Reflecting on 2022

Over the past year of blogging, I’ve faced many challenges, made commitments, and experienced epiphanies. But I’m almost always looking ahead to the next post. To wrap up 2022, I will take the time to reflect on my last twelve posts. What went well? What didn’t quite go according to plan? How can I continue to build off of what I’ve learned? I hope some of these oversized, fortune-cookie messages will also be valuable to my readers.

4/1/2022: “Seclusion: My uncomfortable comfort zone“
Moving from a duplex to a larger, more open complex didn’t magically turn me into a social butterfly as I’d hoped. My attempts to connect with people in the area have been hit or miss. But instead of blaming myself for misfires, I’m learning that I can’t expect to click with every person I meet. And every time I put myself out there, it’s another opportunity to make a new friend or at least walk away with a smile on my face.

3/1/2022: “Waking up is hard to do“
I know a good night’s sleep is one of the key ingredients for good health, yet it’s been a near-constant struggle for me. I wrote this post in March and things haven’t really improved since then. I think it’s time for some professional help.

5/1/2022: “I left my heart in New Delhi“
I’ve had some memorable experiences, some exhilarating and some traumatic. But while they’re part of my history, my story is still being written. It’s largely up to me how interesting the remaining chapters will be.

6/1/2022: “The perils of people pleasing“
I used to see being a people pleaser as a flaw, but it’s just part of what drives me. I just need to remember that I’m a person, too, and I deserve the same treatment.

2/1/2022: “Why my 17th ‘moving day’ will be my best“
I’m better at getting things done when I plan ahead. But even after moving sixteen times in my life, I always seemed to end up scrambling at the last minute. For my seventeenth move, I not only planned ahead, but I came up with a foolproof strategy for every major element of my move from packing to disposing of things to finding a new place. It ended up being the least stressful move of my adult life.

9/1/2022: “How to take a vacation without taking time off“
I’ve also discovered that I don’t have to limit “planning ahead” to errands, appointments, and commitments to other people–I can also make time to take care of myself!

8/1/2022: “The intentional tourist“
Short-term plans are just as important as long-term plans. Every week is a week I won’t get back, so I’ll try to make the most of it.

10/1/2022: “The gift of patience“
I don’t have to wait until I accomplish something huge to feel good about myself. I’m making a conscious effort to celebrate the small victories.

1/1/2022: “I finally convinced myself to write a novel“
I’m convinced that new year’s resolutions were invented by gyms to get more people to buy memberships. My “resolution” (although I didn’t call it that) for 2022 was to write a novel. Like most resolutions, I started with good intentions but my resolve faded over time.

11/1/2022: “How I plan to write my novel“
When planning becomes procrastination, sometimes it’s better to just get started and figure it out as you go along.

12/1/2022: “I wrote a novel! (sort of)“
After writing nothing but notes from January 1 to October 31, I wrote a very rough yet complete first draft during the month of November. I learned that having an ambitious but concrete, time-bound goal (“write a 50,000-word draft in 30 days”) was better than having a vague, open-ended one (“I’m going to write a novel”).

7/1/2022: “Making room for writing“
There was a period where I felt like my blog and my novel were in competition for my attention. I worked through this conflict by using my blog to help me jump-start my novel. Now I feel like I can do both. I look forward to revising my novel in 2023 while I explore new territory through my blog.