Jairo Reina | December 31, 2024
I've done a poor job at journaling and keeping track of things I've done this year outside of taking photos, so I'm relying on my admittedly poor memory and Google Photos to recount big events that happened in my life this year. On the surface, I feel like nothing much has changed. I'm still living on Long Island with my parents, I'm still working at the same company, and I'm still not a sub 3 hour marathoner (spoiler). However, if I think beyond just these basic characterizations, 2024 was a year of growth. I am certainly not the same person I was in January. For one, I'm much happier now than I was then. The image that I have of my life and the next five years got slightly clearer and at the same time I've learned to be more patient with myself. Anyway, lets get into a brief review of what happened this year, which thankfully is more positive than 2023.
If I look back on my goals for 2024, I have to admit I barely checked any of them. I didn't run a marathon in under three hours. I started many books but never finished them. I didn't make public a single side project. If this is the case, then I have to ask myself, what made 2024 a success?
In nominal terms, I may not have achieved those goals, but 2024 was a success for two main reasons: happiness and community.
I've rewritten this opening more than 10 times because I'm trying to get it just right and it's hard to put into words. I attribute my happiness in 2024 to doing things that I love and want for myself and also not going through a ton of huge changes all in the span of a few months. You never know when your life is going to feel like it was turned upside down, so I'll focus on happiness stemming from doing things I love instead.
This year I (maybe) ran the most I've ever run in a year. I spent more time with my parents and sisters. I committed to being consistent in making plans with friends and not just 'disappearing' for a few weeks. I also realized that alcohol really affects my mood and motivation the following day even if I don't drink much or wake up hungover. I stopped weighing myself or focusing on my weight and eat a lot better now. I've also come to terms with my personal religious beliefs and don't feel outside pressure to be more or less pious. There's probably many other small habits that I've subconsciously made or dropped that have helped me feel happier overall this year, but the point is that day by day I began to feel lighter.
That's not to say this year has been perfect or easy. I spent more time than I would have liked visiting loved ones in hospitals. I still stress about work and relationships at times. I still put things off and wonder why I am stressed about my ever growing to do list (like scheduling a cardiologist appointment). But dealing with these things doesn't feel like the end of the world anymore. The best example of this I have is something that is slightly a joke and my friends/coworkers laugh at me for saying but its that “nothing ever happens” and “things have never not worked out”. I've visited family in hospitals a lot this year but everything always works out and there is never a doubt in my mind it won't. I genuinely believe this and it hasn't failed me yet.
In my “Things I Learned in 2023” blog post, I wrote “My coworkers, family, and friends are all extremely supportive, and I can truly feel the excitement to learn and build new things” when talking about positive learning environments. It should go without saying that having people around you to support you makes for a better experience, but this year the importance of having a feeling of belonging, of community, really stuck with me.
The most important part of this feeling of community, though, is comfort and trust. I remember early on this year talking to a friend about at times feeling like I was walking on eggshells around people. I had to watch everything I said to make sure it didn't come off the wrong way or have it be told to a third party. That's not how things should be. I'm very glad I now feel surrounded by people who I can tell things to in confidence or not feel like I have pick and choose my words as to not start any gossip. If your friendship feels like a celebrity doing PR and finding exactly the right words to say, then something probably went wrong along the way.
If you're reading this and you're a homie, hey and thanks.
I liked this section last year so I'll add a couple more to this year in review.
I hurt my calf twice from overuse this year while running and this could have easily been avoided by targeting my weaknesses (hamstrings and calves) while doing strength work. Don't skip it.
I got stranded in a kinda shady spot once and had to have someone help me jumpstart the car. He was thankfully very helpful and much more knowledgeable than I was.
This year I focused on asking myself why I believe the things I do and be critical of where I get information from. Now, I don't want to get into a bunch of rationalist talk, but this really helped either change my beliefs or cemented what I already believed in.