End of the Year Questions - Reflecting on 2021

These questions are from a swap on Swapbot that look back on 2021: 

1. If 2021 were a movie, what was the title, and what happened? The first thing that comes to mind is "Where Did the Time Go?" 

Even though the past year was packed with lots of activities, milestone birthdays, and challenges (like doing the 75Hard challenge and drastically changing the way I ate, exercised, and approached life), it went by so quickly. It seems like each year there never is enough time to get everything done that I want to accomplish. 

2. What worked well in 2021, and for what are you grateful? For the first 75 days of the year, I was using a habit tracker and doing the 75Hard challenge. I was eating well, exercising 90 minutes a day, reading at least 10 pages, journaling, and doing other activities that I wanted to do. 

I really liked the program and ended up continuing a modified version of it until about October. Then, I started getting side-tracked with the holidays and they took priority. 

I am very grateful I did the program because it showed me that if I set my mind to something difficult, I can do it. It is a matter of setting small, achievable steps to reach the major goal. 

3. What was challenging or disappointing about 2021? We had multiple major problems with our only car. This was a huge setback financially which was disappointing. 

We also struggled with Hoss's hooves from February through September, and worked with our vet and farrier to find a solution. They (and we) tried everything. In September, we made the difficult decision to give Hoss and Bailey (who were now a bonded pair) back to the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation. They ended up being able to discover the problem (an abscess in one hoof) that, thankfully, was caught in time. Olivia was very observant and - had she not been - things could have been a lot worse for him (either long-term issues or euthanasia). 

The good news is that both Hoss and Bailey were adopted within a month of going back to MHARF. Although they are in different homes, Hoss has a miniature companion and goats at his new farm and Bailey is at a stable with 15 other horses, and she is used for giving lessons. So, she's getting lots of attention.  

4. What were your most meaningful moments this past year? At the end of the year - from December 23rd to January 4th - we quarantined at the request of Sophia's study abroad program. In order to board her international flights, she needed a negative COVID test. So, we didn't want to risk it given the appearance and easy transmission of the omicron variant. 

Although we were sad that we couldn't do things we normally did - like go to Christmas Eve service, spend time with extended family on Christmas, go out to do special things for Sophia's 21st birthday, and go out to a Chinese restaurant on New Year's Day - we celebrated these occasions at home together as a family. 

We started some new traditions (like playing Risk together as a family over multiple days after Christmas and into the New Year), watched movies together, and made food together. We worked on projects that we hadn't had a chance to do because we were always out and about...rather than at home. 

5. Where did you spend a lot of time and energy? Although I felt like I was driving a lot to take Olivia to the homeschool co-op twice a week and to speech therapy, I did spend a lot of time and energy at home which I enjoyed. 

I enjoyed watching Olivia paint many barn quilts during the summer for clients. She was earning a lot of money that she has set aside for college.

6. What did you learn this last year? I learned how to take better photos and use my camera in ways I didn't know how to use it. 

I took a photography course at North House Folk School with Layne Kennedy, a very talented photographer. Olivia and I enjoyed photographing waterfalls.

We also explored places on our own - like High Falls at Grand Portage State Park. This park is adjacent to Canada, although - at the time - we couldn't go into Canada because the border was closed due to the pandemic.

The photography course challenged me to look at taking pictures different than I normally would do, and learn to tell a story about the places we visited.

7. Looking back on 2021, on a scale of 1-10, how happy were you overall, with 1 being depressed and 10 being happy and content? I think about a 7 or 8 in terms of being happy and content. 

8. As you look to 2022, what will be the highest use of your talents? As I think about different skills and talents during the upcoming year, I would like to use my:

- research skills to help find scholarship opportunities for Olivia, 

- writing skills to write a book for Olivia to give to her as she starts college, 

- organizational skills to keep everything in order as Olivia finishes high school and Sophia studies abroad, 

- decluttering skills as I get rid of things we no longer want or need in our home, barn, and garage, 

- organizational skills as we plan for a trip to England and Scotland for Olivia's graduation trip,

- gardening skills to make the farm look nice for Olivia's graduation party, and 

- communication skills to help me talk with potential employers as I search for a job later in the year. 

9. What will success look like in 2022? If I am able to accomplish all the things I mentioned in #8, I would feel like 2022 is successful: 

- help Olivia secure scholarships, 

- write a book for Olivia, 

- see Olivia complete high school after being homeschooled since Kindergarten, 

- hear that Sophia had a successful trip in Thailand, 

- get rid of a dumpster of things from the home/yard/barn (so a thorough deep clean and decluttering), 

- have a great family trip overseas, 

- complete the gardens so they look full and colorful, and 

- secure a meaningful job. 

10. If you select a "word of the year" - share what it is for 2022, and why you chose it. I'm not sure what word I pick. I go between four words: Trust, Acceptance, Embrace, and Change. 

I'm thinking Change might be it because there is inevitable change that comes with aging, seeing the girls get older and move to the next stage of their lives, and change in relationships. 

Then there's change that I initiate that can be positive - like saving over $70 per month by changing garbage collection companies and changing phone companies so we get faster and more reliable internet while saving ourselves money. 

2022 will be filled with many changes. I just need to trust, accept, and embrace them - whether I am ready for them or not.