James Maliszewski
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Year's End
🕑 Added 2025-12-18 05:00:07 +0000 UTC
2025 is rapidly coming to a close. One of the unexpected consequences of getting older is that time seems to move much more quickly than it did when I was younger. That only makes sense, I suppose. When you're ten years old, a year is 10% of your entire life; when you're fifty, it's only 2%, which is a significant difference. Even so, I'm astounded by how swiftly this past year has gone by.
Objectively, I should not complain about what I accomplished this year. I'm on pace to have more posts at Grognardia of any year since my return in 2020 — and indeed any year since 2011. That's not a bad accomplishment. In addition, I started Grognardia Games Direct and posted more regularly here than I have in some time. While I realize that most of my patrons don't expect anything extra from me on this platform, I nevertheless like to offer you something you can't get anywhere else, as a thank you for your financial support of Grognardia.
Subjectively, though, I feel as if 2025 hasn't quite as productive as I would have liked. The summer was a time of great activity. I felt very energized and began in earnest numerous projects — the Grognardia anthologies, the second edition of Thousand Suns, Secrets of sha-Arthan — that I had hoped would be further along by this time. Alas, my age-old flaw of over-extension has appeared once more and I find myself bouncing from one thing to another, as my fickle Muse bids me. It's frustrating and exhilarating in equal measure.
That's why I'm wary of thinking about anything new, but that's just not how my brain works. Indeed, I am currently in the midst of fending off plans to take yet another project (in addition to Dream-Quest), even though I'm feeling a great deal of enthusiasm about it. I really do miss the discipline I seemed to be able to muster as a younger man, when I stayed on task and got things done according to a predictable schedule. Nowadays, I flit from one thing to another, with no real plan but a lot of hope that this time things will be different.
Ah, well.
Still, I still think there's a good chance I'll see at least one of my many projects through to completion in 2026. If I had to guess — and that's always fraught — I'd say that either the first part of the Grognardia anthologies or Secrets of sha-Arthan are most likely, since both projects are fairly far along. On the other hand, I'm a terrible perfectionist and that tendency has derailed more endeavors than I care to count. In the end, who knows?
Regardless, I continue to appreciate your continued encouragement and support. That means the world to me. Thank you!
