Some 2022 Ramblings
Well, my writing was pretty much nonexistent at the end of 2022, but life just got busy and I didn’t have a lot to share. This past year, 2022, had lots of ups and downs, and I want to take a minute and just reflect on some things that stand out.
The year started with an early January “work” trip to Key West, Florida, for a conference. This was at a Marriott resort and was, in short, awesome. Key West was still as fun and beautiful as I remembered it. I flew back on a Thursday and was shoveling snow Friday morning.
Cali and I took an amazing trip to Arizona in May. The official purpose was her brother’s wedding, but we stayed a whole week and just had a ton of fun seeing family and friends, driving ATVs up in Payson, laying out by the pool, working out, sipping coffee on the back patio of our hotel, and just enjoying each other’s company. It was wonderful.
I had some weird medical stuff throughout the year. Antibiotics for a testicular issue, antibiotics for a redone root canal, a hospital stay for a weird foodborne virus thing, a broken foot, an ongoing hip issue, what I’m pretty sure was COVID during the holidays. This stuff was annoying, but none of it turned out to be too serious and it really made me grateful for my health. There are people who have to live with ailments a million times worse every single day so I have no room to whine.
My sweet grandmother passed away at 98. She was easily one of the best women I will ever know. My Sunday afternoon tradition still has me checking the clock around 4 PM to see if it’s time to call Grandma. Force of habit after about 20 years, I guess.
I didn’t get home to see my family, and that just plain sucks. My hospital stay in June kind of derailed things around the 4th of July, and my planned trip home around Thanksgiving just didn’t sound appealing after tons of work travel in September and October. Seeing my family so rarely really makes me sad, but I don’t know how to remedy the situation. Sometimes I just feel stuck, but I know I will regret not seeing them more in the long run.
One of the major highlights of the year was forging a lot of friendships and relationships. This includes friends, the dog park crew, neighbors, jiu-jitsu training partners, work colleagues, and lots of other random people I crossed paths with throughout the year. I love connecting with people. It always fires me up and really makes me grateful for my time and place in the world.
I read a ton of books in 2022. Reading has always given me great pleasure, and this year I had a ton of free time to do something I really love. If anyone has any book recommendations for me, I’d love to hear them.
I got a lot of shit done at work. I really hustled, traveled, and worked hard at my job. Hopefully this pays off with a sweet promotion in 2023, but time will tell.
Most importantly, I spent a ton of time with Cali and Arvid, my two favorite creatures in the whole wide world. I never get sick of spending time with them. They’re just the best.
Onward and upward.