It's been a long road, and I still have more bad days ahead of me as I try to figure out how to consistently get through my day without consuming yeast. But I feel like I'm *finally* starting to figure out how to get in the driver's seat after decades of feeling powerless, and thank FUCK for that. 😵‍💫

I felt awful during my entire time at LSFC a couple weeks ago. I'd had animal-free whey with my breakfast. Turns out that's a yeast product. 🫠

This week I had a couple awful days. I had decided to try my coffee with monk fruit sweetener with erithrytol. Turns out erithrytol is a yeast product. 🫠🫠🫠

Off the top of my head, I cannot have:
- Leavened baked goods.
- Fermented food and drink like beer, kombucha, kimchi.
- Anything containing malt.
- Vinegar, or anything made with vinegar, like salad dressings or condiments.
- Many vegan versions of animal products.
- "Natural flavors".

2025 is the year that we all truly believe in ourselves and find the confidence to stand up and genuinely be US in the most raw and authentic way possible, and be brave enough to DEMAND to be accepted in a world that wants to keep us down. We can move fucking MOUNTAINS if we want to.

So that's it in a nutshell!!!

Lots of SHIT this year, but I was somehow able to learn and grow a LOT from all of those experiences. I'm going into 2025 with a much better idea of where I'm going and how I'm getting there.

I wanna do BIG things, and I'm so excited to work towards that ^^ (13/13)

++++++++++ I adopted Xia this year and she has been absolutely incredible and amazing!!! She has been such a light in my life and I didn't know how much I needed her until I had her!!!! (12/13)

---------- The election.

+ There aren't really any positives here, but I do see myself stepping into a role within my community where I think I can help make people feel safe and supported. It feels so meaningful and important to me to be able to do this for folks. (11/13)

- I've struggled a lot with chronic exhaustion.

+ I've been RELENTLESS about seeing doctors and investigating possible causes, and I'm finally starting to see a payoff. I had a surgery to correct a breathing issue. I found a dietary restriction I didn't know I had. I'm slowly improving. (10/13)

- I've struggled a lot with my self-image; insecure, lacking self-confidence, etc.

+ I've built a lot of confidence this year. I'm starting to grow into a more of a leader & mentor at work. I'm starting to confront a lot of my insecurities head-on and work on them instead of ignoring them. (9/13)

- I've had to deal with really stressful & uncomfortable situations w/ my events.

+ I used to assume my discomfort was just me, and avoid hard conversations. I finally stepped up because I felt responsible. I learned it's NEVER just me. It reinforced my gut is reliable & needs to be trusted. (8/13)

- I've struggled to figure out what my purpose in life is. I've felt adrift the last few years, like I didn't have goals or dreams anymore.

+ I found so much purpose in community building and serving the queer community this year, and I finally have new goals AND dreams to work towards!!!!! (7/13)

- I've struggled a lot this year with my mental health: depression, loneliness, anxiety, self-doubt, self-esteem, not belonging, etc.

+ I found out there are more people like me than I realized, and I've been channeling that energy into making space for us. It's going so well!! (6/13)

- Dysphoria. Feeling like the version of me the world sees isn't me. It's made it hard to socialize outside furry for most of my life.

+ I'm finally changing my name and it's unbelievable how much of a difference it makes. I HAVE A NAME NOW! I feel so much more free to talk to people! (5/13)

- I left the group I was originally working with on organizing furry events.

+ I started my own event space where I've been doing things I'm legitimately really excited about. I see so much potential for this group to be really positive for so many people and I have so many ideas for 2025!! (4/13)

- I've had falling outs with friends & lost circles I cared about.

+ I tried too long to repair fractures & make things work that weren't working. It only exacerbated issues until they exploded. I'm learning how to walk away.

+ I made a lot of new friends this year too and they're amazing!! (3/13)

- I had a crazy amount of drama this year. It felt non-stop sometimes.

+ I realized most of this happened because I let myself stay in situations that were bad for me for too long. I didn't trust my gut when it knew something was wrong. I've gotten MUCH better at listening to myself. (2/13)