Well, here we are at the end of the year.  Can’t say this was a stellar year since a lot of things went wrong.  Some of the stuff I can’t get into on a public forum.  I was hoping those situations would be over, but they’re continuing and getting worse.  Can’t be sure how to bring them to an end either because nobody in a position to help is willing to do so since it’s a risk or something.

A positive was that I finished editing all of the previous Slumberlord Chronicles first drafts, which helped me dive into Darwin & the Joy Path.  I’m making decent progress there, but it’s going to be slow going for a while.  I came up with a few new ideas that never made it beyond the scribbled on random paper stages.  Not because they aren’t good, but I had very little time for writing since staying indoors was kind of depressing.  At least for a full day.  An added issue is that my writing endurance sucks, so I can’t churn out a whole chapter in a day.  I’m lucky to get 2 done in a day because I need to rest as the brain fog comes back.

My son graduated 10th grade with Honor Roll and he started 11th grade.  Things are going as smoothly as they can there.  I’m trying to give him more responsibility and independence unless he asks for the help.  It’s kind of running smoothly, but he forgets things at times.  Nothing has been late, but we’ve had to scramble for a few assignments and studying.  He still isn’t a strong test-taker and has trouble focusing when he’s in certain locations, but we’re sort of pulling through.  I know the difficulty is going to increase, especially in Algebra II.  He has his chorus Disney trip coming up too, so there’s a lot to juggle.

Healthwise, I’m not doing any better than I was in 2024.  Sleep apnea is under control and my stress levels cause constant stomach issues.  Can’t seem to get the weight down unless I get sick to the point where I can’t eat for a few days.  It comes back.  Food is getting pretty expensive though, so forced intermittent fasting might force the issue.  Even the unhealthy frozen stuff I used to buy when I had a decent metabolism are eye-raising high.  So, I might be eating less as time goes forward solely to save money.  Biking might be done more often too, but I walk so much for Pokemon that it’s usually only on rainy, snowy, or freezing days.

Probably the biggest part of this year is realizing that certain situations are skewed against certain groups.  I can’t go into details here.  I just ran into so many people who shrugged and gave excuses for horrible behavior because they didn’t see it.  That or the person was in a certain position where ‘they were trying their best’.  Emotional abuse is still emotional abuse though.  Not that it’s easy to prove unless the victim cuts themselves, breaks down completely, or attempts/succeeds at suicide.  It’s always after things have gone so far that the pain is erupting from their pores that people go ‘this is a problem’.  Well, no fucking shit.  If only someone was screaming and pointing at the situation in order to get help and put an end before it became too late.

I’m seeing that this passing off of mental anguish as drama is really big when the victim is a teenager.  Society really does see teenagers as overly emotional, highly dramatic, and too immature to be taken seriously.  I know older people who talk about how they dealt with the same stuff when they were teens, but they came out fine.  Newsflash!  They aren’t actually fine.  They are any combo of narcissistic, emotionally numb, anxious, depressed, and many other mental illnesses.  The other thing here is that a teenager crying about these things might be exaggerating, but the core emotion is still there.  They are still in pain and looking for help.  Adding autism into the mix and you have a horrifying mix when emotional abuse is unleashed.  They don’t have any blockers to process what is being thrown at them.

Yeah, so my 2025 wasn’t that great.  Feel like I’ve pulled further away from other people as well because I’m struggling with so much.  Guess I’ll give the year a 4 out of 10 solely due to editing completion, my son getting Honor Roll, and the One Piece Lego sets.

Add-on: I write this paragraph from my hospital bed. A bad issue turned into a nightmare around Thanksgiving. Writing was delayed. Pokemon was ignored. Money spent. Work lost. It was a horrible situation. It drops 2025 to a 2 out of 10.