22 Things I Learned in 2022

Towards the end of December I was sitting in our local MedCheck waiting to be seen for a sinus infection after having just recovered from Covid when I started reflecting on my 2022. Random place for this I know, but when you are waiting for forty-five minutes in an exam room, what else are you to do but endless scrolling through feeds. I decided instead of wasting my time, to make a list of everything I’d been thinking about lately and here are my top twenty-two in no particular order.

1. Everything is Temporary

Emotions, jobs, relationships, that bad time in your life…ALL OF IT is temporary. Celebrate the good people and times and don’t waste time worrying about things out of your control. The only constant is change. A month or a year from now, you will realize that those things or times you thought were so awful, made you stronger or you learned and grew from them in some way.

2. I Don’t Miss Alcohol

This is year number three for me since I gave up alcohol. To each their own, but who wouldn’t want better skin, improved sleep, healthier weight and no brain fog. Plus I can’t even begin to count the wasted time spent recovering from a hangover or the money spent on the booze. Enough said…

3. I’m Stronger than I Think

Life threw me curveballs in September 2022. We discovered Daisy had a mast cell tumor that needed to be removed (she is doing fine and that will be a separate post) and I was also diagnosed with an eye disease called Myopic Degeneration. My goal is to start a page on this site devoted to my journey with this as there is not a lot of information out there about it. Approximately only 2% of the population has this condition. My hope is to help someone else that has been diagnosed with this or anyone with low vision for that matter.

4. Eliminate Relationships that Don’t Serve You Well

Take inventory of all of your relationships. I had to cut some people out of my life that were doing more harm to my mental wellbeing than good. I truly wanted some friendships to work but they were no longer healthy for me and had to go. I keep reminding myself that people truly do come into our lives to teach us lessons or for us to teach them. It’s not always meant to last forever.

5. Nothing is Ever What it Seems

All of those pictures you see in your feeds, well those are just snapshots in time. They are most likely NOT the reality of what is actually going on. No one has a perfect life. A pastor said during his sermon once that his entire family was fighting five minutes before the picture of them taken at the zoo was posted but you would have never known. People will only show you what they want you to see. Remind yourself of this when scrolling through your feeds.

6. Expectations of Others

If I expect other people to do things like I would, I will always be disappointed. I set high standards for myself and it’s hard for me to remember that we are all different and that’s okay. My drive and discipline keeps me going even when I’m not motivated and not everyone is wired like that.

7. I’m Enough

Not everyone will like me but what’s more important is liking myself. I’m intense and direct and that’s not for everyone. There are times when I struggle with insecurity and self-doubt or meeting new people. I’m finally at peace with my flaws, imperfections and mistakes. I don’t need to be someone else, I’m pretty good just the way I am.

8. Stop People Pleasing

I have a tendency to say yes when I really want to say no. It’s not because I want people to like me, it’s more due to the nature of not letting anyone down or ruffling any feathers but then I become resentful because I did something I didn’t want to do in the first place. It’s completely okay to say no.

9. I’m an Introvert and that’s Okay

I’m quiet and feel way more comfortable with one or two people rather than in a group. My circle is small but that also means the relationships are deeper and more meaningful. It takes me a while to warm up to people and some mistake this for standoffish behavior and make assumptions about me. I’m naturally just a quiet person. I used to think I needed to have a large group of friends. I realized that I don’t.

10. Practice More Yoga

I just simply feel better when I practice yoga every day. It improves my mood, reduces my anxiety, beats my blues, and helps me sleep. My insomnia always seems to happen on the nights when I haven’t done yoga. You would think this would be a no-brainer for me.

11. Live an Intentional Life

I’m a serious person but realized I’m not always clear on my priorities or what I want from life. I need to be more mindful of how I’m investing my time and my future goals. Sitting on the couch binge-watching Netflix isn’t exactly working on MY life.

12. Body Acceptance

I’ve finally come to the point or age (53 but who’s counting) of accepting my body. It took me a long time to get here. I would constantly count calories, over exercise to the point where I tore my meniscus TWICE, and swear off certain foods. I was MISERABLE! Completely not worth it. Everything in moderation and yoga keep me balanced and happy.

13. Doing Things that Light Me Up

Do you feel tired even when you really haven’t done much? For me, I realized I’m tired because I’m not doing enough of the things I’m passionate about. I’m a creative person and when that need goes unfulfilled, my energy levels drop. Think about the last time you did something you really like to do and how it made you feel. I’m guessing you felt energized by it.

14. Family Doesn’t have to be Blood

You can make your own family. All it needs to be is people who love and care about one another. It’s what you make it. Just because people are related by blood doesn’t necessarily mean they need to be in your life. If blood family brings drama, chaos, manipulation or lies, then maybe it’s time to keep those people at a distance.

15. Fear of Failure

I oftentimes don’t do things because I’m afraid of doing something wrong, looking stupid, or worrying about what others will think. It took me over a year to start this blog because I was so scared people would make nasty comments. There are always people who are going to react in a negative way. Are they lashing out because they wish they had the courage to do something themselves?

16. Comparison Steals my Joy

Randomly scrolling through social media can make anyone feel less than. It’s hard not to compare what I look like, what my house looks like, or how full my life is when you see the filtered images and posts. Take more breaks from social platforms. Your mindset and sense of self-worth are more important.

17. Stop Obsessing over House Chores

I tend to obsess over how my house looks. It’s a real struggle for me. I have two dogs and it will always have dog hair, paw prints, and water drool. I need to accept the fact it will never look like the picture perfect homes that are glorified on social media. Those are staged anyway. No one really lives like that.

18. Never Stop Learning

I’m a naturally VERY curious person about everything. I believe we need to continuously experience new things as it broadens our perspective and changes the way we see the world. Never become stagnant. Challenging ourselves to learning a new skill or technique makes us happier and more confident.

19. Most Meetings are a Waste of Time

If a meeting is scheduled for an hour, it will take an hour. If it should only take thirty minutes, then schedule it for thirty minutes. If a meeting doesn’t require my input, value or decisions, then my presence is useless. Time is precious so don’t waste it unnecessarily.

20. Home is Where I Prefer to Be

I enjoy being at home and doing things centered around the house with my hubby and my dogs. DIY projects, cooking, organizing, reading, painting, and decorating. I require more alone time than other people do to recharge and think. My creative self is most inspired when I’m doing things around the house.

21. Take Care of Me

Taking care of my health and mental well being is necessary. I’m better able to help support others when I’m in a good physical and mental state myself. One of the most important things I’ve come to realize is that time-outs from everything are absolutely vital for ME.

22. AND FINALLY, Life Would Be Terrible Without Dogs!

I can’t even begin to imagine my life without dogs in it. For me it would be lonely, sad and meaningless. They say you don’t get the dog you want but the dog you need. Diesel entered my life when I needed to learn patience. He is incredibly dog reactive and I still have to work on him daily and he is now twelve. Daisy entered my life when I needed to learn more empathy for others. She has epilepsy and is on medication for life. Dogs are our teachers in more ways than we know and they constantly teach me things about myself that I may not recognize if they weren’t in my life.

My wish for 2023 is for it to be filled with happiness and strength for the dark days to keep my spirits up. There will be challenges ahead for me with my eye diagnosis but I will continue to strive to be a better human being each and every day because it’s all about helping each other and the human connection…with dogs of course!