2025 Reflections

Written By Mark Henrion

And just like that, another year is in the books. The older I get, the fast time seems to pass. When my buddy Hammer and I were in high school, I remember his dad saying something about how when you’re a kid, time is broken up via the rhythms of the school year and different seasons that mark starting and stopping points of various activities. As an adult, most people are just going to work and taking care of business with each day running into the next as the weeks and months tick by. Before you know it, it’s the holidays, and you’re rolling into another year.

Over this past year, I made some amazingly fun memories while also enduring a tumultuous work environment that ultimately ended in a career change. Some highs and lows are summarized below. There is no other option but to keep moving forward and doing the best I can every single day.

Highlights

  • Spending time with Cali and Arvid, my two favorites

  • Good health

  • Safety

  • New Dark Tower tattoo

  • Broc and Wyatt coming to visit

  • Work travel to Chattanooga with Cali coming down to visit for a long weekend

    • Showing Cali some of my favorite spots in that area (Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, downtown)

    • Going to the minor league baseball game with work friends

    • Getting to know Todd F. from work

    • Training hard at the Lee Highway Gold’s Gym

  • Niagara Falls trip with Cali (extra night in Pittsford, NY, along the Erie Canal was a bonus)

  • Staycation the week of the 4th of July

  • Going to Charleston over Labor Day weekend (we have to move back there ASAP)

  • Going to San Diego to see Cali’s family

  • Finding Julie and her dry needling skills fixing my hip, glute, and lower back

  • Training hard

  • Getting out of our crazy government and starting a new job

  • Building relationships with friends and coworkers from all walks of life

  • Some down time around the holidays

Things That Presented Opportunities To Grow

  • My workplace of ten-plus years seemingly falling apart around me and having to give up all the annual leave and time off I had built

  • Not getting back to the U.P. to visit my family

  • The stress of starting a new job and feeling overwhelmed

  • Not living in Charleston

  • Not taking the time to write

One day at a time. Onward and upward.

Mark Henrion
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2025 Book List