Reflections on 2022

2022, the year that could have been…but wasn’t. So much potential for getting back to normal and society stabilizing, but that potential was sabotaged by Covid continuing its scourge and yet another toxic election cycle. Both of those still dogging us almost 3 years into my retirement! These 3 years have flown by and this year was a blur at times, but it provided a lot to reflect on.

The year started out with a mild bout of Covid for me. Nothing major, just a couple of days with a stuffy nose. Thankfully that was our only brush with it, and I didn’t share it with anyone. It did put a bit of a damper on our New Years celebration but no long-term impact. So much for the pandemic being over, and now we are seeing a seasonal jump in cases, along with flu, which is magically back, and the RSV bug. Those illnesses are part of life, so we need to stop freaking out, be smart, and learn to live with them.

Bouncing back from that, we headed to Islamorada for our annual “get the hell out of NJ in Feb.” trip. This time with friends we met at our local brewery. It was our first trip with them, and it was a lot of fun introducing them to many of the places we enjoy. Of course, there was a stop at the local brewery (actually, 2 stops) and a lot of just relaxing in the warmth of the Keys. Our friends liked the place so much that they booked 2023 before they came back to NJ – as we do each year. We’re looking forward to another great trip together in a few weeks.

Next up was the re-assessment of our property as our town was on the state’s list for updating. A bit scary as this was conducted at the height of the market in early spring and resulted in an inflated value. On the bright side, our taxes went down due to the tax rate being reduced based on the town-wide reassessment and the influx of warehouses within our borders. That last one is a double-edged sword that residents all over our state are facing thanks to the boom in on-line shopping.

The war in the Ukraine still hangs heavy over the world as it drags on. Along with supply chain interruptions, it drove inflation which continues to put a damper on global economies. Those 2 events opened the doors for corporations to take advantage of the situation through price jumps, shrinking package sizes, and scarcity of items. If inflation is so dramatic at all levels across the entire global supply chain, how are corporations continuing to book record profits? Hmm.

Enough of that. There was a lot more good in the year. My retirement hair is a year longer; much to my wife’s chagrin as it is now longer than hers. I had several opportunities to can beer at our local brewery and have spent many evenings there with my wife and friends. In July, we had our annual trip with our nieces and nephew; this time to Lake Luzerne in NY, a little southwest of Lake George (regular readers will remember that post and the funny t-shirt the kids got me). Early in the fall I flew out to Columbus, OH to see my cousins and catch a Blue Jackets hockey game. It was a great visit that included time with 2 of their daughters and their families, and a trip to the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton - https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/. Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force base it is an amazing facility that displays aircraft from the beginning of military flight up through current space travel. It is a must-see if you are in the area.

In November I celebrated another birthday with a road trip to 3 south-Jersey breweries and a distillery courtesy of my wife who was kind enough to play chauffer for the day. We hosted Thanksgiving again and had a wonderful day with family. Next up was my wife’s birthday that we celebrated with a visit – her first of the year – to a local winery. This time with me behind the wheel so she could enjoy the adult grape juice while we huddled by the fire pit in a little cabana over-looking the vineyard.

As I write this, Christmas is a few days away with the new year peaking around the corner. Looking back, it was another up and down year, thankfully with more ups than downs. I continue to work at feeding the ducks and starving the geese (12/6/2021 post). That is the key to remaining positive in this crazy time we live in. We each have to decide to focus on the positives and remember that we are all in this together as we begin a new year of hope and possibility.

I’ll leave you and 2022 with that thought and a wish for a happy, healthy, and successful 2023 for all of us and our planet.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com 1-09-2023