Renewing vows and looking forward

by Dale Burgos

	Dale and Elizabeth Burgos

Depending on who you ask, 2025 was either a great year or one that should be forgotten. By nature, I am a fairly happy-go-lucky person who is content with life – so for me it was a mixture of both good and not so good.

Back in July, I hit a milestone birthday, hitting the big 5-0! I was spoiled to no end with family making the trek to celebrate. My wife Izzy had coordinated a surprise weekend that welcomed people from Toronto, Winnipeg, Brandon, Calgary, and Vancouver. Living on the west coast, we don’t get many visitors, so this topped the proverbial cake!

We also celebrated 20 years of marriage, where we renewed our vows on a beach in Mexico with about 300 strangers in bathing suits watching from the sandy beach. Never would I have thought I would see middle-aged men in Speedos while professing my love for Elizabeth!

On the flip side, I also saw some changes in my health, nothing too serious mind you, but like my doctor said – my check engine light is on. It is bound to happen when you make it this far. I’ve never had so many blood tests, prostate exams, CT scans and ultrasounds like I have had in the past year or two. Sounds worse than it is, I’m good, trust me.

I’ve also been around long enough to see the changes in housing costs, grocery prices and technology around the world. In fact, I found myself saying something the other day I never thought I would.

“When I was young…”

I had to stop myself before completing that sentence. I refuse to make myself sound older than I really am. But since we’re on the topic, how could I not feel old? Shows like Friends or Seinfeld are now considered classics. Bands from the 90s are considered the new oldies!

As for technology, I recently got a present that has 20,000+ “classic” video games all the way back from the 80s. A wild concept as I’m used to buying one game for $50. Or how about a smart watch that would make Inspector Gadget jealous?

Don’t get me started on the rise of AI. Not only does ChatGPT make things like studying, cooking and travel easier, it is making me question whether the photos and video I see online are real or computer generated.

With all that happened in 2025, I’m curious to see what 2026 has in store. Here are my predictions:

• Housing costs will go down, but not by much. Perhaps the Canadian government will announce more funding or legislation that will see new types of home options or cost breaks on owning a home. I remain hopeful that my kids will one day own a house of their own.
• AI will not be headline. People won’t be afraid of artificial intelligence and realize it won’t lead to the world ending just like in the Terminatormovies. More people will accept that AI will make life easier, which leaves us more time to enjoy life.
• Inflation cools, but prices do not rewind. Wages improve slightly, but trust in economic systems remains fragile. Canadians (me especially) continue to feel like they are doing everything right and still falling behind.
• I will continue to borrow my kids’ clothes. I find it much cheaper and quicker to go through their closets than going to the store. I found a sweet pair of Nike Air Force Ones and a couple Supreme hoodies just last week. As the kids say, “My drip slaps”.
• I will endeavour to stop using words like “lit”, “fire” and “6-7,” so as not to embarrass my kids any more than I do now.

I look forward to next year’s Looking Back article to see if my predictions come true.

Dale manages the corporate communications department for a city in B.C.