I figure I’m due for a post here. From a few contests and submissions to working on a novel, I haven’t looked at much here recently. Too many ideas are crawling through my head; it’s no wonder I have so many unfinished projects. But let me write this up now!

This will be a topic about how things have changed throughout my life, either recently or over the years.

My family is getting smaller and smaller.

I don’t come from a big family. But as we got older, family members moved away, and others passed away, parents divorced, and eventually, no contact with my father and sister. This family got smaller and smaller, leaving me with my mother and brother, whom I talk to and who’s part of my immediate family. Besides my wife, they’re all I have for family.

My father and sister (both are very similar people) are currently lying in the beds that they have made — metaphorically, and both are too damn stubborn to admit their faults. So, they isolated themselves and played the victims on decisions they had made for themselves rather than apologizing. Frustrating…

With that, fewer people in my life are family members, and that’s okay. Is it sad that this is how it ended for me and those two? Yeah, it sucks. But these are their choices, and I’ve been okay with that.

For the record, I have reached out to both of them before their final decisions. I tried apologizing and explaining it from my view, but neither wanted to hear any of it.

Running goals…eh?

I started running in February 2024 to help with my weight loss journey. I would run two to three days a week to avoid burnout. I’m happy to say that I’ve been at it since then, running at least once a week.

So, to keep things interesting, I participated in races around us. All of them are local charity 5k runs, helping out a good cause. I wanted to run to keep the passion burning, and helping out by donating is an excellent way to participate.

Last year, I ran three races. This year, I wanted to make it a goal to run in a lot more. Unfortunately, I have only run in one race so far (as of this writing), and I decided to back out of some of them. My goal was to run more in-person races. I wanted to be around other runners because they tend to inspire me to push myself. That, and the family that I have can come and watch.

With things costing money, prices going up, and questionable decisions at my company, participating in these events in person may be too much money. This led to another idea: virtual races.

Most races offer the option to participate virtually. You track your run using the running app provided (Strava, for example) and use your time as your entry. You’d still have to pay to participate, but it’s at a discounted rate since you’ll be wherever you are running.

One of the races I have considered participating in is the Hot Chocolate Run. I’ll post the link below, but I have time left before submitting my run time.

https://hotchocolate15k.com/city/virtual/

I guess what changed here is that I’m still participating in races, just virtually now. I’ll run around where I live and save some cash until the economy improves — if the economy improves.

Writing is still here!

If anything about my writing, is that my mindset has changed on wanting to get published. I still submit writing to challenges and wherever they accept it, but lately, with Substack, I’m okay with only posting my work there for people read. If it ever gets big, maybe I’ll monetize the work. But right now, it’s a mere hobby of mine.

Eventually

Things will turn against you. People come and go, some for the better, and some that still hurt to this day. Goals you have set eventually change or end up failing. And that’s okay.

That’s what makes us human. What matters is what you do next.