It’s rare that I am left completely speechless, but 2025 has been a series of those rare moments. From unexpected apologies to opportunities I couldn’t have imagined to emotions I never expected, it’s been a wild ride of a year.
It all started so calmly. In January, I was in the early stages of working on The Pizza Planet Cookbook. My daughter was midway through her senior year of high school. My son was on winter break from college. There was so much for all of us to look forward to.
I had plans for the year to grow my now-20 year old food blog, Sarah’s Cucina Bella, write more and publish more. I wanted to travel more, especially as I rapidly approached 45 and being an empty nester. Personally, I was content with where I was — a completely single woman in her 40s just months away from becoming an empty nester.
But this was the year of contrasts — joy and devastation, happiness and mourning, success and challenge. It was a year so difficult for so many people that it feels like we lived through decades in 12 months.
The Good
- My children thrived. Both excelled in school and in life, each learning lessons that can only be taught through experience along the way. Paige graduated from high school and started college at a place that was the exact right fit for her. Will continued to excel in his university studies, earning a coveted undergrad TA position.
- I wrote two books, both due out in 2026. They are cookbooks and I am so excited to share more about them. I was also published in several publications including The Girlfriend. I was also interviewed and featured in several stories including a TV interview about my last book on WABI.
- We traveled. My daughter lived her Mamma Mia dreams in Greece. My son explored Texas. Together we ate our way through Italy and Denmark. And I traveled to Washington, D.C. and Boston.
- Friendships flourished. Countless nights out, events together and text messages solidified and bolstered friendships. There’s something magical about knowing you have people. And it wasn’t just me. My children’s friendships flourished too.
- Opportunities appeared. This was part of the magic of 2025. One summer day, I happened upon a call for submissions that ended up with me being quoted in the Boston Globe. A close watching of my analytics for this site resulted in the most popular blog post I’ve ever written for this site, and helped me redefine what I want for this space.
- I read some amazing books. Another important one, for sure. Although I didn’t read as much as last year, I did read a lot this year and found some new all-time favorites. But more on books another time.
- I am ending the year healthier than I started it. Enough said.
The Bad
I thought I was going to bullet point this section too, but I can’t. I don’t want to give the bad that much definition or space. And while I could write volumes on everything for this section, I won’t. I’ll just tell you that it was a year of high highs and low lows, of great achievement and failure, of watching the world shift on its axis while feeling powerless, of receiving the greatest gift and having it turn into such pain.
If 2025 was a song, it would be Ironic by Alanis Morrisette.
There were little things, like how I missed my first flight ever and even a few missed deadlines.
There were much bigger things too. Losing our beloved cat after a short but devastating illness was a huge one. It was a very hard goodbye, though I am grateful all his humans were able to tell him how much he meant to us. He was only six and a half.
And there was more, but this is enough. You get it.
In the End
So yes, 2025 was a year of contrasts. But equal measures of sadness and joy, coupled with the right people at that right time, had an unexpected effect: they unlocked and reawakened pieces of me lost long ago. As far as positives go, that’s been a great one. I feel more like myself than I have in a long time.
As we reach the conclusion of this year, I am not sad to see it go. It’s felt like a decade. But in between the lines, it’s been a remarkable and unexpected year that has given me so much — and taken so much too.
Time to end this wild ride of 2025.
