Hello 2022!
But first a goodbye to 2021. Covid 2.0š³ Nope! Not starting this out on a negative. 2021 was WAY BETTER than 2020. Especially if you got a vaccine! And a booster! If you havenāt Iām asking you nicely to reconsider. For yourself, your loved ones and the world. Now I will move on.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Festivas! Whatever you celebrate I celebrate with you. We need more things to celebrate not less. I designate 2022 the YEAR OF HAPPY. More on that later.
Now the highlights of 2021 in my world. I moved back to the Chicago area. My North Star is the simple saying āDo the Next Right Thing.ā (Just a little plug for a great and short book called The Next Right Thing by Emily P Freeman) Donāt stress yourself out by planning out the rest of your life. If Covid taught us just one thing itās that we never know whatās coming right? So after surviving a pretty lonely 2020 I decided that moving closer to family was my next right thing. So here I am - back in the Chicago area. Itās been good. Thatās not to say I donāt miss KC and my amazing wonderful friends TONS! Such a great and much loved by me skyline.
Hello Millennium Park! Iām back! Since I havenāt been able to travel Iāve had the pleasure of hosting quite a few friends and being their tour guide in the great city of Chicago. I love taking people on my Frank Lloyd Wright Walking Tour, the Art Institute, the Chicago Architectural Center and Boat Tour, Willis Tower and way too much fantastic food to list. Deep dish pizza anyone?
Keeley and Matt bought their first home! After living in a cute but tiny condo in the city and spending pretty much 24 hours a day in it working remotely, they decided a home was their next right thing. They diligently went house hunting and through perseverance and hard work bought a darling home just a mile from me that has a great yard, deck and really nice spacious interior. This happened in April so they were able to enjoy it all summer which was amazing. I was invited over to join in numerous backyard barbecues and appreciated that immensely.
Tom and Anna got married! Anna has been a part of our family for years, but in October we welcomed her officially. The ceremony took place during peak week in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a joyous outdoor gathering of family and friends and after not being together for such a long time we were happy and thrilled to all be able to celebrate together. Last year at this time they were planning to move to the Chicago area but their journey is taking them in another direction. Instead they are going to remain in North Carolina and Iām thrilled to have a great reason to visit them as often as possible.
I have dipped my toe back into travel, and my next post will be of great interest to anyone that is a fan of Harry Potter. I was accompanied by my favorite wizards on a recent trip to Florida. Check back for details soon.
I read a lot of books in 2021 - 57 to be exact. My reading increased dramatically during Covid but itās something I will continue doing as I truly love it. As I looked back over the list it was challenging to come up with my top 3, there were so many I enjoyed. So I used the criteria of books that I felt made some kind of impact on my life and the way I look at things. So here they are:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg
I havenāt made New Yearās resolutions for years. Instead I like to have a theme or goal for the year. Iām a little ashamed to say I didnāt have one for 2020. I guess maybe it would have been Live or Stay Alive. Not that inspirational really. I was beat down, tired and not in such a great place. My mother always said life is what you make it, youāll be as happy as you want to be - and I believe that to my very core. So my goal for 2022 is a pretty simple one.
Iām done with negativity, judgement, anger, rudeness and finger pointing. Iām going to do my part in my own little way to send kindness and happiness out into the world. This will be the picture I see first thing every morning. Choosing happiness is hard work and requires determination, focus and persistence- and itās totally worth it. So I declare 2022 the Year of Happy. And if youāre still reading this then Iām sending out all positive thoughts that you make 2022 a happy year for you too! š„°