That backscroll, tho

​The first week of a new calendar year is a nice time to reflect on the prior year and consider what I want to put-in and get-out of 2023.  Thinking back on it, 2022 was nonstop full-volume in a variety of ways.  It seems like a lot of people had a similar experience.  For starters there was all the madness of the world, unrelenting since Covid's initial arrival almost 3 years ago.  Trump supporters stormed the US capital, Covid variants lingered, the war in Ukraine persisted, extreme weather returned each season, and inflation grew.

On top of the universal chaos came the backlog of things postponed during lockdown, like the four weddings I attended and all the new babies I met (who are now toddlers).  The current surging under it all was a constant feeling that the world is completely different now and it’s difficult to identify exactly how to fit into it.  I just couldn't wrap my head around how to engage in this new place that looks very much like the old place but does, in fact, function in a completely different manner.

I spent a lot of 2022 trying to figure out how to rearrange my life and restructure my work to fit this new landscape.  I tried some things; I got stuck.  I tried some different things; I got stuck differently.  I realized I needed some guidance, so I flew half way around the world to spend 10 days at a workshop learning how to un-stick myself.  I made some headway and returned home with wind once again in my sails, only to be thrown off-kilter by yet another personal tragedy.

So it goes.

A great deal of what happens in life is fleeting.  The ups, the downs, the churn of regularity.  Even the aspects that persist occur differently as circumstances shift and change.  Even long-lasting things that feel like fixtures during their time are washed-out when examined in the fullness of time.  That’s one reason it's good to reminisce.  It gives us perspective on how we got here and why it feels the way it does to be here now.

I was looking through old photos the other day, searching for something specific to show someone.  I greatly enjoyed the journey, which included a very strong vibe of oh yeeeeeaah, that totally happened. I forgot!  It was a nice reminder of all the mundane details I captured because they felt beautiful, interesting, or significant at the time.  It felt grounding.  That was me living all those life moments.  And even after all the twists and turns of 2022, I’m still here.

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Information and Inspiration

• World Vision: Top disasters of 2022
• Pocket: What We Learned in 2022
• Wayfinding College: Lifefinding Program
• Goodreads: Slaughterhouse 5
• OPB: Researchers say time is an illusion. So why are we all obsessed with it?​
• Time: Reacquainting Ourselves With Enchantment In the New Year