Looking Forward to Looking Back in 2026
Guess who my celebrity crush is in this nostalgic entry from January 1, 1993! Plus, thanks to everyone who helped get That Was Rad off the ground in 2025. This year is going to be totally rad!
Happy New Year, club members, BFFs and curious wanderers who have somehow made it to my little corner of the internet. If you're new here, I'm Sarah, and I have stacks and stacks of my childhood journals from the 80's and 90's that I've decided to read aloud on the internet. They're endearing, they're cringy, and they're full of light-hearted nostalgia that may either take you back to your childhood, or inspire you to capture yours.
I softly launched in October of (now) last year, and I'm looking at 2026 as this fledgling project's real jumping off point. With every entry I share, there will be free features that all can enjoy, special snippets for paying monthly subscribers, and top-tier treats for my BFF's like live zooms and book clubs. All are in the works, and will be rolling out throughout the year.
If you happen to be reading this on or around January 1, 2026, you're truly one of my OG's, and your support and cheerleading has helped me keep taking baby steps forward with a project that is very near and dear to my heart. Thank you!
With that, here's an entry from January 1, 1993, when I was just fourteen, along with an audio read-aloud by yours truly. (Let me know if you can guess who my crush is!)
Thank you for stopping by and reading this post! That Was Rad is a reader-supported publication. If you're able, I would be grateful for your support, which will help make sure there's always a free version for anyone who wants some fun 80s and 90s nostalgia.
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Any guesses whom I'm talking about? This was right around the time this actor made a significant leap into the mainstream in a certain live action Disney musical...let me know in the comments if you can guess who it is!
And for today's journal prompt, it seems trite to suggest we write about what we'd like to bring into the coming year (most of us are probably doing that already), but what if instead we take a moment to think about an encouraging message we'd tell our past selves? Something we wished someone had told us on a New Year's Day, some years ago. Be sure to sign in to share your comments. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
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