Hey everyone, Summer here.

Happy New Year.

It's January 1st, 2026. A brand new year. A fresh start. A clean page.

I just wanted to take a quick moment to say: we made it. Whatever 2025 threw at you—the good, the bad, the complicated, the beautiful, the messy—you survived it. You're here. And that matters.

THE FRESH START 

There's something special about January 1st, isn't there? Even though we know it's just another day, just the calendar flipping forward, there's this collective feeling that we get to start over. Try again. Do better.

And I love that. I love that we give ourselves permission to believe that better things are coming. That this year could be the one where things click into place. Where we finally make that change we've been thinking about. Where we find what we've been looking for.

Maybe this is the year you take that trip you've been postponing. Maybe this is the year you start that project. Maybe this is the year you let go of what's been weighing you down. Maybe this is the year you find your people, your purpose, your peace.

Or maybe this year is just about showing up, doing your best, and being kind to yourself along the way. That's enough. That's more than enough.

BETTER THINGS AHEAD 

I don't know what 2026 holds for you. None of us do. But I choose to believe that better things are coming. Not because I'm naive, but because hope is a choice. And I'm choosing hope today.

Better conversations. Better connections. Better moments that take your breath away. Better versions of yourself that you're growing into, one day at a time.

Better music to discover. Better stories to tell. Better memories to make. Better reasons to laugh.

You deserve good things this year. You deserve joy, rest, growth, love, and all the moments in between that make life worth living.

CONCLUSION 

So here's to 2026. Here's to fresh starts and second chances and new beginnings. Here's to letting go of what didn't serve us and embracing what does. Here's to being brave enough to hope that this year will be better.

This is Summer, welcoming you to a brand new year on Red Dirt Radio.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. Thank you for being part of this community.

Better things are coming. I believe that. And I hope you do too.

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's make it a good one.