The thing I love about the New Year is that it's just that - a new year and a chance to start over. It's a chance to sit back and look at the previous twelve months, sorting out the good times and the bad ones, and make up a plan from the lessons you've learned.
And God knows I learned a lot in 2025, as I'm sure we all did. But the one important lesson I learned out of everything that happened to me in 2025 was that I learned who my true friends and brothers are, and who aren't. Unfortunately, as it turns out I put my faith and trust into a group of people who proved to me this past year that I made a mistake, that they weren't the friends and brothers I thought they were, and that I could neither trust nor count on them as I thought I could. So as a result I'm a lot less trusting than I was, and my circle of friends is smaller now that it has ever been. And I intend to keep it that way.
All of this came about because of one person, one sad, spiteful little man who thought that he was ruining my life by exacting his revenge on me for a perceived wrong from three years ago through the Masonic lodge. But the truth of the matter is that all he did was open my eyes to the truth, that truth being that the men who I thought I could trust and who I thought were my friends and brothers were anything but. Instead of being surrounded by friends and brothers, I was surrounded by hypocrites and liars. And anyone who knows me knows that I abhor both hypocrites and liars.
So I am no longer a part of that group, and have no desire to return to it. And instead of being mad at the sad little man who started all this, I'm thankful. I'm thankful that he opened my eyes to the truth and the circle of liars and hypocrites with whom I had surrounded myself. Because of his actions there is no more drama in my life, no more worrying about who's going to like what I do or the decisions I made, and no more people giving me crap just because they're envious of me and my dedication to the things I'm involved in.
If you're a part of my life now, you should know two things: First, that you're in my life because you've proven to me that you're trustworthy and deserving of my friendship; and second, that I appreciate you and your friendship very much and am happy that you're in my very small circle of friends.
If all of this sounds conceited and vain, the truth is that I don't care. I don't care what other people think of me and my opinions anymore. You either accept me as I am or you don't. If you do, great! Let's go get a beer and have some fun! If not, just leave me alone and go about your business. I'm done chasing people to be my friend. I reached out to several people who I thought were my closest friends, and all but one of them ignored me. Okay, message received. But there have also been some people who have reached out to me, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. That means more to me than you'll ever know.
All in all, I'm looking forward to 2026. I'm going to make it one of my best years ever, and I'm not going to let anything - or anyone - stand in my way. The past is in the past, and I'm not going to let the events of last year dictate what happens this year. To quote the immortal Jimmy Buffett in his song "Changes In Lattitude, Changes In Attitudes:"
"Yesterday's over my shoulder and I can't look back there too long; there's too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can't go wrong."
Happy New Year!
