I started this post halfway through 2026 and now finishing it up a few months later, but it is never too late to get started again. This is a tradition I’ve had for many years now of writing a retrospective (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010) or look ahead (2019, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010). In this post I’ll review some of the big goals and accomplishments that I had through 2025.

Milestones

Looking back at my 2024 retrospective, I had a number of big goals that I was planning ahead for 2025. I’m happy to say that I completed a number of those goals.

Half marathon

A little story on this one first. I recently told a friend that I completed my first half marathon in 2025. They said “ohh, you must really like running” to which I replied “no.” Then why did you do it? That gets to the heart of the matter. Why did I subject myself to almost a full year of training, weekly runs of 4-10 miles, cold / hot weather, and push my body well beyond anything I had ever done before?

The answer to that goes back many years. When I was born, I had a condition called hip dysplasia. Essentially the “ball” part of my right leg bone wasn’t fully in the hip “socket”. Doctors test for this but somehow mine wasn’t fully diagnosed or corrected. Over time the hip portion under-developed so that the joint floats more than the ball being properly in the curved socket. When I finally diagnosed this in my teen years (after it started hurting regularly with sports) the doctor told me I’d need a hip replacement by the time I was 40 and likely need other assistance later in life. Other than that, keep exercising and stop when something hurts too much.

Since that time, I’ve followed the latter part to keep pushing myself until it hurts. Originally it started out with running 1 mile, then signing up for my first 5k over 10 years ago, then moving to quarter marathon / 10k, and finally last year with a half marathon. It definitely pushed me more than I had ever thought I could go, but that was the point. My training plan, nutrition changes, and support from other runners really helped. Huge thanks also to my wife and kids who braved the bad weather to cheer me on at 3 different spots on the course. I’m so thankful to have completed (despite the terrible weather and conditions)!

I don’t plan to sign up for another half marathon given the amount of time it takes in training and away from family, but I have already completed another 5k, quarter marathon, and 10k in 2026 so far. Perhaps in the future when kids are older I would explore this again.

Reading

In 2025, I read 17 books with a goal of 8. A few standout books:

• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness – Jonathan Haidt
  • With 3 kids who are growing up in the digital age this was a very timely read. I appreciate how the author writes about not just what you try to limit with young kids, but also the timing with their developmental growth. There are certain points in development when negative influences will have an increased impact. Highly recommend.
• Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide – John Cleese
  • John Cleese is a very funny person and reading this book I could hear his voice in my head as I read it. It is a very short book with not many novel ideas, but it is very succinctly written and worth reading.
• Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life – Bill Perkins
  • As my wife and I are hitting “middle age” and our parents are getting older, this was a good reflection on how we spend our money, what we deem as important, and planning for later stages in life. The goal is not that you should spend / give away all of your money to the point of running out, but be thoughtful in when and how you want to save / spend so that you are able to enjoy experiences, etc.
• What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions – Randall Munroe
• What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions – Randall Munroe
• How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems – Randall Munroe
  • I enjoyed this trio of books for the scientific walkthroughs, the outlandish scenarios, and also sharing reading with my kids who laughed greatly at a few of these.

Work and pace of life

This is a challenging area for me. Within the last ~2.5 years, my role at work has shifted towards AI (first on the extensibility side and now into core platform). With that shift, the pace of work and expectations have risen dramatically.

Years ago, what used to be a cycle of big moment releases (2-3) throughout the calendar year morphed into more of a release early and often (usually on the order of 2-4 weeks) approach. This means that there are rarely “downtimes” throughout the year to step back, assess how things went, and plan what is coming next. Not to say that one is better than the other, but the continual fast pace can lead to burn out. I’ve noticed this in myself and (even here in 2026) am processing how to adapt and take time for self-care.

Diaconate formation

As a follow-up to my 2024 retrospective, I am still in the Inquirer phase for the diaconate. I’ve completed all of my courses so far and now awaiting the next opening for Aspirancy phase in 2027. I’m still discussing timing with my family and spiritual director. If / when accepted in, this would begin a 5 yr process of discernment, classes, and formation. Currently I’m leaning towards holding off until the next cycle (2 yrs later in 2029) but we shall see what God holds for this.

Conclusion

There are many other active things going on (den leader for Cub Scouts, volunteering at church, trips with family, learning Spanish, etc.), but this is a brief overview. The important thing in writing this down has been good to get back into the habit of sharing more. Some of that is related to work / family demands on time, but I do want to take more time to get active in community (online and in-person) again. What are your goals for the current / next year?

-Frog Out

Credits

Brown grass on green moss – Zoltan Tasi