This year has been tumultuous and beautiful, heavy and heart-warming, bittersweet and vibrant. The first several months were saturated with growing discouragement at remaining unemployed, as well as my most recent little book club effort falling apart and my comfort streamer taking a hiatus.

But my best friend and I always make a point to get together and collaborate on plans to look forward to throughout the year. 2025 featured a flower show, horror trivia, a tattoo fair, VHS screenings, a peach festival, and an unforgettable trip to Gatlinburg. Sprinkled in between were dinner parties, movies in theater, park days, and birthday bashes.

After months of toil and dozens of applications, I received a job offer in the summertime, and I feel I can confidently say this is the best place I’ve ever worked. The people are so kind and supportive, the pay is excellent, the schedule provides ample WFH time, and it feels like there’s plenty of room to continue my learning and development.

Additionally I hit some special interest highs this year, particularly when I finally gave RuPaul’s Drag Race a try because I’d heard chatter about the most recent season. And just like that, I was hooked. This is probably the most excited I’ve been about anything since I discovered I love horror movies, and I can’t wait to continue digging into my interest next year.

To be completely honest, 2025 as a whole had some weird energy. Friendships shifted, the country was (and is) in shambles, brainfog and exhaustion were ever-present, and somehow I only went to one concert. But the light has been pouring in, and those glimmers will carry me into the new year.