I'm sure this is a terrible cliche, but the older I get, the faster time seems to pass. In that spirit, I wanted to capture a few of the highlights of 2022.
1. Clean bill of health. For those of you who have never found a lump in their breast before, determining whether or not you have to worry about it is a multistep procedure, and sometimes lengthy. First, I went to my primary care physician who confirmed that it wasn't my imagination, I had a lump. Then I had to schedule a mammogram. I was lucky in that someone had cancelled their appointment; otherwise, I would have had a much longer wait to find out any more information. (I think this backlog was due to the pause on non-essential medical care during the height of the pandemic. I feel very sorry for anyone who had any type of health scare during the first several months of the pandemic!) This is sometimes the end of the story, but they were unable to determine what type of lump I had through a mammogram and ultrasound, so I had to schedule a needle biopsy. The whole series of appointments gave me several weeks to build the lump up in my mind and worry, so it was a tremendous relief to learn that the lump was benign.
2. Sewing my own jeans. I've gotten very into sewing in the past several years, but making jeans, complete with rivets, a metal jeans button, and contrasting topstitching was something new for me. I won't lie--it's a lot of effort to sew jeans. But for someone who has very few ready-to-wear options that fit, it's also quite liberating. The jeans I made fit better than any jeans I've bought.
3. Settling into a "good" job. I distinguished myself on the career front by having three jobs and a period of unemployment during 2022. At the beginning of the year, I was working at a skilled nursing facility. I left that job due to woefully insufficient hours and practices at the facility that I felt were unethical. Thus began a period of unemployment with endless rounds of job applications and interviews. I then worked for a few months for a private practice, which I left when my tentative offer with a school district became a firm offer due to woefully insufficient hours and a chaotic working atmosphere. When I graduated, I did not think I wanted to work for a school district, but it's actually going very well, and after a series of "bad" jobs, I appreciate having a salary and benefits again. Life is uncertain, but I would like to think that may days of job applications and interviews are over.
4. Seeing family and friends in person. I won't get into each specific visit here, but will just say that after the pandemic, I will never take these for granted again.
5. An amazing dolphin sighting. This happened at the end of the year, during a post-Christmas trip to the NC coast with my family. We've often seen dolphins on these trips, but the sightings always amounted to seeing fins moving with that characteristic dolphin motion. This time, it was a lot of fins, more than we've ever seen. Then, they started jumping out of the water! It was like dolphins you would see on a nature show. I don't know if I'll ever be lucky enough to see such a display again, but it was an amazing way to end the year.
I'm glad that, although you experienced difficult times in 2022, you ended the year in a happier and more stable place. I've gone through the lump-checking anxiety myself and it was no fun; fortunately mine, too, was benign. Sewing your own jeans is seriously impressive! The dolphin experience sounds awesome (in the true meaning of the word). Thanks for sharing these bits of your life. I wish you a fulfilling 2023!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear you had to go through the lump-checking experience, too, but glad it was benign! Wishing you and your family a wonderful 2023!
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