A pre-year ender reflection

2022 is turning out to be a year of first-times

Photo by 愚木混株 cdd20 on Unsplash

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens —Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11

The year 2022 was a year for first-times.

Relying on memory, the latest events would stand out. First, was my health scare. 2022 was the year I found out that I had to manage my stress, my uncontrolled blood sugar, and my uncooperating blood pressure — it all pointed to a life of very minimal exercise and an aging body that is slowing down.

2022 was a wake-up call to start eating right and to cut down on bad food—and drinks that didn’t help me deal with these health conditions. That visit to the emergency room — at least twice this year scared the bejesus out of me, having even witnessed a person dying while I was hooked up to monitors. That scene is now etched in my grey matter. (This is why I don’t want to go to ERs).

2022 was also a year of new discoveries. We often wonder what else we can do. Well, we can do a lot but time is not on our side. We try to cram more things into the 24-hour cycle that we’re gifted. But I think trying and doing some of these things can be rewarding. So, I took the plunge into investing in a venture that would hopefully pay dividends. Let’s see how that pans out in a couple of months.

2022 was also the year for creative pursuits. We recorded a song so fast that I already forgot how to play it. This song was made for a person that we hoped would one day lead the country. But fate told us that it wasn’t her time yet. We did pour our hearts out into that song.

2022 was the year of new convictions. We choose a side, we choose a leader, and we choose to scream and chant her name because we all wanted change. My wife and daughter don the colors of our conviction and stood for hours just to hear her acknowledge our support and love. We all felt hope when she was around and when she was telling her dream and purpose.

2022 was also the year when I lost friends and family. Yes, there is a time to be born, and a time to die. We all will have to contend with that when it is our own time. They will all be sorely missed.

2022 was the year when they grew up. They finished high school and now they’re in College, discovering and exploring new knowledge. Lessons in life they also learned. Tears shed. Laughter all over. Never a dull moment to always learn and discover for children who are fast growing up.

Adam Grant says it correctly when he posted this message.

2022 was also the year of gratitude and that despite all the “wrong things” that happened and things that “didn’t happen,” we are and I am still grateful.

Happiness is not about spending time and having regrets for NOT having done anything right. We should appreciate what we have and see that the glass is always half-full.

2022 was just that. A year of first-times, of progress, little as they may be, but it is still a movement forward.

What about you? What was your 2022 like?