The end of 2022: Trying to accentuate to positive and live in the moment
I’ve been writing a year-end wrap-up column for the last ten Decembers. When this year began, I knew I’d be doing it again; I just didn’t have a clue it would be in this space. But, coming here to Substack, a place that wasn’t even on my radar in January 2022, has been a good thing. And the good things will be the main focus in the final piece for this year…and hopefully much longer.
Where I’m going is much different than what I started to write only a couple of days ago. You see, 2022 has been one of the most emotionally draining years of the seventy I’ve existed on this planet. It’s been so full of roller coaster highs and lows that it’s been hard to keep an even keel. Hospitalizations and devastating, heartbreaking losses to many people close to my heart dominated the low points. They’ve been balanced by many heartwarming new beginnings. There were couples starting new lives together in marriage. New children/grandchildren entering the world. I swear each month had at least one circle of life moment. It’s hard to live that way. It mentally wears you down.
I started to write about this in great detail. It only took about a page, and a chat with my therapist, to decide to go in a different direction. There’s a fine line between venting and writing a load of unreadable self-indulgent shit that wasn’t going to make me or anyone else feel any better. Really, that line isn’t all that fine. Besides, how many times can you write FUCK TRIBUNE/ALDEN without it being overkill? Is ten too many?
I decided to take this in a different, more positive direction. Life is damn good right now. We’ve survived a recent scare, so let’s move forward and focus on the good. Live in the now. That doesn’t mean we’re going to ignore or forget the losses; that’s impossible. It just means that we’ll push ahead and be grateful for what we do have, which is plenty. And talking about plenty, have I told you how adorbs my new granddaughter is? See…positivity!
So, it’s time to close it up here for 2022. It’s time to take a much-needed end-of-the-year break, chill for a week or so and get recharged for 2023. When we do begin again, I hope you will still be here with me. I appreciate all of you and the time you take to read anything I write. But until then, enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate and try to have a fun but safe New Year…and yes, I’ve apparently turned into your mother.
See you on the other side of December.