The new year is knocking on the door, which means it’s time to reflect on the previous year and look ahead to the next.
It’s interesting to look back at the last 12 months at once. While we were in it, living each of the 366 days this leap year, we were busy transitioning from one moment to the next, moving from calm to crisis to celebration. Each moment seemed fleeting because as soon as it happened, we were forced to let go of it and be present in the next one.
When we pause to reflect and look back, those little moments disappear, and we see only the big ones—the milestones that shaped and defined the year. We extract them as the major plot points necessary to understand how the story of our lives developed.
This year, our story is one of addition. We added two more countries to our travel map. We added a family member as our goddaughter came to live with us, giving my wife and I a pseudo-daughter and my son a pseudo-sibling. The family expansion has opened him up in remarkable ways. Speaking of opening him up, my son added a new device to his collection, having surgery to implant a DBS in the fall.
Our story is also one of resurgence as we started to dig out of our post-pandemic hole. We’re having more family meals together, and although we’re addicted to watching Holey Moley now at dinner, at least we’re doing it together. After too many years away from it, my wife joined a band this year and has been singing regularly. And after a spotty past few years, I’ve been posting regularly on the blog.
I’ve also focused on my other creative pursuits. I took up drawing and have a project in mind for next year. I’ve also continued my French lessons and maintained a 5+ month streak in Duolingo. My son also picked up the language bug and also has an impressive Duolingo streak in Spanish.
This year, I also worked on myself. Since the spring, I’ve worked out nearly every day, including a few hours of tennis per week and walking the dogs almost daily. I also have a healthier diet. As a result, I’ve lost most of my pandemic weight, which was caused by little exercise and little self-control in food choices.
I’ve continued with my inner self, as well. With several significant personal and professional challenges this year, I’ve gained clarity on who I am, what I want, and what I can let go of, which has me feeling better than I did earlier in the year.
Of course, better is subjective. On the inside, clarity in relationships can be better, even if, from the outside, it looks like the parties have moved further apart. It can remove ambiguity, simplify expectations, and provide clear boundaries and expectations, and that is better.
Overall, we’re ending the year better than it started. I think I will sit in this reflection and re-read this chapter of our lives one more time to take it all in. With so many personal, professional, and political variables that will change next year, it’s impossible to predict exactly how the story will unfold. But if this year has taught me anything, it’s that growth comes from embracing the unexpected and finding meaning in the journey. As the new year approaches, I’m carrying forward the lessons, the love, and the momentum we’ve built.
Here’s to another chapter filled with challenges to tackle, milestones to celebrate, and memories to cherish.