own gardens harvested a bumper crop of tomatoes this year, all shapes and sizes that were super sweet and tasty. We also had a successful cutting garden which meant vases of zinnias, lilies, and daisies on the screened porch and kitchen table. 

I began taking boating lessons and, although still far from adept at handling our boat, I can now navigate our waters using auto pilot and the Garmin system, which gives me a sense of accomplishment. I have much more to learn during next year’s boating season. 

Many coffees, lunches and dinners with friends and neighbors have provided connections, some laughs, and some much-needed commiserations about the state of our union. 

During my bike rides in Florida this season, I have come upon horned owls, great blue herons, eagles, roseate spoonbills, egrets, osprey, green herons, pelicans, and mottled ducks. What a special treat it is to see them in their nests and nearby ponds. I’ve even been fortunate enough to spot a few pods of manatees searching for warmer waters during a brief cold spell. 

I’ve done quite a bit of cooking this year including, of course, making a ton of crabcakes. I’ve also made spaghetti squash chicken parmesan, coq au vin, lasagna, and blackened salmon, just to name a few. These dinners have led to interesting conversations and some much-needed laughter. 

When I think about what could make things better next year, getting more people out to vote in 2026 is at the top of my list. It’s hard to believe that close to 90 million Americans failed to go to the polls in 2024. I am heartened by so many initiatives currently underway to ensure that that doesn’t happen next year. 

The writer Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world.”

This is a good year to remember those wise words. 

Maria Grant, formerly principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm, now focuses on writing, reading, music, bicycling, and nature.