I have plenty of things to appreciate as 2024 comes to an end….and 2025 begins.

The end of any year is a good opportunity to take stock. As I take a look at where I am at the end of this rollercoaster of a year, there is plenty to be appreciative of. That’s what I want to do here and, maybe, inspire you to do the same. Here is a partial list, in no particular order, of things I am appreciative of heading into the new year.

My employer. My life rotates around my work to a degree that, sometimes, is too much. Having a job and an employer that I can be proud of, enjoy, and look forward to each day is extremely important. I have that in Civic Media and 98.9 WXCO. I am fortunate to have an employer in Sage Weil and everyone in the hierarchy of Civic Media that treats all of us with great respect and dignity while also helping to lift us to quality work.

The work itself. I am extremely lucky to have a job that allows me to never have to look at the clock to see when the day is over. To have days, and nights, that can start early and end late but enjoy every hour and minute. To have work that is exciting and important. Work that varies from news and politics to play-by-play of high school sports. Very appreciative.

Special and unique opportunities. In 2024 alone to be able to broadcast Marathon HS state boys’ basketball at the Kohl Center and be there at the Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena as the Central Wisconsin Storm wins a state title are memories I will long cherish.

The people I work with. Whether it’s the other employees of Civic Media or the coaches and players I get to cover or the people I get to interview on my shows, I am appreciative of a lot of good people that I get to be around on a daily basis. From the student-athletes to the veteran legislators, there are a lot of good and talented people out there.

My mom. As I get older I appreciate the person and life lived by my mother. I know there is a lot of her in me and was lucky in who my parents are. She has a wonderful spirit and passion for life that I try to carry as well.

Rifftrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000. They give me laughter almost every day. Many a night after returning home from a sports broadcast I will put on one or the other and laugh. A lot. Will never get enough of those episodes.

People who work for positive change. From the current President of the United States to a legislative candidate who runs for office in a district where there is almost no chance of winning. People who don’t let setbacks or politicians who do everything they can to promote division stop their work for better. Those who embrace “wokeness” and “diversity” and “inclusion” despite an electorate that seems to award those who use such words and beliefs as a weapon. They inspire in difficult times.

and, finally, (this is a very incomplete list) a belief that good will happen in 2025. There will be leaders and voices that rise in these times that we have never heard of as of today. Leaders that will spark the “better angels” in our country and people. The arc of the universe will again bend toward justice despite those who use their voices and money to fight that.

Happy New Year!