2022

It’s 1:28 p.m. on January 1, 2022.  A new year, and I have a headache despite the two ibuprofen tablets I swallowed over an hour ago.  This is most definitely due the many vodka-sodas I consumed last night at the Bamboo Club ringing in the new year.  I do not regret it because we had a wonderful time, but I do feel a little guilty for some reason, which I guess is just me.  It’s a beautiful winter day, and something about the angle of the light makes me feel like I’m on the east coast—not a bad thing, just an observation.  I’ve only been up for a few hours but have already gotten a lot done, including making aa beautiful lasagna, which I’ll pop in the oven later this afternoon for dinner.  I think I read somewhere that eating noodles on New Year’s Day is good luck, so I guess it was a good planning, for what it’s worth.  I also read or saw in a movie that what you do on New Year’s Eve portends how you’ll spend the rest of the year, so I’m happy that we were able to get out and be social, which is something we have not done on NYE in many years. 

Superstitions aside, I have high aspirations for 2022 as another year of self-growth and development.  The last few years have been huge for me, not just with my transition, but also with moving beyond our life in Western Massachusetts (and all of the drama that went along with it, the topic of another post or posts, when I’m ready to unpack all of that baggage) to a new one in Southern California.  So far, my 50s have been amazing and I actually feel younger (more hopeful?  more optimistic?) than I did through my 40s.  If 2021 was a pivotal year for me, and it most assuredly was, 2022 is my year to blossom and shine; to move beyond the things in my head that have always held me back, and take some great big, bold steps forward towards authenticity.

 

Below are some pics from last night.  I think I looked beautiful, and I felt beautiful, even though I had to wear the wig that makes me look like my sister (seriously, we could be twins) because of the heat lamps on the patio where we were sitting at the Bamboo Club.  It’s not easy for me to say that, but I’m going to start doing it more often—owning it, as they say—because it’s true and I need to start treating myself as well as I treat others… a little more kindness, a little more grace.