Pop the confetti—today is July 2, which means it’s officially 2025.5 … the halfway point for the year. If you were running a marathon, you just passed the 13.1-mile marker and likely breathed a sweaty sigh of relief. But if you set goals for yourself at the beginning of the year (like I did), realizing you’ve hit the halfway marker can prompt a panicked double-take: “Wait, WHAT?! How is it July already?”

The truth is, time flies, goals drift, and good intentions quietly sneak out the back door if we don’t call them out for a status report. So today, I’m sitting down for a good ol’ fashioned WOW! List Check-In and Performance Review. Or, as Barney Fife would say, “Welcome to Checkpoint Chickie!“

Here’s what I promised myself I’d do in 2025… and what actually happened.

• Learn to play “Moon River” on the ukulele
  • Status: Ukulele still gathering dust in the corner like a 1993 NordicTrack. I haven’t strummed a single dreamy note. Sorry, Audrey.
• Learn to play “Highway to Hell” on the ukulele
  • Status: Still on the highway… just without the ukulele.
• See Rascal Flatts in concert
  • STATUS: DONE! I went with my kids, and we rocked our matching shirts and screamed every word of “Life is a Highway” like it was 2005.
• Read a book a week(ish)
  • Status: I’m calling this a win. Weekly reading: Check. Weekly book finishing: ehhh… close enough.
• Eat a hot pretzel in NYC
  • Status: Technically no pretzel. BUT I toured Grand Central Station and caught a New Yorker magazine exhibit. I also strolled the High Line with two friends and had breakfast at a New York diner afterwards. So… pretzel, shmetzel.
• Spend a month in Paris
  • Status: Oui oui, baby! Checked, savored, and Instagrammed.
• Walk in the footsteps of a badass veuve
  • Status: Skipped the trip to Veuve Clicquot. No idea why. Now I feel very un-badass.
• Get passport stamped in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
  • Status: Read the name. Realized I needed a nap. Logistics were a nightmare. Hard pass. This was one of those sounded-good-at-the-time ideas.
• Learn to pronounce said 58-letter town name
  • Status: I didn’t even try. And here’s why.
• See the Banff Merman
  • Status: Plot twist! We changed the family vacation plan. No Banff, no merman. Maybe next time, dude.
• Take a long train ride
  • Status: Booked! We’re all aboard from Chicago to Seattle on a two-day train adventure. This Little Engine Could and Will.
• Hold hands with an otter
  • Status: Not yet… BUT I found a place near Seattle where it’s possible. Otter cuddle: pending.

Now It’s Time for My Performance Review

This is the point where I take myself into an imaginary conference room with an imaginary boss named Persephone (basically me, but with tighter lips and zero tolerance for excuses).

Persephone: So, Stephanie. Of 12 WOW! goals, you’ve completed three, switched up one, made plans for two more, and canceled or ignored the rest.

Me: Yes!! I’m batting .500! That’s better than Ty Cobb and Lefty O’Doul!!

Persephone: Lefty who? Nice try. Technically, you’ve only completed three from the list, so you’re batting .250. You’re still on first base, slugger.

Me: …OK, fair.

Persephone: Any replacements for the four goals you dropped?

Me: Um…

Persephone: I’ll take that as a no. Also, what’s going on with that ukulele? Are you a Tiny Tim or just a Tiny Bit Timid?

Me: Can I circle back?

Persephone: I’ll be here. Judging.

So, What’s the Point of this Checkpoint?

Honestly? To remember that life isn’t always about following the list. Sometimes, the unscripted WOWs are the best ones.

I didn’t eat a pretzel in New York—but I discovered a whispering wall in Grand Central Station, stood on the set of “North by Northwest,” and learned that Jackie Kennedy helped save one of the most iconic buildings in the city. That wasn’t on the list. But it was a WOW!

Yes, plans are great. They give you direction when you feel a little lost. But living in the moment? That’s where the real magic happens.

So, take off your “Been There, Done That” T-shirt and try something new. Even if it wasn’t on your original plan. Even if you feel a little silly. Even if your ukulele dreams are on life support.

Now Persephone Wants to Have a Word with You

• How’s your year going?
• Which goals have you crushed?
• Which ones got replaced with unexpected adventures?
• Where did your plan detour into something better?
• Do you know Lefty O’Doul?

Share your WOW! Moments—planned or spontaneous—and let’s celebrate all of it together.