New New Year

Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy Lunar New Year)!

The past month was...gosh, I laugh now but it was just...I actually have no one word to describe it.

The first week my family and I fell ill to the virus. The husband first, then me 2 days later, then our daughter 2 days after me. I missed so much work (hated that part; I hate missing out on stuff) and had to miss a lot of meetings. Thank goodness for my team who stepped up and kept things running. Our puppy missed her vet appointment (because her furparetns were useless) so she has to go through a new round of shots now. Ugh. That's just the main things. Don't worry, I'll spare you the little ones, Void.

Now all that's over. Thank God. I'm still not at 100% health-wise but I'm just grateful to be alive. Grateful that my family is ok now. Soldiering on.

That makes Feb 1st the first official day of my new year. lol Day one. Today. Boom. Why not, right. Fresh start. Do it all over again. Keep on swimming. Great! Let's do this, Void.

What's New, 2022?

I've been thinking about what my word for 2022 will be. When I think of a word for the new year, it usually just comes to me. For this one, it took a while, but I think now I know.

Last year's was BREAKTHROUGH. I carried that with me all 365 days. Literally. Like I had a vision board on my phone that spelled it out. Did I actually break through? I'd like to think so. In quite a few ways. Not exactly how I imagined I would, but I did. 

Having survived yet another year during the pandemic was the biggest of them all. Not just for myself but for everyone who got sick and got better, had someone in their family get sick and recover, lost husbands/wives/children/parents/loved ones, got stuck at home and had to hit pause on life and is ready to press play again. 

Towards the end of the year there I thought it was getting better; people were completing their shots, herd immunity was finally catching up to the terrible virus. But alas, cases are going up again because some people are just so hard-headed and selfish. When is this going to end. We all want to thrive in the new normal, not just keep fighting for survival.

Then came my word for 2022. I thought about it right after walking the dog this morning. With barely 3 hours of sleep and probably still some alcohol left in my bloodstream. Miracle.

I've been singing this praise song Light of the World all this Christmas season and it was right there in front of me. The world waits for a miracle...that's the first line of the first and last stanza.  And lately, my daughter has been madly obsessed with the Encanto movie (she's been dressing up as the lead character - curly hair and outfit and glasses and all - the last, what, 4 or 5 days lol it was cute at first but I've been begging her to change since) and there was one song in particular that she sang to me and her dad yesterday called Waiting on a Miracle. I mean, yeah. After realizing that, it was pretty clear Miracle was so going to be my word for 2022.

I am waiting for a miracle. It's true. And that hope that flickers in me still? I feel it's the passion burning inside of me that refuses to die. And I won't let it. Because no matter how bleak or pointless some things seem to be, there's always a reason for them. There's always a season. And I'm holding on to that hope, that miracle.

Another year, eh, void? I hope this one really is better, brighter, kinder. Happy new year.