Culture on My Mind
2025
December 31, 2025

It has been a rough year.

I was at a yule party a week or so ago. It was a grand time with good food, great discussions, and the meeting of a few new friends. It also held a few moments of reflection as a small group of us gathered around the table as the night wound down. We each held lit candles and reflected on the year behind and our hopes for the year to come. One of the common threads was how tough this year has been, and I imagine it’s the same for many of you, so I’m taking time to talk about it here.

A major portion of our year was dedicated to Eric. He was a friend of the family – to my wife and her brother, he was effectively family – and he was visiting Atlanta for treatment for his aplastic anemia. I met him about 20 years ago and he was a much different man, often competitive and often baffled by my refusal to be the same. I’ve never been one for “keeping up” with my neighbors. He asked for us specifically when he came to town and soon ended up spending most of the year in the hospital as his disease progressed. We visited him at least weekly – often several times a week – as he worked toward getting his numbers in order for a much needed bone marrow transplant. His transplant came with complications that landed him in the ICU, and he decided his fight was over on November 28.

It’s been hard because our family was so close to him. Even more so since he was only 48. But I’m glad he had to courage and the agency to make his own call. It’s been said that the depths of grief echo the heights of love we had for someone. As mentioned in Doctor Who, “Goodbyes only hurt, because what came before was so special.” I hope 2026 brings healing light to those who loved Eric so dearly.

2025 was also tough as a U.S. veteran. It’s no secret that I dislike the current administration and what they’re doing to the country. (If that’s a surprise to you and it upsets you, perhaps this isn’t the site for you.) It’s been painful to watch the established norms, traditions, and laws torn apart as they have. I see the pain and fear in the eyes of people I care about, and it hurts. The tide is changing – nothing in our government is swift – and I hope 2026 heralds a return to the true roots of a democratic republic, including ever-important protections for the most vulnerable.

This year also marked the end of my run against COVID-19. I had dodged the virus since the pandemic started in January 2020 due to pre-existing medical conditions in my household. I came home from Dragon Con 2025 with the illness, ending my streak at 68 months, and luckily it was a mild case compared to the severe one my wife had a couple of years ago. I’m lucky and privileged enough to get the Paxlovid prescription, and thankfully there was a rebate for it that eventually refunded my purchase price. That process was an administrative nightmare that was hard to navigate in the midst of fatigue and mental fog.

It’s been a rough year in broad strokes, often feeling like we’re in a boxcar on a speeding freight train moving from junction to challenging junction. The year wasn’t all bad, though.

I published a piece about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in a collection called Outside In Can Live With It: 171 New Perspectives on 171 Star Trek DS9 Stories by 171 Writers. I also was accepted for another publication that’s due in 2026, this one containing stories inspired by jukebox hits of the 1980s. My work with ATB Publishing and New Legend Productions has sparked the writing fire again, and I’m keeping my eyes open for more opportunities.

I published 36 times (as of this writing) on this site, which isn’t my strongest effort but remains an outlet when I have bandwidth. It also powers a resolution to find more time in the coming year and maybe find another series to review. I have some Doctor Who episodes left to cover and have been doing a lot of cosmetic work in the background to tidy this place up.

I took time out to celebrate the major milestones for my wife and I. We met up with friends and painted pottery for our birthdays. I went in with a vision and I made it happen, and it was a relaxing day with good people and flowing creativity. A co-worker of mine told me a few years ago that he could have saved his marriage if he’d taken more time for the important things, and I’ve strived to follow that advice.

I have made major strides at work. I led two important projects – one included a couple of site visits, and the second is a first-of-a-kind project that will continue into 2026 – and was invited to a major conference in the summer. I’m investing in myself next year by pursuing a professional certification I have been putting off for a long time.

I have been investing in my well-being with Pilates classes. My wife and I started nearly three years ago after looking for exercise routines that wouldn’t exacerbate our injuries. In that time, we’ve challenged ourselves and improved ourselves, moving up to Level 2 classes this year. The changes I have seen are remarkable. Our studio measures milestones by number of classes attended, and we’ll hit 500 sometime in 2026.

Finally, I have started back into my study of Spanish. I took six years of Spanish classes in junior high and high school, but those gears have rusted from disuse in the ensuing decades. My wife decided that she wanted to learn Spanish since her junior high studies didn’t turn out well due to abusive teachers, so we both started using Duolingo. The goal is one lesson a day – she’s learning quickly and I’m knocking the rust off – and we’re at 59 days straight as of Christmas Day.

In 2026, I’m challenging myself to re-focus and take time for the important things. I hesitate to call it a resolution, but it is a bit of getting back to basics. Making strides to put positive energy back into the universe and conquer the world with kindness.

I hope you can do the same. See you in the new year.

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Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.