Ten Reasons Why I Won't Miss 2021

Why I won’t miss 2021:

Had to battle prostate cancer again.

 

Dealt with a month-plus scare when it looked like I might also have lung cancer.

 

Pipes froze and burst in my attic during February Freeze, causing water damage throughout my house.

 

Spent over two months living alone in Extended Stay while waiting for insurance adjuster's estimate, searching for a contractor, and getting repair work done. 

 

Anne stayed with our son and his girlfriend with our cat; I needed to stay where I had reliable WiFi for writing, Zoom interviewing, and long-distance teaching.

 

Needed to have my doctor up the dosage of my antidepressants.

 

Even with the drugs, I had anxiety attacks -- many, but far from all, attributable to the ongoing COVID pandemic -- that caused me to bust multiple deadlines and sorely test the patience of my incredibly patient editors.

 

While at Extended Stay, I tripped one night on my way back from the bathroom. Wrenched my arm while breaking my fall, but it could have been worse: One inch or so further to the right, and I would have banged my head on a dresser and likely killed myself. 

 

Had to comfort my son when his and his girlfriend’s dog died of old age while his girlfriend was out of town.

 

Never forgot for a moment during ANY of this the hard lesson I learned during my formative years as a welfare worker: There were MANY people who were having a MUCH worse time than me. God bless and keep them – and me – during a (hopefully) better and COVID-free 2022.