Dear 2025,

This was a strange year. Looking back, it makes me wonder what a genuinely great year should look like. It had its ups and downs, that’s for sure. I spent the majority of this year drunk and poor. It started off well, with a really nice job and I was sober for the whole month of January. 

Then I got fired. 

Thankfully my work ethic to find a job lead me to a clothing store two weeks later. I owe it all to the blazer I wore during my interview. I definitely looked the part! Unfortunately my kleptomania was activated being around all that merchandise and suddenly I had all these new clothes to wear with no explanation as to how I got them. Then a silly little incident (putting two eraser cleaning tools in my bag to use at home which were then discovered during my bag check) lead me to talk to Loss Prevention again after a different sillier, yet larger incident (a bag of our clothes was discovered by the trash, stuff that hadn’t even been out on the sales floor yet). I was sent home after my little chat with the loss prevention guy. He was so condescending and fake. I really wanted to punch him in the face but it was a video call. Anyway, when the larger incident happened, I started looking for a new job and conveniently found one the week after I was sent home early for the smaller incident. I never went back by the way. I knew I was fired, not just suspended. They called asking for me to come back and talk with them, even the area manager sent an email claiming she “just wanted to talk”. Yeah right. I foolishly left behind a cubicle unit that I had built years ago and a reach-in freezer; I believed that I was going to be there a while so I tried to make the break area for our staff a little cozier. Big mistake. 

Anyway, the new job I found was caregiving which after wiping the mannequin’s fake vagina and being told that I was doing it wrong, I was relieved a different job was on the horizon. I’m so happy that I chose a different path. During my job search before leaving the clothing store, I applied for an events position at a community center and thanks to the blazer again, I got the job. Thankfully it was the day of or the day after I realized caregiving wasn’t going to be a career path for me. I remember answering the call to accept the job while on a break at the other job, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Apparently I’m meant to be there because I still work there.

Mum and I rekindled our relationship and decided to start communicating better. I tried communicating my needs at the worst time, resulting in a mini blow up at Christmas. However Mum has decided not to drink anymore so I’m really happy about that. I hope it’s for the right reasons. It’s been nice being on the same level again.

The vacation of the year was a giant bust. It was supposed to be just Viv and me, driving to Cali but when I told Mum about it, she wanted in. I was glad to spend time with her but alcohol completely ruined the trip. Also, planning a high school reunion in this day and age is a really dumb idea. Social medias have ruined the sanctity of nostalgia and I shouldn’t have put so much effort into hosting one. It was embarrassing when I realized that no one cared as much as I did and I’ve pretty much disappeared from social media altogether. They’re still active but I don’t check it and I’m not addicted to it like I was when I was drinking. I don’t care as much anymore. Anyway! I’m glad that she came with us though. We discovered an old but new to us hotel with hot springs and pools, I can’t wait to go back. 

This year, I was on track to get my third DUI in May according to the pattern for the last fifteen years. But I didn’t. I actually stopped drinking in October and have been white-knuckling my way through sobriety. I just say “don’t” after recalling what happens with just a shot, but occasionally that has been extremely hard to do, especially during the month of December. 

All-in-all, it was a tough year but I survived it. It’s a good beginning to my journey of being more present and thoughtful. I hope that 2026 will be different because of changes that I’m making. 

Nothing changes if nothing changes,

Megan Mimieux Klein