A Personal Update

As the year came to a close, I’ve found myself doing the usual end-of-year reflection — that slightly uncomfortable realisation of just how quickly time is moving. It feels like no time at all since I was mapping out plans for 2025, and yet here we are, with that year now fully behind us.

I won’t labour the point, but the past year has been a challenging one for me personally, largely due to my back. Around September 2024, one of the discs in my lumbar spine gave way — something I’ve been dealing with on and off for over a decade due to a congenital weakness. Unfortunately this time it came with a fairly severe case of foot drop, leaving me with almost no power in my toes.

The strange part is that the feeling is still there — I know the toes exist — but the connection just isn’t. It’s had a knock-on effect on walking, balance, and day-to-day movement, and I’ve spent much of the past year in physio trying to claw that strength back. Along the way, a couple more disc prolapses didn’t exactly help matters, each bringing with it weeks of fairly relentless pain.

I won’t pretend it hasn’t been frustrating. Sitting or standing for long periods has often been difficult, and physically demanding work — especially on shoots — has had to be approached far more cautiously than I’d like. It’s forced a level of patience that doesn’t come naturally to me, and there have definitely been moments where it’s felt like progress was happening far more slowly than I’d hoped.

That said, I’m incredibly grateful for the people around me. Collaborators and friends have stepped in when needed, and that support has made a huge difference — both practically and mentally. It’s a reminder that building anything worthwhile is rarely a solo effort.

Despite the challenges, I’m heading into 2026 feeling optimistic. Not in a naïve, everything-will-be-perfect sense, but in a grounded, steady way. The focus now is on continuing rehab, being smarter with how I work, and building momentum without sacrificing long-term health.

I’m excited about what’s ahead. There are projects that I’m keen to push forward, ideas I’ve been quietly developing, and a renewed appreciation for doing things at a pace that’s sustainable. If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that progress doesn’t always look how you expect it to — but it still counts.

Here’s to a stronger, healthier 2026, and to continuing to move forward, even if sometimes that movement is slower than planned.

Thanks, as always, to everyone who’s supported me along the way.

Jack --- Founder and CEO of Glass Puppet