As I write this, 2025 is nearly behind us. Just when I think a year couldn’t be more tumultuous, Father Time looks at me and says, “Hold my calendar”.
The state of the world weighed heavily on me to the point that I significantly reduced my time on social media. I can’t say that I miss doomscrolling. Life is hard enough without the constant stream of bad news, you know?
That doesn’t mean everything was bad, however. There were a lot of positive personal and professional developments this year. Here are a few that stood out to me:
My Business Survived a Downturn
The web design and content creation segments of my business saw a lot of ups and downs in 2025. I’m not going to lie, it was scary.
In fact, both pipelines dried up during the summer months. Things always seem to slow down this time of year, but this was beyond normal. The situation was concerning enough that I wondered if the business would be on life support come 2026. That’s saying something, considering I’ve been doing this for over 25 years.
I found myself in a common situation: My income was falling while the cost of, well, everything, increased. That includes the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that have made health insurance somewhat affordable in the past few years. “Do more with less”, they said.
Thankfully, the fall turned out to be better than expected. More accurately, it signaled a shift that reflects industry changes. I’m not writing quite as much, but I am hosting a lot of podcast episodes for The WP Minute.
On the web design front, things have moved toward maintenance and custom development for existing websites. It turns out that companies are looking for a trustworthy person to perform these tasks, even in the age of AI. I booked a couple of gigs that have kept me busy and helped pay the bills.
By no means do I feel like I’m out of the woods. But I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll take it!
Writing as Therapy
I started this blog (yes, the one you’re visiting right now) in 2025. I’ve enjoyed having a platform to share personal thoughts.
Funny as it sounds, I hadn’t done much personal blogging in the past. I was always too busy writing for a living to take on yet another responsibility. I worried that I’d feel obliged to post frequently and I’d end up more stressed than anything. That’s not been the case.
I’ve used this site to write about a myriad of subjects. There’s plenty of technology talk, but my focus has been on observations and memories, rather than the latest web design fad.
I’ve also touched on living with a chronic disease, music, and sports. All of these subjects are meaningful to me. It has also been an opportunity to connect with other people. That makes it even more special.
I may not write here frequently, but I’m committed to keep this site around. It’s been good for my soul.
Epiphanies and Whatnot
Learning new things, self-realizations, and cool experiences made a positive impact on me this year. In no particular order:
- I saw so many bands that were on my bucket list, including: Band of Horses, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, and Vampire Weekend. 🎸
- My daughter accompanied me to those concerts, and I am so grateful to share those experiences with her. 🙌
- I’m starting to understand the benefits of slowing down. I’ve spent so much of my life in a hurry, even when it’s unnecessary. There is benefit in just being in the moment without rushing to the next thing. ⌚
- By some cosmic coincidence, this holiday season marked the first time my gift-wrapping skills weren’t terrible. Everything I wrapped turned out relatively neat. 🎁 I wish I could explain the previous 40+ years. 😅
- My New Orleans Saints went from just terrible to being unbeaten in December. Tyler Shough is gonna be a star! 🏈
- My Baltimore Orioles finished in last place this season. But they are having one heck of an offseason – including the addition of the Polar Bear himself. 🐻❄️⚾
Thanks for making it this far and, um, humoring me! I hope that 2025 was kind to you and 2026 will be even better. 💫
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