2023 Comes To An End

    Well, this has been a year. Yes, it certainly has. Been a year, I mean.  As my friend Mark Briner so perfectly said, "Another year comes to a close and nobody says it better than Lucy (Lucille Ball). I'd say here's to a better 2024, but, history."

    His words made me laugh. At this time of the year, people are full of resolutions, expectations, and hopes for the year to come. But, as Mark said... history.    

    I make no resolutions. After fifty years of promising to lose weight, it has sunk in that it probably won't happen, and torturing myself over what I do or don't eat won't change a thing. So, no weight related resolutions any more. Nope, not beginning a "weight loss journey." (That expression makes me gag.) Instead I follow the wise advice that my friend Dee Ashby once gave me about life.

    Life is full of ups and downs. We are going to have a lot of happiness, so we really need to be present in those moments when we are happy. Hold on to them. Savor them. Record them in our hearts and brains. Because the bad times will shake us to the core, and we need the memories that good can and will happen to take us through them. I lost Dee on May 1. I can't stand it that she is no longer here on Earth, but I am comforted that I can still feel the happiness we shared in life. I remember her excitement when she became engaged to Jerry, I remember Sarah's birth and her wedding, I remember trips to Allenberry, beach vacations, Independence Day celebrations, New Year's Eves dinners, goofy inside jokes, etc. etc. etc. The last picture taken of us was out of focus and so unflattering that even the best of filters couldn't improve it. But we are laughing out loud, our heads together, recording one of those simple happy times. It's my most beloved picture of us.

         I am thankful for the people in my life. My sister and her daughters are my "official" family. It goes without saying, I love them so much, and I am so thankful for them. I have lifelong friends that I met through theatre. When Harry Malin talked me into auditioning for a play being performed by a little local community theatre, I had no idea that it would change my life. I've been a member of the Tidewater Players for over forty years. I've had some amazing experiences and met many amazing people. Think about it folks, I've been on stage with naked men!! I have danced with a leg lamp, and the people I danced with loved and encouraged me even though I stunk (stank? Who cares? I'm no longer in the classroom.)

       

     I had a rewarding career. Again, a job that brought me many laughable moments and lifelong friends. I have teacher friends that I stay in touch with (some more often than others).  Now that many of my students are now heading into their 40's, 50's, and 60's, I can count them among my adult friends. I can't get them to stop calling me Miss Snyder, but what the heck. As Dee advised, I committed the happy times of my job to my memory- both in my heart and mind. 

    My church friends have kept me going this year, without a doubt. We operate a food kitchen every week, and it certainly gives me an appreciation for my blessings, as well as a chance to make a difference in a cruel world. Oh, the people I've met! There's the elderly frail couple who look like they stepped right out of Mayberry RFD. They entertained me one day with the ins and outs of the marijuana industry because when they were younger they grew their own and had a booming local business. I did my best to keep my eyeballs from popping out of their sockets as they told me their story. There's my down-on-his luck ex-convict buddy who once served eighteen years for murder, and frankly, I would trust him with my life. We serve aliens to our country without questioning their legality or illegality, but by welcoming them and providing them with food and kindness, as well as educating our other clients to be compassionate.  Because of my church family, I am an active participant in doing God's work on Earth year round.  My church peeps are special people, who make me laugh, who pray for my concerns, and bless their hearts, who even threw me a surprise party for my 70th birthday. Sheila, especially, keeps me grounded and entertained. This year we drove to Florida to babysit Mike and Steve's dogs. And, then she and Betty took me to Mar-a-lago so I could give trump a middle finger salute. One of the highlights of this year!

     As 2023 comes to an end, I reflect not only on this year, but the years that have led up to 2023. The years blend into each other, and the best way I can figure out when something happened is "before or after Covid."  The bottom line, when it comes to thinking about the next year, is exactly what Mark said: "... here's to a better 2024, but history."