Reflections on 2025

It’s nearly November, and we’re entering that phase of the year when we seem to encounter holidays and a gentle winding down as we prepare for 2026. I always find myself wistful and thinking about changes around this time, so I’ve decided I might post about them publicly this year for a change. Gosh, there were a lot.

I think the biggest elephant in the room is my move to Ireland near the beginning of this year. Ireland has been lovely, full of wonderful people, places, and culture. I’ve started to learn the Irish language, and live in an area where I’m able to practice it actively. I’m hopeful that in 2026 I’ll be able to really focus on this more.

I’ve gotten to go on many hikes this year, including a number back in the US before I left, and quite a few in Ireland. I was able to make a trip to the Scottish highlands earlier this year, and in particular the Isle of Skye, and do a great deal of hiking there as well. Hopefully before the end of the year I’ll have more, as I’m planning several other hiking trips abroad over the next few months to coincide with holidays and breaks I’ve been able to schedule.

I’ve continued to work on my fitness, and hit numerous goals around this through the year, which has definitely helped me in the aforemention hiking trips. Hybrid training has done well, as has changing some of my other habits and adjusting my approach to training and how I see fitness.

Health-wise, I’ve been doing well overall, but I did discover what may one day become a more serious issue later in my life on a random unrelated scan. This was a bit concerning, but overall has been good, as it means I can keep an eye on things. At this point, I have no activity restrictions which is great.

I’ve continued to grow in my role at work, and was recently promoted to a Sr. Manager. I still deeply enjooy my work and the challenges it offers. It’s fun to combine deep technical knowledge and leadership, I feel as though it lets me combine two parts of my personality I really love: a desire to help people grow and be the best version of themselves, and my fascination and deep passion for technology. I manage a team of nearly twenty now.

I’m not sure what next year will hold, if you had told me I would be living in Ireland a few years ago, I would have been really confused, but here I am, writing this while happily ensconsed in my home here. I wonder where I’ll be next year.