2022 Is In The Books

It’s the end of 2022! Finally, the end of the year again. Usually, I have my last post of the year published before the last day of the year. This year I’m running behind schedule.

To say 2022 has been an unusual year would be a severe understatement. I can’t say anything has been “life as usual”. That’s not a bad thing though.

I’ve spent more time being aware of my own health and needs. It’s been a roller-coaster of a journey. I’m ending the year not a lot better than the beginning of the year as far as weight goes. But, I’m sleeping longer and better. My activity level is higher than in previous years. And my mental health is definitely better than before.

It’s been a very sad year with a record number of people in my personal world who have passed on. My mother’s death in April was the beginning. Throughout the rest of 2022, I lost a brother-in-law and a grand-nephew. I stumbled on the obituary of an aunt I had lost track of. My brother-in-law’s brother died shortly after he did.

I learned of the deaths of a couple of past coworkers I considered friends. One of the guys I went to school with died this summer unexpectedly. A friend lost her daughter. Another lost his wife. I attended more funerals in 2022 than in the last 10 years combined.

In 2022, death wasn’t the only reason I lost people. Various people that I considered friends felt it necessary to cut ties. Some of them did it silently and without a word. And it was OK. I have learned over time that some people will not stay no matter how hard you try to hold them. But, when they leave others will replace them. And so it was.

2022 was the year of my roses. Although I’ve been trying to grow them for the past 5 years, this year I put all my time and effort into helping them survive and thrive. It was a lot of hard work, and sometimes painful. The result at the end of the summer was worth it, though. There were beautiful blooms all through the summer with a hopeful promise of many more in the years to come.

I feel that I have found more clarity in 2022. My goals are easier to see and name. Independence is my new power word. I have a big writing project in the works. I’m excited to work on it.

Organization is my other new strength. When you can see things more clearly, you can organize more clearly. 2022 was filled with days of organizing, cleaning, and tossing out the old.

2022 was the year of a new me. I felt a new strength and a new empowerment. But, I do admit that as the year draws to a close I’m feeling a little run down. Perhaps part of that is natural during the winter season in Wisconsin.

But, the excitement of my projects is still there. 2022 may be over, but 2023 brings with it promise of more productive days, more attainable goals, and more new friends and acquaintances.

I’m ready to receive the new year with open arms and anticipation!