To be the clear – this is a personal review – not one of a national or world. Here I’m looking back retrospectively using health and well-being metrics. In retrospect, 2022 was not a good year.
My Ā Health and Well-Being Inventory
took a hit this year. Body blows. The HWBI scores how one is doing in six health categories: Physical, Mental, Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Economic. I’ve gone into detail here. My score today is 58, compared to 83 at my peak (a perfect score for me would be 104). However, 58 is still better than at my lowest, 33.
With that in mind, here is a recap of my year.
Therapy
was good. I’m making “good use of the time.” So she says.
I had 25 sessions at a cost of $3,500. Maybe that’s comparable to what one would pay for health insurance? But, I trust her. The highlight was a homework assignment she suggested: to explore “My People” via any means at my disposal. I made a collage of pictures and cards.
Then I wrote an essay going into some detail. Try that. Twenty-five sessions is down from a high of forty-six.
Exercise
was okay. I walked 260 days (out of 365) for about a total of 780 miles. I no longer hike in the high country.
Happy Hour Friday
was near perfect. My long time best buddy in SoCal and I made 50 out of 52.
Whiskey
consumed remained manageable. I drank 35, 1.75 liter jugs. That is 2,065 ounces, or 16 gallons; at a cost of $1,045. I quit drinking beer. That might seem like a lot, but I drank some 200 gallons of water. Add to that the fact I drunk zero, zero, soda. My liquor consumption, overall, is down 50% from fifteen years ago. I think that’s pretty good.
Economically
things were not so good. My rent increased by 12%, or $200 per month. The cost of everything went up. Gasoline, food, and energy.
However I don’t consume much. In other words, I have a small footprint so that didn’t hurt too much.
I had zero book sales. [To all my liberal and conservative friends, family, students, and readers – thanks for that. Thanks for your support. Yeah.]
Moreover my stock portfolio took a major hit.
Reading and Writing
was down. My eyes? Well to read I have to close my left; and now I have to use a magnifying glass. Therefore, I read only seven books. Three were re-reads. All seven were connected to interests other than mere pleasure. They were related to either therapy, friendship, or history.
Writing was in three areas: My Morning Pages journal, 1,318 pages; Therapy, 80 pages; and my WordPress Great Debate blog, 32 posts. WordPress posts were down from a high of seventy-four, or 57 percent. However, that’s part of my treatment plan. š
Entertainment
was, well entertaining. It was all home-based: Movies and TV shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. Two, of many, standout movies wereĀ Top Gun MaverickĀ andĀ Fury. Netflix does a good job with its “recommended” algorithm. I foundĀ OutlanderĀ andĀ The Last KingdomĀ fantastic. Both are based on historical fiction books.
Sports
was a mixed bag. I am a long time New York Yankee fan so Aaron Judge’s pursuit of the MLB home run record was riveting. However, the Yankees failure to take the World Series was a big disappointment.
The Denver Broncos and Nuggets also disappointed. However, I became a fan of hockey for the first time, thanks to my SoCal buddy. And, the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup!
Music
was, as always, satisfying. Each year I create a new playlist on Spotify. I’ve been doing this for ten years running. This year’s list, 62 songs, was titled “THE NAKED CAFE”.
The songs I choose are always related to, or sparked by, some other event or experience. Sixty-two songs is down from a high of 2015’s, “WORLD CAFE”,Ā 257.
The NAKED CAFE begins with Jewel’sĀ Who will save your soul, sparked by a therapy session. I found it on YouTube, a live performance fromĀ TRAINWRECK: Woodstock 99,Ā a Netflix documentary. I think it might be the sexiest female performance ever! The playlist ends with the theme from the movie The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.Ā Fitting, don’t you think?
In this, the AGE OF SURVEILLANCE, and CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM, it’s not surprising that a few entitled performers, yes you, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, would quit the platform. They did so under the guise of protest for the greater good. However, I think it was because they were scared of getting COVID, among other selfish motives. It’s a story worthy of a blog post – of which I did write.
YouTube Girls
have become a favorite pastime of mine. Check these out:
- Emmie – a twenty-something Canadian book tuber.
- Kristin – a just-turned thirty Australian who vlogs about the MBTI personality profiles. She does so with humorous skits.
