People have different traditions on the first day of the year. It’s the day I like to sit down and thank the previous year for all the blessings. There are the big ones: family, my home, the ability to breathe air (I’m asthmatic, so breathing is a big deal to me). 

Then there are the specific things that couldn’t be attributed to any other year. Here are just a few. 

It had been five long years since I’d seen my sister, Judy. She lives on the east coast. I live in the far-far north. Add a lockdown and work limitations and five years zoomed by quickly. 

2022 was the year I hugged my sister and met her husband, and danced at their wedding. 

I also drank wine from a Pennsylvania winery. 

Some people are siblings because they share the same last name. Then there are the siblings that, like a warm cup of tea on a chilly day, nuzzle their way into your heart. That’s Paddy. 

Our friend, Fatima, suggested we record a podcast together. The three of us talked via Zoom for hours about writing, indie publishing, our families, and life. Shortly into these discussions, I claimed dibs on Paddy as a younger brother. 

2022 was the year I got to hang out with Paddy. The minute I met him, my heart settled. I didn’t have to wear the right clothes or worry about saying the right thing. And isn’t that what family is about, entering a conversation with your authentic self knowing it will be accepted? 

2022 was the year I’d lose the game of tag with Rona AND the flu. It was also the year I learned that I had friends who believed in dropping off food on a sick person’s doorstep. 

2022 was the year we fell in love with a new grandchild. 

There were little moments that brought big joy, like: 

2022 was the year of my first author signing. 

It was also the year several people looked me in the eye and talked me to the next level of belief in my dreams. 

2022 was the year I found my personality. 

2022 was the year my reading list surpassed my time. 

It was the year I finally bought the right size of matching pajamas for my family. 

It was the year I learned how to make homemade mac-n-cheese.

This one is quirky and true. 2022 was the year I learned to like yogurt. 

Was 2022 rough?

Yes.

It was a year we said goodbye to beloved friends and family. It was also when we reconnected with friends and family we hadn’t seen in years. 

I thought my word for 2022 was shine. Using the lens of retrospect, I am comfortable admitting that I was wrong. 

2022 was the year of hugs. 

Now, it’s your turn. What good things did  2022 bring to you?