I know I look a bit miserable in the picture, but I can assure you that I was feeling rather merry. But I also think it captures my 2025 quite well.
I’m in the middle of working through a Year in Review exercise created by somatic coach Jonas, aimed at queer and neurodivergent folk, and it’s brought out some interesting realisations. Most significantly is that it has felt that this has been a particularly rough year (work, especially, has been hard), and I’ve spent the past 10 days on annual leave doing very little. Recovering.
But working through the exercise and reflecting on the year, I actually found more moments of joy and happiness that I allowed myself to remember (one of the therapist!). This year, for example, I have built and solidified some important connections in my life. I have rediscovered things I enjoy – theatre, running, travel.
Most significantly though is that this year marks one full year of me living in London again. Aside from my well-documented love for this city (and my childhood dream of making this place my home), it also coincides with what I suspect will end my over-15 years of feeling transient. I am, dare I say it, starting to feel a bit settled.
I still have a bit more to go with the exercise but I already know that I want to carry more positive memories and feelings of 2025 into the new year. Like the merriment I was actually feeling inside in the picture above. And this post, as ever, would serve as a necessary reminder. For posterity.