Goodbye 2021

My heart goes out to everyone who had a rough 2021. A lot of my friends and family have been affected by the pandemic in different ways: the loss of loved ones, lost work, being bullied to work in unsafe conditions, coping with the stress of another year living in a pandemic, health concerns, the loss of a lot of celebrities…

With that, 2021 has been good to me. On this last day of the year, I feel light and hopeful looking towards 2022.

A few things I’m thankful for from 2021:

• The money I earned in the part-time job I took that helped to support me while I was on a Covid leave-of-absence from my teaching job
• Investing time in myself to go on my Florida Coast-to-Coast bike tour at the end of March
• Quitting a job (i.e. teaching) that I desperately wanted to leave, to the point that I had near-panic attacks when I thought about going back
• Starting a new job where I can give back using a lot of my skill sets (i.e. where I feel like a more integrated human being)
• Working with an employer that treats its employees like full human beings (i.e. They show appreciation for their employees. And they value our mental health and the knowledge and skills we bring to the table)
• Buying a house on my birthday (well, I put the bid in on my birthday – it wasn’t accepted until a day or so after)
• Closing on the house within a month of putting the bid in
• The folks who helped me move all of my stuff from my apartment to my new home
• My wonderful new yard, where I am able to enjoy my fire pit and place to practice archery (among other things)
• Learning, growing, and working with such a kickass team of folks in my paid work
• Going to an orchestra for the first time, and my friend playing really great in it!
• Richie Floyd being elected to St. Pete City Council. He’s going to do so well!!
• A trip to Disney in celebration of Richie’s win. (Something that I probably would have normally said no to, but challenged my comfort zone and said yes. I’m glad I did!)
• Meeting my goal of reading 12 books this year
• Meeting my goal of riding 2021 miles on my bike
• Staying healthy! (Still no covid. I’m triple vaxxed at this point.)
• My family and friends have stayed mostly healthy
• Lots of creations
• The love, hilarity, and annoyances that come from living with three cats

I’m still contemplating goals for 2022, and I’m not completely sure what I’d like the theme of my 2022 to be. Determining those will be part of my celebration tonight and over the next couple of days (or weeks, or months).

But I do want to send a 2022 wish to folks:

I wish everyone all of the joy, health, and blessings that I’ve felt in 2021. May you feel loved and supported, in the harder times as well as the easier. May you and yours stay healthy, in terms of the pandemic and beyond. May we choose empathy and love more often than we did in 2021 (with boundaries being absolutely necessary too). May we all work towards the world we wish to live in, in the ways that best fit our strengths and abilities.

Wishing everyone a healthy, world-changing 2022!