It hit me the other morning — two months left in 2025.
And for a split second, I felt that familiar flutter of panic.
Did I do enough?
Did I check every box on the vision board?
Was this year what I imagined it would be?
But then I stopped.
And I looked back.
Because sometimes it’s not about what we planned — it’s about what life quietly hands us along the way.
The Seasons That Changed Me
This year cracked me open in ways I couldn’t have predicted.
It’s held loss, love, and a thousand small lessons in between.
I learned what it means to move through grief — really move through it — when Ringo passed.
To let myself feel it all, and to lean on the people who held me upright.
To rediscover the calm that comes from horses — their still strength, their honesty & empathy, their rhythm. The serendipity of finding a place with new friends open to letting me ride their horses has been a gift I never expected.
The Miles That Reshaped Me
I ran my first 100 miler this year — and it changed everything I thought I knew about limits.
Somewhere between mile 32 and mile 64, exhaustion and fatigued muscles gave way to something bigger:
the kind of love that shows up at aid stations at 2 a.m., the kind that believes in you when you don’t.
That race didn’t just stretch my body and body— it rewired how I view my capacity to do. And it truly was a display of unconditional love from the people most important to me that I will never forget.
The Journeys That Expanded Me
From the golden deserts of Jordan to the ends of the earth in Patagonia —
I got to witness the world’s quiet contrasts.
The way beauty can live in both extremes: sand and snow, complete stillness in the desert contrasted with lively cities and music.
And through it all, the reminder that what makes travel transformative isn’t the places — it’s the people.
The connections. The shared stories. The moments that dissolve the distance between us.
The Heart That Grew Through It All
I watched my best friend get married.
I saw my girl group bond more strongly, because no matter where we are in the world,
we will always make more time for each other.
A constant reminder of the gift of knowing that you belong.
This year wasn’t about milestones.
It was about meaning — the kind that sneaks in while you’re too busy living to notice.
Looking Ahead
So as the year winds down and I start to look at my 2026 vision board, I’m reminding myself to account for the intangibles that made this year so special that cannot be replaced.
And continuing to look for moments that move me.
Thank you to everyone in my life that showed up for me over and over through the hurt and the celebrations.
Cheers to the adventures that reminded me how vast the world can be yet small and connected at the same time.
And of course, thank you for the ordinary days that stitched it all together.
Here’s to everything this year held —
and to whatever 2026 has waiting just around the bend. 🌙
What’s one thing 2025 taught you that you never expected to learn?
