My 2021 Retrospective

I could never have foreseen the fact that I would be typing up this yearly retrospective for 2021 while I'm recovering from a mild case of COVID. I definitely didn't think I was doing to sit down and do this post this year after the last week, but the tradition runs too strong in my blood for me to resist the call. I like taking a minute to just sit and think about the year that's passed, and all the twists and turns that happened -- good or bad -- along the way. 

2021 was, despite certain moments, a very good year. (It was definitely an improvement on 2020.) We welcomed baby Greyson into our lives and hearts, and he's literally brought our tiny New York family so much joy from the moment he came into the world. I, along with many of my family and friends, got vaccinated, which meant it was ultimately safer for us to hang out in person (and also to go back to work at our office, in my case) and it definitely meant that I only got milder symptoms after catching COVID right at the end of the year. Two of my best friends got engaged! I got to go on two separate trips - one to Stowe, Vermont with Rachel to see the fall foliage (which was absolutely lovely) and one to Orlando, Florida with Macky and Danica (which ended up being such a wonderfully fun and relaxing trip). And my sister Rachel came back to New York for the holidays (speaking of things that didn't go according to plan...) because my other sister Mel got engaged! And in between all of the fun things, there were anime shows to inhale, movies to laugh and cry over, and virtual calls and hangouts to be had aplenty.

On the lessons learned front, all I can really think to share is that I'm grateful. I've been blessed in so many ways on so many fronts, whether it's getting an unexpected work promotion or being given the gift of compassionate endurance that allows me to soldier on with the day to day. I've had my world rocked quite a few times this year (the death of one of my grandmothers being one of those big things), but I've somehow been able to find the serenity to seek acceptance and peace. It helps that I have a pretty spectacular support system in place, that's for sure.

2021, cheers for all you brought into my life and for all that I've learned.

We've made it through one more year, friends, and here's to what comes next!