beati quorum via integra est

The year 2021 is ending. It's been another full year, and I must confess that the thing that's best is that I and my family are healthy and safe. I'm thankful for that- it was a difficult year in many respects, personally. I took some time to reread my entries from my time in hospital early in summer. and I am beyond grateful to be here to look back. I treasure the days that I have- they all seem too short and too fleeting, but I'm happy and thankful for them. Even when I'm bored or frustrated because I can't do all the things that I'd like, I'm happy to be able to grumble about it!

Those of you who have been reading this year know the challenges that I've faced. I'm admitting, again, that I'm extremely grateful for the support and love that I've received. It's something that's kept me going when I was wandering those dark places. I told Don that he kept me going when things got bad, and he replied, "Oh! That was my mistake!" Silly boy! No wonder Jerry pounces on him... Seriously, though, Don has been a great gift in my life, and I'm not certain that I take as good care of him as he does of me. In fact, I'm not sure that I deserve the demonstrations of love that I receive, all the more because I'm limited in what I can do. This isn't a pity-party; I was reflecting on the year past and I feel like my balance sheet is heavily in debt to the people around me. I feel like I'm a weed in a garden, pretending to be useful. In times like this, I again rely on the support of my lovely friends (which just increases my indebtedness.)

As 2021 winds to a close, I will also turn the page on the negativity. I won't speak about the seemingly-unending pandemic and the climbing numbers and cyclical lockdowns. I hope that there will be a cultural shift so that we can return to some of our pre-pandemic activities. I'm being hopeful that I won't need treatments any time soon, and that I can travel to Trinidad. Right now my doctor is not keen for me to make that trip because of the high rates of infection and low vaccination levels. So-my request to my Trini peeps-Get those numbers under control! Your girl wants to come to the warmth!

In tonight's call with my niece, we decided not to set any New Year resolutions. In my case, I never do anything with them, so I just feel irritated. In her case, she said that since her birthday is in January she just pushes them out by a couple of weeks. In either case, no resolutions. That being said, we did agree that we'll continue to talk and learn together because it's fun, and we'll try as many new things as we can.

Don and I will try to stay awake to see in the new year. There's no guarantee that we'll be successful. But we've got a bottle of Dom Perignon chilling that we'll pop (if we're awake) or tomorrow if not. There's black-eyed peas and rice for a late supper, and treats for the small dog. We'll have a small celebration to welcome 2022 I hope that we'll all be here to welcome in 2023, happy, healthy, safe and closer than today. Lots of love to everyone!


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