2024 You Were Mostly Shit, But I Learned A Few Things

· 4 min read

I don’t really like doing New Year’s resolutions, for a few reasons. A. I don’t see the new year as the beginning of something. Yes, it’s a chance to reflect, but there’s nothing “new” about the year apart from the year I’m printing on forms. B. I save resolutions for when I get depressed. Even then, it’s not really resolutions, it’s more like goal setting. When I get depressed, I feel like I don’t see a way out. Setting goals helps me to keep going even if I feel bad.

That being said, I don’t mind self-reflecting on the previous year. So with that…

Things I realised in 2024

  1. I miss writing. I found this blogging platform Micro-blog thanks to Zoyander Street. WordPress is becoming a lot more feature rich, but at a price. I couldn’t justify spending £20 a month on blogging, but £7? Yes, please. I already have my own Mastodon instance and my own Peertube instance. With that in mind…

  2. Again, thanks to Zoyander Street, I found a name for the practice I’ve been pointing myself to regarding social media, namely POSSE. You can’t just remove yourself from popular social media apps without impacting your reach. But you can focus on creating a space that’s your primary base. That’s what my website is.

  3. 2024 was a lot about waiting. Waiting or my bariatric surgery. I’ve been on a steady decline since needing to have my lap band removed in 2021 due to slippage. Since I had surgery in October 2024, I’m 68 pounds (ca. 31 kg) down, with about 119 pounds (ca. 54 kg) to go to get into a “healthy” range. But I’m getting there.

  4. How old I am. So much of the things I grew up with are fading away. The biggest realisation is a funny one, in Phil Collins (but I’m guessing not for him). Collins was a constant in the music of my life. Collins is 73. He retired from music in 2022, and the recent documentary shows how frail he is.

    It really set in stone how much time, even if I’m not struck away with some disease, that old age is close. There are no constants in life. I’m about 16 years younger than Collins. Yesterday I had a concert of his on YouTube pop up from 1997. I remember 1997.

The concert from the Live and Loose tour in Paris has him dancing and smiling and being the Phil Collins I remember. The Collins in the Drumeo documentary is the harbinger of what is to come. For everyone, but especially for me.

I have more years behind me, than I do in front of me. Nik, my son, is in his 30s now. He’s got his life, and he’s making the most of it. I’m very proud of the man he’s become. I don’t intend on sounding like this is the end for me (or hell, even for Phil). Even if the bells aren’t ringing for me yet, I can hear them in the distance. It reminds me to always keep myself in the moment. I’m grateful for all the wonderful moments I’ve had so far, and am ready for more.

  1. This year I got married to my wife. She really doesn’t realise how much that she means to me. I think that’s probably more my fault than hers. It’s hard unlearning 50 years of taking care of others and letting someone in to see you and take care of you. She doesn’t think she does that, but she really does. I am truly grateful for her love. Finding Marcele was at the right time, it allowed me to be the best version of myself that I know how to be.

I feel like 2025 will bring plenty of changes to my life as well. Marcele will finally be home, and we can start building a life together. I’m sure I’ll continue to lose weight. If I lose weight at the same rate I’m losing now, I’ll be at goal in June. There’s a lot to look forward to. 2024 felt like I was running in place, waiting for surgery. Now it feels like I can do things that will improve my life. I’m hopeful for 2025.