I present what has now become my annual posting. Time was, I wrote many times a year, then down to several, then a few, now it seems New Years is all I seem to manage. But I still look forward to visiting with you on the start of a new year. It’s always such a fresh and new and hopeful time for me.
Last year’s post lamented the fact that we had an unwelcome pandemic in our midst that halted everything and changed our lives in ways we’d never even imagined. Like I’ve often said, it was something straight out of a science fiction movie.
So the new year of 2021 arrived introducing some hope. We now had vaccines. Restaurants, movie theaters, hair salons—well, those that remained—were able to reopen and a bit of normal-ness slowly crept back in to our everyday routines. For us, that meant seeing friends we’d missed, enjoying outdoor concerts in the local park and a few picnics. We even became a little lax in grabbing our masks to leave the house.
Then we learned about Delta. Then Omicron. Well, shoot, all of a sudden, we’re back to Square 1. Even worse. We put away all our cloth masks we’d accumulated and ordered the N95s, making sure a stash of them was available in the car, lest we forget ourselves when we walk out the door.
Big *sigh.*
Now that I’ve recapped what you already knew, wherever you are in the world, allow me to share my mantra for 2022.
PRESS ON.
Press on… never losing hope for the days of the future but with our minds set on today. Today is what we have, what we’ve been given. Whatever our circumstances.
Even limited, we can still make the world a better place. We can still pray. We can bring our neighbor a loaf of banana bread from our oven, offer to pick something up from the store so we both don’t have to risk going, make a telephone call to keep in touch, be encouraging when someone needs a pick-me-up.
Why do I write these flowery words of wise advice?
Because I need them. I need to write them, I need to read them. Over and over, every day. When I heed these words, I find I’m the winner. The one that comes out ahead. And many days, I’m behind.
So, press on.
I need you, the world needs you. Take good care of yourself.
All the best of God’s goodness is wished for you for this new year.
Thanks for allowing me to share my random thoughts. ðŸ’
