I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a mime that read “This year I survived, next year I want to live”, and I instantly got a case of deja vu. It’s only been a year since we closed the books on 2020 with thoughts of “this year was Hell, so let’s go 2021!” The reason was obvious. For most of humanity, we were living through our first major pandemic and ready to move on. The world had been seemingly flipped on it’s head in March 2020 shortly after the novel coronavirus that would cause COVID-19 began spreading across the globe. The news cycle was continuous doom and gloom, the stock market plummeted, and people were fearing for their lives or at least those of loved ones that were sick or elderly. Closing the book on 2020 was paramount to being able to live again and return to “normal”, right? It sure seemed that way. There were promises of vaccines on the horizon that would either severely slow down or crush COVID-19, and we were all eager to move on. This new year would be our year! So, what happened?

Well, we did get the vaccines. Although the pharmaceutical companies acknowledged that effectiveness would be less than 100%, surely the estimates of 70% to more than 90% would allow us to slowly return to normal as folks got vaccinated, right? Within a few months of the vaccines being available, people started gathering in small groups, masking requirements eased, and workplaces were suggesting a return to the office for those working remotely. Woohoo, 2021 was living up to it’s promise!

As we were relaxing though, much like the flu and other viruses, coronavirus started fighting back via mutation. Warnings of new variants began emerging, and of course, the media did their job and jumped all over this news-worthy development. This development did little to help our collective psyche as thoughts of 2021 being ‘the year to return to normal’ diminished. Anecdotal stories began popping up all around us about relatives and friends that had been vaccinated were getting sick and testing positive for COVID. WTF?! Faith in our infectious disease experts, pharmaceutical companies, and politicians eroded further. While I don’t know if data exists quantifying the effectiveness of the original COVID vaccines against the delta variant, I do know that in the minds of many, it didn’t matter. It was becoming clear that vaccines were not preventing many instances of COVID, and mask mandates were returning. Despite research suggesting that vaccinations eased the symptoms of COVID, the delta variant was more contagious and dangerous than the original! A couple months later, here comes the omicron strain of COVID, and this one’s even more contagious… gaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!

So can we close the book on 2021 and move onto 2022, please? Nope, not so fast. On the last day of 2021, we lost a bastion of American entertainment in Betty White only weeks from her 100^th birthday. It seems everyone was looking forward to Betty turning 100 and talking about the “when” but not “if”. Honestly, it seemed like she would be around forever, but 2021 had one more curve-ball in store. Time to stop the jokes about Armageddon ending with Betty White and Keith Richards surveying a barren landscape alone and being responsible for procreating the future of humanity. Hell, People magazine even ran a cover celebrating Betty turning 100 despite her birthday still being weeks away! Dewey defeats Truman! Much like the mimes we saw at the beginning of 2021 celebrating this as the year things return to ‘normal’, People magazine also counted their chickens before they hatched. So where do these thoughts intersect?

A better tomorrow is never guaranteed and today may be the best we’ve got. We’ve all been guilty of wasting time while waiting for the next thing that’ll make us happy or make life better. It might be something as frivolous as a new game or movie coming out or something as important as a spouse returning home from a long work assignment. We’re all guilty of finding convenient excuses to wait for one thing to happen before we can move on to another, when in reality, they’re often just that; convenient excuses to procrastinate. Sometimes, people will literally sit around and do nothing because they just have to wait for this one thing and then they can make a move. But, what if, in the process of wasting time, spending hours laying in bed or sitting on the couch, we don’t get a tomorrow? Today could literally be the the best day you have left, but you won’t know it until tomorrow comes. I did it in early 2021 when I was eyeing retirement. I had planned to submit my resignation in January 2021, but postponed it so I could pad my 401k a little more and wrap up a project I had been working on for the past year. In hindsight, if my life had ended unexpectedly in early 2021, how would my family have felt about me pushing retirement for just a few more months?

We all know someone that didn’t get that tomorrow. Sometimes, they saw it coming, but other times, they didn’t. I’ve had more than one friend close to my age drop dead of a heart attack with little to no warning. I have friends and relatives that have been diagnosed with cancer. A cousin that was diagnosed with and succumbed to a terminal illness. Another friend that died suddenly in a car accident in broad daylight. These things can and do happen to us and those around us all the time, completely altering life’s trajectory at any moment. We all hope this never happens, but it can and does. There goes that better tomorrow we were looking forward to while we were wasting today.

How does this relate to our current reality and looking ahead to 2022? For me, the first thing is to be thankful for 2021. Of course bad things happened to everyone in 2021, but focusing on reality, those things are in the past, can’t be changed, and it’s your choice as to which memories you’ll hold on to. What things did 2021 bring you that were unique and worthy of thanks? Don’t focus on what others have and the fact you may not have those, focus on your story and on positive things that this past year has brought to you.

For me, 2021 will always be a special year. Here are a few things from my list:

• Despite not meeting expectations or promises, it is the year we began climbing out of the COVID pandemic hole we were in.
• I was able to host many more gatherings in 2021 than in 2020.
• Following years of saving, investing, and a buyout of our company stock, I was able to retire while my kids were still young enough to think I’m fun and cool 🙂
• I still have both of my parents despite passing the ½ century mark myself, and they live close by.
• My wife and kids continue to bring me more happiness than I’d ever thought possible.
• I wrote and recorded my first song beginning to end and upgraded my computer and studio equipment to help future writing and recording.
• I learned how to and rebuilt my 20 year old mountain bike, and then used it to take quite a few rides with my kids.
• I probably have the sweetest dog that has ever walked the Earth and take time almost every day to walk with her and my kids around our neighborhood.
• Other than a couple of very minor colds, the family was completely healthy all year.

Your list will probably look quite a bit different, but take some time to remember why you’re thankful for this past year and what made you happy in 2021. Leave a comment below about something you’re thankful for, and maybe it will help someone remember why they should be thankful too.

As for 2022, I have plenty of goals and time I want to spend with friends and family, and I hope that by the end of 2022, I can feel a similar sense of gratitude and accomplishment. That’s what has brought me to and kept me in my happy place. I won’t go into this new year expecting it will be better because a Facebook mime or the media promised it would be, and please don’t allow yourself to do that either. I’ll take on the responsibility to make it better. I’ll be thankful for the good things that come my way, and will be happy for others that have good things come to them. I’ll remember my world is made up of reality and my mind’s interpretation of that reality, and will strive to make my reality the best it can be while focusing my mind on finding and feeding on the positive parts of those experiences.

Welcome 2022, not because 2021 sucked, but because you could be the best year ever!