I can’t believe it’s been 6 months since my last newsletter. Where’s the time gone?

I thought I’d write a rambly “interlude” newsletter to end the year rather than a proper edition. I’m currently away for Christmas, visiting my family in France for the week and then it’s my son’s birthday the week after so I’ll be back for that and then new year. The good news is that because I book 3 weeks off for Christmas, that includes the first week of Janaury off so I can defer the blues for a little longer.

So, 2025. It’s certainly been one of the years of all time but looking back, most of them have been since 2020. There’s always a lingering desire to reconcile with that lost time and how it altered my brain chemistry but how would I do that and when? If I’m not working or trying to find the motivation to care about work, I’m trying to keep my head above water, mental health wise. I’m at the point where I’m over all the distractions and techniques but after reading this blog post, I realised I need to get out of the house and see people more often:

“I need to socialize. I need to leave my house […] I have to do the awkward conversation and meet people.”

Even writing that is nerve wracking because social interactions with new people make me anxious. Also people say weird stuff and I never know how to respond! I think to counter it, I’ll make more of an effort to meet up with people I do know even if it means traveling to see them.

But I should make more of an effort to review the good things that have happened. For example, being a parent has been a joy because I got to see my son grow up, always making me laugh, and see his progression in taekwondo (one of his instructors even came up to me and his mum to personally commend his performance during the last grading). He’s an absolute treasure and amongst this growing culture of parents being weird about their kids online, I am happy to say that I’m proud of my son and I love him very much.

I’ve watched a ton of movies, mostly Hallmark stuff as that’s all my brain could handle a lot of the time. I got tired of them by the end of the year and I think I’ll try to watch better movies in 2026 (I will never stop watching romcoms; I love you Danica McKellar <3)

So what will 2026 bring? I have no idea. I take each day as it comes and I never make resolutions. But perhaps I’ll make a list of hopes and see how it goes.

Finally, thank you if you’re still subscribed and/or read these emails. It means a lot that people take notice of what I say so I’m grateful.

Okay, I’ll leave it there. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!