2024 Wrap Up and Resolutions!

(Wrote this on the 31st and forgot to post....)

Well, well, well—the last day of 2024 is here. Another twelve months braved in the wasteland, another calendar to rip off the wall and replace. Another wrinkle has appeared on my forehead.

To be honest, I had big plans for this year. I thought I was finally going to be promoted to manager at my job. I thought I had a good thing going, but then I got hit with a "layoff." As polite as I was when it happened, I really wish I had told them to go fuck themselves. Unfortunately, my city is pretty tight-knit in my industry, so burning bridges would have torched any chances of staying here. So I’ll say it here: FUCK ‘EM.

I also planned to live my life cancer-free, but the universe had a different idea. I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January and went through chemo from March through June. That experience brought some of the worst heartburn and stinkiest pees of my life. So disgusting! Even thinking about those smells as I type this stirs up a gag in my throat. On their own, each of these challenges would have been daunting. Combined, they made 2024 one of the hardest years of my life. I was deeply depressed for a week and unemployed for a month after being laid off. These were the kinds of life circumstances I’d never faced before.

The crazy thing is, even through it all, I never doubted I’d come out okay on the other side. I had a fantastic support system. My wife was my rock, sitting through every round and every day of chemo infusion with me. For three out of my four rounds, I had wonderful nurses who supported me and helped me get through each cycle. My aunt checked up on me constantly and sent groceries when I needed them. I’m incredibly thankful for all of them.

When it came to the layoff, my wife rose to the occasion again, picking up more substitute teaching jobs to help out. I never doubted I’d find another job—being a CPA has its perks—but burning through savings is a terrible feeling. Thankfully, I landed a new position with a little pay bump, so things are finally getting back on track.

As for 2025, I have some resolutions. I want so badly for them to stick, but I know it all comes down to me. I’m not sure how strong I can be, but here’s the list:

• Stop smoking (including flower and vape pens).
• Stop drinking every weekend (ideally, stop drinking altogether).
• Exercise at least twice a week.
• Make better food choices (the heartburn is still haunting me).
• Pay down credit card debt (I would beat the shit out of 20 year old me if I could).
• Write more blogs (gotta make my GB Premium worth it).

This list looks great on paper, but I need to commit. I feel like I’m at a point in my life where I need the discipline I had at eighteen. I miss that guy. Thirty-year-old me feels like a stick in the mud with no discipline and too much weighing me down, physically and mentally. I’m going to dig as deep as I can and revisit this list next year. See you all in 2025!