When New Year’s Day came on January 1, 2022, at first I thought thank goodness 2021 is over. Then I paused and reconsidered. 2021 wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t the best ever, but it was better than 2020.

I began to ponder over the events of the past year and I was determined to think about the good things. Each person has to consider his or her own blessings from last year because each one of us looks at things differently.

For me, the best thing of last year was the development of vaccines for COVID-19. Getting the vaccines and the booster was like feeling almost free again. It took time to adjust to being out and about again. Because most of the family were vaccinated we were able to go on our annual family trip. We went to high school football games and Ranger games. I even went to a movie at the theater. I went to Bermuda with my friend. My husband and I went on two trips.

Life did return to some normalcy. School was better for the grandkids. They all did well. The Senior Center opened again and I was able to return to my classes there and see my friends. I was able to return to volunteering with my various groups. I started shopping in the stores again.

It was also a good year because no one in my family died from COVID-19. I know others were not so fortunate. I am sad for them.

I don’t want to make this all about me, but I refuse to think of all the bad things from last year that could bring me down. I know that there are plenty of things to worry about and I am very much aware of them. I have hope that things will be better and I hope that you, my readers, will be inspired to find the good things in your past year. So I end with words that I heard from a podcast. These words lifted me and I hope that they give you a new perspective as well. I hope these words help carry you forward into 2022.

“We are forever marked by the experience of COVID-19. The process of moving forward requires: l. Reckoning with the impact of what we have been through 2.Allowing ourselves the space to reimagine what our lives are going to look like moving forward because none of us can return to the person or to the life we had pre-pandemic 3. Identifying what we want to carry forward with us from the experience.” By Suleika Joauad https://www.npr.org/2021/12/14/1064067402/keeping-yourself-afloat-in-between-two-kingdoms