- Katie Morton – a thirty-something, LMFT who shares and bears her own neurosis for all to see.
- Krystal Ball – a just-turned forty, progressive, political pundit. I liken her to Wendy, of PETER PAN fame.
- Becca – a twenty-something “through-hiker”, who chronicled her 2,000-mile hike on the Continental Divide Trail.
- Emerald – a teenager. My favorite, who vlogs daily about her family’s logging and lumber business.
What these girls have in common is they are all attractive, smart, articulate, and introverted neurotics. Youtube and the latest technology, has given them a platform to engage the world and make a living.
For me, this is a good thing. I can sit in the comfort of home, with or without whiskey, and engage with my favorite activities: reading, personality, politics, hiking, and all things related to trees and wood. In addition, with Youtube’s algorithms and the above mentioned capitalism, I get turned on to many more interesting people and the things I like.
2022 – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Ha!
The Magpie Cafe
I had to close. But, I reopened it, temporarily, because of the recent snow and cold snap. The Maggie Cafe is also a playlist I made, 2020, with 116 songs. It features many tunes about birds. You might be surprised, there are a lot!
The Weather
or should I say climate change? It was mostly a mild year. Here on the north east plains’ of Colorado. However, there were 47 days with precipitation, or 38% of the calendar year. Used to be Colorado boasted of over 300 days of sunshine a year. That’d be 82%. I guess it all depends on how you measure things?
There were no super storms. Except maybe that rainstorm that flooded Big Dry Creek. That was strange. I think it was more about people not knowing what they’re doing rather than a super storm.
Conditions determine if I go out for a walk, or not. Strong wind keeps me inside, as will extreme temperature. By that metric Colorado’s weather is “fair” 71% of the days. That’s pretty good, yes?
Death Dominates
as, I suppose, it always has. Or fear of it; and because death is real and certain. We are all creeping towards oblivion. This year past was marked by death. Two of my oldest and dearest friends died, from health complications. Or maybe they’d just had enough? My step-daughter’s best friend was murdered, by her boy friend. Another old, dear friend’s step-daughter shot and killed herself.
My brother nearly died, twice! Once, at the beginning of the year; and again just this December. He contracted the COVID in December of 2020. Jack tells his story here. The good news? he didn’t.
The January episode turned into a fun road trip and a wedding. That was crazy!
In Conclusion:
Most of the year I’ve been dealing with feelings of powerlessness and paralysis leading to a fugue of pointlessness. There is not much I can do about any of this shit (storm.) Psych-girl suggests I lower my expectations, self-censor some, don’t over-think or over-correct. And, “Don’t drink too much.” That, of course, she says is up to me.
In retrospect, I suspect it’s all fairly typical. I’m contracting. Most of my life I’d been expanding and now it’s time to reel it in. “Better to burn out than to fade away”? I’m not so sure about that, Mr. Young.
How was your year? Are you expanding or contracting?
My new friend, just today, writes about how government keeps expanding. Unlike we humans who die. Well, some of us don’t believe we do, die. I had a lively discussion w/an old friend about that at Christmas. Who knows? Anyway you can read my new friend’s post here https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/110281476/posts/4462248753 about the ever expanding US government.
Sounds like you’ve had a year! Growing old sucks (I’m not that many years behind you.)
I have to ask: Your book. Praise or burial?
Praise for sure. Reviews have been stellar.
Well, that’s good! I was referring to the book’s content and conclusions, ala the famous quote, “I come not to praise Caesar, but to bury him.” I was curious about your stance on the guy.
Oh, Trump’s a first-order narcissist w/o a doubt. Perfect for the job of POTUS – in the real world.
I think we’ll have to disagree on that, mi Amigo. In my book, he was unfit and an embarrassment.
As to your question, my health circumstances have herded me into contraction, whereupon I have greatly expanded my outreach via FB/email posts and a couple of wordpress blogs. So, as usual, I find I don’t really fit into a category very neatly, which is fine with me. “I find I am content whatsoever circumstances I find myself.” (Paul, Philippians)
I did not realize you were a Yankees fan. I am one myself, though my father was a true fanatic and I think I mostly get it from him. Hang in their otherwise!
Thanks, buddy. I think Iām experiencing a ādead cat bounce.ā š© as my father said, ākeep your eye upon the doughnut and not the hole.ā