Each December, I take the time to examine the ups and downs I experienced over the past year. What follows is my personal and professional review of 2024:
* Worked as the overnight curator of local news for Apple News (via Magnit) until my contract ended in July.
* I repeatedly revised my resume and cover letter, networked like crazy, applied for positions at 40 different companies, interviewed with more than a dozen recruiters/editors/managers — and still didn’t land a new job.
* Thanks to the kindness of my old boss, I returned to Apple News in October for a four-month gig to fill in for another editor who was on leave. This involved switching to the day shift, something I haven’t worked in decades. The contract ends at the beginning of February so the job hunt has begun again.
* Continued writing A Bit Of Good News and was featured on the Frogmore Stew podcast. Also managed to triple my readership.
* Launched two more newsletters: The End Files and The Moonlight Reader Society. I love writing these publications and appreciate all of my readers.
* Transferred The Written Word over to Substack after hitting paywall issues elsewhere.
* Joined Threads and BlueSky and enjoy them both, though for different reasons.
* Penned at least 32 journal entries.
* Occasionally posted to my two Instagram accounts: @thejadewalker and @catsofjade.
* Read 81 books and completed the 2024 GoodReads reading challenge.
* Subscribed and read numerous magazines, including Cook’s Country, Cooks Illustrated, Bake From Scratch, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, The Saturday Evening Post, The Writer and TeaTime Magazine.
* Watched at least 60+ TV shows and 40+ movies, and listened to many podcasts.
* Participated in The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New Hampshire Writers Guild, the Authors Guild, the Writers Guild of America East and the Silent Book Club – Manchester, NH chapter.
* Participated in The Forgotten Books Project and helped to save more than 161 books.
* Nursed my husband through COVID-19. Was nursed in return for the same damn illness (first time too!)
* After we recovered, M and I took our newfound immunity for a spin by seeing two films in the theater (“Twisters” and “Deadpool & Wolverine”). Turns out if you go on a Sunday morning, weeks after a movie is released, you can enjoy a film without worrying about getting sick because very few people are in the audience.
* Also took two short weekend breaks away to Cape Cod for book crawls. That’s right, people. I was able to browse inside bookstores again, albeit briefly. And I bought a LOT of books.
* Hunkered in the basement during a New Hampshire tornado.
* Spent months searching for our next home, but between the interest rates, the lack of stock, an increase in prices, and my job, we had no luck. The search continues.
* Finally got my damn braces off and will soon have a full set of teeth.
* Suffered from at least 86 migraines and experienced 97 days of pain.
* Decorated the inside of our house for Halloween and dressed up as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”
* Decorated the outside and inside of our house for Christmas and mailed 35 Christmas cards.
* Tried many new recipes. New favorites include: London Fog, peach crumble, cinnamon swirl banana crumb cake, pumpkin ice box cake and croque monsieur casserole.
* Worked my 34th year as a journalist.
* Celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary.
* Turned 51.
Goals for 2025
* Find a new job.
* Continue to grow my newsletters.
* Purchase a home with at least 5 acres of land.
* Improve my baking/cooking skills.
* Work on my fiction.
* Write more blog entries.
* Read at least 75 books.
* Win the lottery.
5 Comments
E.
Jeez, for someone who suffers from migraines, you have a lot of energy, and you managed to get a lot of stuff done this year! I doff my hat to you and hope that I can experience that level of productivity myself in 2025. Best wishes to you, your husband, and all the cats.
Jade Walker
Thanks! It was not easy, I can tell you that. I just had no choice but to push through the pain. That said, I do wonder what my productivity level would have been without the migraines.
May your coming year be filled with great productivity and success.
E.
Thank you! I’ve been chronically ill, and I’m now also dealing with perimenopause, so I’m obsessed with health and productivity and morale. It’s genuinely inspiring to me whenever I see other people keep above water and start to eek away at their goals. I do what I can as my health allows, and I’m hoping the coming year brings some more breakthroughs. Take care.
Jade Walker
Ah, my perimenopausal sister. I understand. If it gives you any hope, I’m definitely appreciating menopause more than perimenopause. That said, being chronically ill on top of “the change”? Girl, you have my respect.
E.
Thanks!