Wow, two weird years in a row. It feels like 2020 and 2021 sort of blended together, one being the continuation of the other. At least this year we had a vaccine to help differentiate it from its predecessor.
Personally, it was a year of big change. There were some deaths in the family, new job, adjusting to getting back into the world with a mask, and trying to stay sane in an increasingly crazy world.
I was talking about this to my partner recently, saying how reality has become far stranger than any story I could have written, and she agreed. If I were watching a movie or reading a book about everything that’s happened, not just to us but in the world around us, I’d think it was too far-fetched.
Regardless, all these life experiences from the past two years will eventually make it into my fiction. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, mix it up with a little imagination and see what comes out.
Writing about it all will also help me to, hopefully, better understand everything that has happened. I’ve been lucky in that the people around me are compassionate, caring, and we look out for one another. We talk about it, try to understand it, and maybe make a little sense of it all.
Don’t get me wrong – the past two years haven’t been awful. There have been some good things to come out of it. Getting closer to those aforementioned friends, for one thing. Spending more time with the ones that matter is important. I’ve also learned more about myself, my fears and phobias, my strengths and dreams. In other words, there’s been a lot of introspection.
I think the next year is going to be just as crazy, but I hope that there will also be at least an equal amount of sanity. It sort of felt like things got too close to the edge and it’s time we pull back, correct our course, remember that we’re just a bunch of insignificant specks on a spinning globe in the middle of a dark, cold universe.
What I mean is, we’re only here for a short period of time. We should make the most of it. All the stupid stuff, like bigotry, fear, that us against them attitude, all that is meaningless. We should be working together to make things better for the future, mending fences, building bridges.
I know, it’s wishful thinking, but still…I have hope.
And I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful 2022. Remember to be kind and be creative.
RB
Happy new year! Hopefully this pandemic will end this year 🙂
Same to you, Michelle! Hope you and your loved ones have an amazing 2022!