Over the last few years, I’ve added a Memories & Highlights double page spread to my Bullet Journal. It’s a simple way of capturing the positive moments from the past twelve months, and I’ve found it especially helpful when things feel heavy or overwhelming.

It’s not always easy to stay positive when the news and the cost of living are relentlessly bleak, and this year has been challenging in plenty of ways for most people, myself included. However, I think it matters to notice the good with gratitude, while also acknowledging the more difficult moments so you can move forward. 2025 hasn’t been perfect, but compared to recent years (like 2023, which was particularly brutal) it has actually been a year to look back on and being incredibly grateful for.

Some of the main things that I wanted to do this year was to make everything more simple, have small, achievable goals that could be attained by small steps, and focus on creating moments of joy. I’ve worked really hard, been as frugal as possible from day-to-day and adopted a mixture of planning ahead and jumping on spontaneous opportunities to actually start living rather than existing.

And as a result, my Memories and Highlights double-page has been filled. 

The Bloke and I stopped doing theatre reviews at the end of 2024, but we have still seen quite a few shows throughout the year. One of my favourite musicals, Bat Out of Hell, returned on tour and I saw it three times in a week – once by myself, once with my friend and once with The Bloke. We have also watched Kinky Boots, &Juliet and then ticked off a 45 Before 45 item by watching Hercules on the West End. We have also planned for some of the shows we want to see in 2026, already getting tickets for Avenue Q in London and Waitress in Birmingham. I also have Operation Mincemeat and Titanique on my list.

It has been a great year for concerts too – I fulfilled an almost lifelong dream to see Jason Donovan on stage in February, my sister very generously bought us tickets to see Guns N’ Roses at Villa Park, we streamed the Back to the Beginning concert in July, and we saw McFly at the Utilita for our wedding anniversary in October. I am continuing this in 2026 – I already have tickets to see Backstreet Boys in Germany in October, followed by Westlife a week later (yes, I love my boy bands and Backstreet Boys is the band I have wanted to see since the 90s).

As usual, London has been a consistent feature throughout the year. I have worked there quite a lot in 2025, and so when I have had some free time I have taken the opportunity to see or do something that has been on my list, including checking out the street art on Brick Lane and trying different foods. The Bloke and I have also had a few spontaneous day or overnight trips in the city, just for a change of scenery, and we visited Little Venice, took a canal boat ride up to Camden, and later in the year we explored the markets and saw the beautiful Christmas decorations and lights. 

I’ve also been extremely lucky to go on a few longer trips and holidays. I took my mother to Belfast so she could see the Titanic museum, timing it so we would be there on the anniversary of when it sank. In August, The Bloke and I went to our favourite place in Scotland, Johnshaven, stopping in Stirling overnight to explore the castle and the National Wallace Monument. Yes, I got Covid a few days in and spent the rest of the time in bed, but I still got to explore Glamis Castle and experience my favourite place in the whole world – Dunnottar Castle – during a beautiful sunrise, so it was absolutely worth it. In October, we were able to get a very cheap, last-minute trip to Dubrovnik, where we celebrated The Bloke’s birthday. And, like the theatre shows and concerts, I am continuing this into 2026 – we already have a trip booked for Scotland in April (this time, exploring some of the west coast), and my dream trip booked later in the year. I also have a work trip to Romania, which I’m really looking forward to.

I haven’t been particularly sociable this year, but one of my favourite moments was meeting up with friends I used to work with when I was teaching. We don’t often manage to get together in person as a group, and we don’t speak all that much in between, but when we do see each other it’s as if no time has passed at all, like we had only seen each other yesterday. It was easy, familiar, and a really welcome reminder of how some connections don’t fade, even when life takes everyone in different directions.

This year, I’ve fully embraced the idea of solo date days/nights. I saw Jason Donovan by myself, went to see a matinee of Bat Out of Hell on my own, and treated myself to an evening of the Staying Relevant podcast live show. I’ve eaten alone at restaurants and markets, stayed in hotels by myself… and enjoyed every minute of it. Perhaps it’s an age or confidence thing, but I learned when I reached my 40’s that doing things on your own means that you get an uninterrupted afternoon or evening where you take yourself out and do exactly what you want to do, without compromise, guilt, or having to coordinate schedules with anyone else. It’s almost a new-found sense of freedom, and something that I very much plan to continue. 

Sadly, there were also moments that weighed heavily. It has been hard to fully switch off from the wider world, especially as a social media manager. When things feel awful on a global scale, it’s impossible not to absorb it when you’re immersed in news, commentary, and constant updates every day. Even when you step back personally, the noise doesn’t really stop, and that constant exposure definitely takes its toll.

A particularly sad moment was felt closer to home this year.

Birmingham mourned the loss of Ozzy Osbourne shortly after his final show, and I joined thousands lining the streets for his funeral procession. It was surreal… only weeks earlier the city had been buzzing with excitement about his return with Sabbath, and suddenly people were gathering to say goodbye. Even now, flowers and tributes are still appearing around the city.

Not long after that, I lost my little friend. It was devastating, and even months later I still struggle when his name comes up. I’m grateful for the time we had and the memories we made, but it’s been one of the most heartbreaking losses I’ve ever experienced. I miss him terribly.

And there have undoubtedly been quite a few challenging periods throughout the year, both personally and professionally. I’ve had to reset and cut back on several occasions when things became overwhelming, or when people behaved badly and crossed boundaries. It hasn’t always been comfortable, but stepping back when necessary has been an important act of self-preservation, and a reminder that protecting my energy matters just as much as pushing forward.

However, I feel like the year is ending with the same sense of peace in which it started, which feels like a solid place to end, and a steady enough place to start again.

And with this, I feel comfortable enough to say out loud that 2026 is the big one. Not because everything suddenly feels easy, but because it’s the year where I plan to go all out. I have kept things small and manageable for the last few years (which has been necessary), but 2026 feels like the point where I finally am allowed to give myself permission to aim higher. Armed with my 45 Before 45 list, I don’t expect everything to fall neatly into place, but I do plan to properly and fully commit to the really big goals that I have been quietly working towards and see how far I can actually take them.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope that you have a fabulous 2026 – thanks for sticking with me.