Dear 2022: We Don’t Want Any Trouble
Life these past 5 years has admittedly been a little chaotic. Frequent moves, enormous life changes, a once-in-a-century pandemic. I’ve reached a point recently where I’ve finally had the time to slow down and reflect on how I’ve gotten to the point I’m at. It doesn’t quite do it justice to say that I’m thankful for the challenges I’ve encountered, for they made me who I am today. We all face challenges that can feel entirely unfavorable to our odds. I think I speak for many of us that the pandemic was one of those bastions of anxiety-inducing life events that wasn’t at all kind to our psyches, much less the fabric of our society. For those of you standing on the other side of it wondering, “What the hell just happened?”, you are not alone.
My life has slowly returned to a baseline of normalcy over the past few months, whatever “normal” means anymore. A year spent in Colorado turned to an autumn celebrated in Portland, Oregon - Maya and I’s home for the very foreseeable and indefinite future.
I usually send out newsletters at the end of every year to close friends and family with a summary of my past year. It’s a tradition I’ve come to appreciate as a chance to look back on the past 365 days, detailing it to those who I likely haven’t spoken with since the last year’s newsletter, recounting all of its highs, lows, and everything in between.
In lieu of an annual newsletter, I wanted to keep things brief. I’ve included way too many photos from this past year - a digital recap of sorts. For those of you who want to see what mischief Maya and I got into, you can find those below.
2021 brought with it many up’s and down’s, and in my opinion may have given 2020 a run for its money in which could be more fantastically turbulent.
Still we find ourselves looking back on the tumultuous journey that was 2021, eagerly awaiting a less chaotic, hopefully less hateful, 2022.
Maya and I wish you the happiest of years ahead. May you allow yourself time to reflect on the past 365 days, giving yourself the space and praise you deserve for finding your way through them.
Happy New Year.
Riley and Maya
