When WordPress asks, “What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?” my instinct is to laugh. Like… this year? The year of collective endurance, political chaos, loss, recovery, and plot twists no one ordered?

Okay. Let’s talk.
Because 2025 didn’t politely arrive — it burst through the door.

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The Lows That Redefined Us

Our year opened with heartbreak. On January 20th, the day of the inauguration, we lost our precious Mydas. For readers who don’t know that part of our story, I wrote about it here:
? Remembering Mighty Mydas: A Tribute to Our Beloved Kung Foo Kitty

Just weeks later, months of illness finally collapsed into an ICU stay. I was still working remotely at the time, juggling deadlines with delirium, and feeling the world shrink around me.

Meanwhile, the loft — a place I once loved — became a growing challenge. Two flights of stairs and shifting medical needs simply weren’t working anymore.

And then came my husband’s invasive skin cancer. Surgery, recovery, insurance battles, fear… all of it. Thankfully, he recovered, and despite the stress, that chapter brought one piece of relief: a payout that ultimately helped stabilize us when we needed it most.

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The Pivot: When the Landlord Gives You Crickets

By July, we were struggling physically and emotionally in the loft. We reached out to our landlord asking for real solutions — options that would support our family’s wellbeing and allow us to make better choices.

What we got instead?
Crickets.

Followed by a “helpful” explanation of how we could buy out our lease…
which wasn’t help at all.
We needed guidance, understanding, and workable options.
What we got was a financial exit we weren’t asking for.

That moment — being met with silence instead of support — was a catalyst. It pushed us to stop waiting for someone else to solve the problem.

This reminded me of something I wrote earlier this year during a period when I felt completely out of place:
? Dreaming of Where I Belong
At the time, I didn’t realize it, but that tension was the beginning of our realignment.

And that realignment led to the biggest positive of the year:

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We Bought a House.

Not a perfect house.
Not a brand-new house.

But our house — with character, potential, and room to breathe.

The irony is that earlier in the year, when we wanted to move into a rental that we thought would be a better fit, we were told no — and it crushed us. At the time, that rejection felt devastating.

Looking back now?
That “no” was the cleanest redirection we could have asked for.
If we had moved then, we’d still be navigating someone else’s instability instead of building our own.

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Career Surprises & the Square That Changed Everything

At the start of the year, I took a temporary job that was supposed to last three to four weeks.
Eight months later… still here.
Part legal secretary, part office assistant, part messenger, part receptionist, part quiet observer in a slow, isolating environment that somehow still manages to help me grow.

It’s not glamorous, but it has been grounding.

That grounding became clearer after a meditation vision I wrote about in this post:
? Why Stability Was the Key to My Deepest Personal Shifts
The vision of the nested squares — the fixed outer frame and the shifting inner layers — didn’t make sense at first.

Then one day at work, I looked up and saw the exact same shape in the ceiling vent above my desk. The universe literally grounded the message over my head.

The job became the fixed frame.
Inside it, my health, purpose, and creativity began realigning.

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My Wellness Return: The Heart of This Year’s Growth

After two years of instability and a multi-state move, this was the year I returned to myself.

The job led me to a community center.
The center led me back to the water.
And the water led me to water aerobics — something I didn’t fully appreciate until I joined a class and learned very quickly that sweating in the water is very real.

I walk two or three times a week.
I lift weights.
I hydrate.
I move intentionally.
I heal.

I’m now 94 lbs down, with 28 lbs of that in this latest chapter alone.
Plateaus, holidays, emotional heaviness — none of it has stopped the progress.

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Late-Year Shifts That Changed Everything

And then, right as the year was closing, something beautiful happened:
My parents moved to Missouri — just last week.
This brings a whole new sense of grounding and family connection to the life we’re building here.

The timing feels symbolic.
It’s like the year saved a soft landing for the end.

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Finding the Good in a Chaotic Year (Final Takeaway Section)

So yes — this year was heavy, chaotic, politically exhausting, and emotionally unpredictable.

But it was also the year of:

• A new home
• A new beginning
• My husband’s recovery
• My parents moving closer
• My wellness transformation
• A job that unexpectedly grounded me
• Clarity after confusion
• Strength after struggle

And a reminder that even in the chaos, there are gifts waiting to be found.

This year wasn’t the year I expected.
But it became the year I needed.