As 2025 comes to a close, I find myself holding both gratitude and expectation—reflecting on the year’s challenges and opportunities while looking ahead to 2026 and all its promise.
For me, 2025 was largely a learning year—especially in the fast-moving world of AI. I worked to keep pace with new versions, features, and capabilities of ChatGPT, and I completed a ten-week course focused on building an organizational roadmap for implementing AI thoughtfully and effectively. Along the way, I also had the privilege of mentoring several economic development professionals—some navigating transitions between organizations, and one preparing for retirement.
Professionally, I welcomed two new clients and helped them implement targeted marketing campaigns using our SmartLeads subscription service. And beyond work, I continued cultivating the parts of life that keep me grounded. I kept exploring artistic expression as a beginning urban sketcher—learning to see what’s right in front of me with more attention and patience. Gardening drew me closer to nature again, reminding me how something as small as a seed can become a plant that offers real nourishment.
Health-wise, I’m grateful to say 2025 brought no major surgeries—though I’ve felt the realities of aging more acutely this year. I was reminded often of the value of friendship, and I also learned (again) how to love my spouse more deeply and more deliberately. Like every year, there were losses too—the death of a longtime friend, and the heartbreak of putting down a beloved dog.
As I reviewed my journal notes from 2025, I was surprised by how much my emotional life rose and fell in response to world events—and how easily daily thinking can shape daily wellbeing.
Now we step into 2026—full of potential, hopes, and dreams. My aim is simple: to turn worry into planning, to worry less, and to focus more on being of benefit to others. I plan to continue learning about how technology is reshaping society, and to keep writing about it for our readers. And I want to stay more emotionally steady—not tossed about by the winds of the media but anchored in what matters.
I’m entering the new year with curiosity and kindness, striving to be present and aware—by looking, listening, laughing, and learning.
Best wishes to you, our readers, for a healthy and prosperous New Year. Thank you for your trust, your encouragement, and your continued readership.
With gratitude,
Dean Forrest Whittaker