2022 IN PICTURES

It is the time of year where I like to take a moment and look back on all that happened in a year’s time. It’s important that I do this before I start jumping ahead to the new year. My brain is already buzzing with things I want for 2023 and lately the buzz hasn’t gotten so loud that I want to start screaming like that guy studying for his midterms in Real Genius. Looking back on the year is helping my brain be less buzzy. I did some real self care work and earned a Self Care Advocate certificate of completion. We traveled some and we had moments of being silly. We made good on a promise to take the Cabbage to Canada, but what I really see when I look back at my pictures for this year is love. I captured so many moments of love. Family, friends, friends succeeding at things, people celebrating love, so much love. I want more of that in 2023.

OH...HELLO...NEW YEAR

I didn’t check my email accounts for seven days. I didn’t eat fruit. I didn’t even really eat vegetables. I did eat a lot of cheese. I also finished the last season of Gossip Girl and OH MY GOD, CAN YOU BELIEVE WHO GOSSIP GIRL TURNED OUT TO BE?!?! I won’t spoil it; I was surprised, but not surprised. Also, Blair wore the most fabulous Tiffany’s earrings when she finally married Chuck. I read a little. I slept in a little. I allowed myself to be on vacation even though we didn’t really travel far. On New Year’s Eve, I ate even more cheese and I drank too much and when the clock struck twelve I ate twelve grapes, choking a little on grape number nine.

On New Year’s Day, I pulled myself out of bed to feed the animals and walked across my sleet covered backyard to let the chickens out. I made myself a bowl of oatmeal and topped it with strawberries and a banana. I cleaned off my dry-erase calendar. Then I created our January calendar. Vacation time is over. Let’s get this new year rolling. There are words to write. There are MasterClasses to watch. There’s healthy life choices to make. There are roads to be traveled and a life to be lived. I know that sounds a bit optimistic considering the whole pandemic situation, but I am more optimistic about this year than I was for 2021. I’m vaccinated and soon to be boosted. I continue to do the things I need to do to keep myself and those around me safe. Sure, I’ll probably at some point contract Omicron, but because I’m vaccinated, it won’t be a big deal.

Many of us entered 2021 with an expectation that it would be so much better than 2019 and it was better. 204M Americans have been fully vaccinated. People went back to work. The whole life/work balance thing was reevaluated and mental health became a priority. We took some hits for sure, but we got up and kept going. Because that’s how we roll. I may not be entering 2022 with any greater expectations than what I have when entering any other new year, but I am entering this year with the optimism that 2022 can be a great year. The possibilities of goodness are endless and this is my year for putting in the work to make that goodness happen.

I hope that all of you have had a wonderful and safe holiday and that this New Year brings you endless amounts of goodness.