Next up: Zero Mile and the Official Starting Point of 2023
I am not a big believer in good years and bad years. Every year has its ups and downs. 2022 Certainly presented challenges for the world and for me personally. We often have little control over the cards that are dealt. In the end, it’s the way you play the hand that matters most. Here are the five highlights of my year for better and for worse.
Alaska
By far the best thing I did this year was the three-month road trip Barbara and I took to Alaska and back. It was day after day of stunning scenery, incredible wildlife, and many adventures. Just spending the entire summer outdoors was a joy.
It wasn’t always comfortable. It rained. There were mosquitos. Sometimes we were cold or sick (see next item) but what a journey and at just $100 per day including camping, fuel, and entrance fees, it was a very economical way to travel. We decided exactly how long we wanted to stay in each place and when we were ready to move on, we did. If you missed the photos the first time around and want to see them, they are online here.
In other travel, I also visited Florida, Cincinnati, Chicago, as well as all the places between Maryland and Alaska. I also enjoyed some spring hiking in my beloved Adirondacks.
Covid
No one wants to get Covid but if you must, this is the preferred way to do it: a mild case after having had four doses of vaccine.
Just outside Denali National Park, I started with a scratchy throat. By day 2 I had a runny nose and a cough.
At the end of day three I took a test (I happened to have brought them on the road) and I was surprised to see a positive result.
Day four was much of the same and by day five I was 90 percent recovered.
Having had it, I now feel less nervous about getting it again (though I know that is a false sense of security). I got a 5th shot notwithstanding. I am very grateful for not having gotten more ill and would be fine with not getting it again!
The Stock Market
The 20 percent decline in the stock market (and my retirement savings) was expected at some point though not necessarily in the year my wife retired (I retired in 2020). Yet, I am grateful for this correction. Here’s why.
In December of 2021 the market was WAY overvalued by any measure. It simply couldn’t sustain those valuations indefinitely. The decline in my savings made me much more conservative about what I can draw to live on. It is still plenty to meet my basic needs plus a yearly road trip or two. This dose of realism may save me from more financial stress in the long run because it prompted me to think more cautiously.
As with getting Covid, I now feel more secure. I experienced my first 20% loss since retiring and things still look ok. I didn’t freak out and move everything to cash, which I know would have been foolish.
Finally, just as what goes up must come down, the opposite is true. Eventually, the market will turn around. Because: Reversion to the Mean. I have to remember to not get too excited when it does.
Writing
I wrote some forty blog posts this year and I am pretty sure at least my mom read a few of them. I have often said that I write these for me and if anyone else reads them, that’s a plus. They help me think about things and remember what I believe.
Though my poetry writing has been less prolific recently, I have written a few poems that I am pleased with this year, including the one appearing my writing workshop’s anthology, 50 Years of the Moose. Did you get your copy yet? On sale wherever fine books are sold (well, Amazon anyway).
Family & Friends
No doubt the best part of the year was the time spent with family and friends. I got to spend quality time with all of my immediate family (not to be taken for granted after 2020!) and with all of my cousins and their families. There were weddings, birthdays, and celebrations of the lives of my Aunt Barbara and my Uncle Steve both of whom left legacies of love and laughter. They are missed.
We saw our children multiple times in spite of the distances between us and got my mom safely relocated to Cincinnati where she will be close to my sister. My dad and his wife are still nearby and doing well. (Note: as I was posting this my dad tested positive for Covid. May his recovery be complete and swift!).
I am grateful for friends near and far who are always up for a walk, a cup of coffee, or a zoom chat, even when what they are after is free Apple technical support. I am at your service.
And most grateful for my friend and co-traveler of 40+ years who continues somehow to tolerate my eccentricities and irritating habits. You can check out her take on life at runningbarb.com.
Here’s some what is planned for 2023, inshallah:
A hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon – and back up
The summit of a few peaks in the Adirondacks
A road trip to Cincinnati and Colorado
A week-long bicycle trip in Northern Wisconsin
Many poetry workshops
More homemade pizza
Here’s wishing you and yours a healthy and happy 2023. May your valuations always be fair!